This is available for free MP3 download at:
http://www.podiobooks.com/title/space-casey
Casey, a con-woman working on
a space station, gets an opportunity. She flies off in the private spaceship
of a visitor. The ship's AI, ("Al") initially thinking the owner has
abruptly ended his trip. So, Al heads the ship back home. Unfortunately for
Casey, it turns out that "home" is another star system - some alien
race had sent the ship to our solar system on some mission...
The story is a serial (as
opposed to novel or short story) with humor and some conning. By the time
Casey and Al come to understand that Casey isn't the ship's owner, that she is
a human and would like to go back home - it's too late. The mission's
supervisor has detected the ship and has started asking questions about why the
mission has been cut short. Casey tries to pretend to be the alien owner and
suggests she head back to Earth to complete the mission. But the boss says
that won't work - and orders them to take the ship back to the terminal. Al is
afraid that when they find out he's let a human come there in the ship, he'll
be re-programmed. And Al gives Casey the impression that things won't be much
better for her.
Casey tells Al to just fly
back to Earth. But Al has been given an order to go to the terminal, and he
can't simply disobey. Therein begins Casey's efforts to convince Al to put it
off until they can find a way to circumvent that inconvenient obedience rule.
Since the alternative may be re-programming, Casey's job is somewhat easier.
We're then off on adventures to find a computer hacker that can fix that
obedience rule, or find a bribe-able official who can give an over-riding
order, or...
And then there’s the mysterious
race that all the other aliens hold in awe or fear – which seem to have an
interest in Casey.
Space Casey is more the
length of a novella than a novel and is more of a performance by several people
than a reading by one person. If the idea of a combination of comedy, conmen
and SF appeals to you, you'll probably like it.
The story itself comes in 10
episodes. The remaining 2 episodes are a question and answer session with the
author, and a number of bloopers or other outtakes.
.