First Instance

by David Gowey

It used to be that only the wealthiest of nations could send only their best and brightest to the Moon. By 2154, however, things have changed. Research stations, UN outposts, mass drivers, and even a few resorts now share lunar real estate with the remnants of mankind’s first ventures into space exploration. And because these new lunar colonies have an increasing number of the comforts of home, it means there are plenty of jobs for someone someone else to change out old air scrubbers; someone else to replace sheets of silicate glass when they get too pockmarked by micrometeorites; someone else to change out dusty wires on your mass driver installation that cost more than some nations’ combined GDPs.

Andy Lukassen is a civilian electrician on the Moon, held by the United Nations for a crime he definitely did commit, who uses his one phone call on the first law firm he can think of.

Tony Vasquez and Kavita Pandit are new attorneys way out of their depth—three hundred eighty-five thousand kilometers out, to be precise—who take the case.

When put up against two million-dollar plane tickets, no clear legal precedent, nativists threatening war back home, and the United Nations Peace-keeping Force, it’s no wonder the senior partner thinks this one will be a slam dunk for the prosecution. None of what they’re about to do has been done before, but there’s a first time for everything.

152 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2016

About the author

David Gowey lives with too many books (at least for his current apartment) but only one cat. He is currently working on his doctorate in Sociocultural Anthropology, having accepted the idea that if his degree doesn't make him unemployable enough, trying to be an author just might.

Reviews

[S. Qiouyi Lu]

Tony Vasquez is a junior lawyer eager to prove himself to his terrifying boss. When an electrician on the Moon punches someone and sets off an unprecedented legal case, Tony gets the chance of a lifetime. Along with his coworker Kavita, Tony visits the Moon to take on the case. With growing anti-UN sentiment characterizing the political turmoil of Earth in the 2100s, Tony and Kavita have to navigate the touchy subjects of national sovereignty and jurisdiction while fighting for their client's fundamental human rights.

I loved the concept of First Instance, as I have a soft spot for science fiction that is actually a deep dive into a mundane Earth profession. The legal and political intrigue piqued my interest, and Tony’s voice was fun to follow along throughout. I particularly liked the focus on the consequences of the ruling—what kind of precedent will this trial set for humanity's budding expansion into space?

Much as I enjoyed the concept and characters, my main issue with the story was on a worldbuilding level. I got tantalizing hints of what kind of future setting the story is in and what kind of changes have happened, but I didn't get a solid grounding of that when the story opens. There’s decent description of the physical territory on the moon, but little about temporal setting or atmosphere. The talking heads floating in white space problem, essentially. The character voices also tend to blend together when discussing legalese, but I suppose that's to be expected to some degree.

A sequel to First Instance is in the works. I'm curious to see how the open ending will be resolved.