Palmyra Ridge — C.M. Simpson

Chani dreams of the ritual of Severance, which allows her to leave her people's homeland, but when the company she works for moves to take her people's lands, she is exactly where she needs to be. All she has to do is convince Security Officer Asleyan that her visits to Palmyra Ridge are essential, and maybe gain his assistance in defending those she holds most dear. But the security officer has a heritage and fears of his own. Can two people from two very different cultures work together to save nation, while retaining their own sense of self and sanity?

Palmyra Ridge is a short science fiction story exploring issues of belonging, bloodlines and heritage in a changing world. Just under 7,000 words in length, it is the third short story in the fourth Simpson Anthology - An Anthology of Worlds. An Anthology of Worlds released in mid-September 2012.