Downstation Blues

by Robert Roth

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Earth Orbit Station–Prime is the system’s gateway to Downwell Earth and a jewel in the Corporate Confederation’s crown. It's the largest of the orbital stations and home to hundreds of thousands of Confederation citizens. With its pristine parklands, electrifying nightlife, galaxy-class shopping, and inspiring entertainment, life aboard EOS-1 can be luxurious and carefree. As long as you live Upstation.

Life is rough for a young snatcher working the Downstation markets and corridors of EOS-1. Since Nix is Unregistered and forced to live off the dregs of Upstation society, a rough life is the only one he knows. But when his orbit gets all spun out, and he catches heat from the hard-driven agents of Earth Orbit Station Security, Nix has to face some harsh realities about what he believes and who he cares about before he gets sent on the short walk and long drop on the Downwell Express.

Genres: Science Fiction, LGBT

62 pages, ebook

Published October 5, 2020

About the author

Robert Roth (he/him) stands out as a refreshing and vital voice in a literary landscape often dominated by voices from the privileged classes. As a working-class queer nerd and author, Roth uses his writing to challenge the status quo and question the capitalist patriarchy. His extensive body of work ranges from stories and novels to hundreds of magazine and news articles, dozens of published film and video scripts, and even a four-act play. Roth calls Seattle home, where he lives with his partner and immerses himself in the worlds of creators like N.K. Jemisin, Ann Leckie, Neal Stephenson, Rebecca Roanhorse, and G. Willow Wilson as he continues to push boundaries and challenge societal norms. Roth's voice reminds us that the stories we tell, and the voices we amplify, have the power to shape our world.