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"Evane" is a 2500-word short story by E. C. Tubb, about a lone astronaut on an interstellar spaceship. The story was first published in 1973.

Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.

Plot

Charles is the sole astronaut on an interplanetary seeding ship, travelling at relativistic speeds, seeking out new planets on which to grow life to prepare for future colonization. Charles talks to the ship’s computer, which he calls Evane. They’ve been out for 50 years—10,000 years by the clocks back on their homeworld—when Charles finally asks the computer the right questions. Evane explains to him that he is on board essentially as a biological timepiece. When Charles dies, the ship will realize that it has reached the extent of its range (a human lifetime), and the ship will then turn around and find a suitable planet for seeding.

Reprints

This story has been reprinted in Donald A. Wollheim’s anthology, The 1974 Annual World’s Best SF.

External Links

• Evane at ISFDB.org

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