Aliens decide to rule the Earth indirectly, picking a middle-aged woman from an insurance company to be their intermediary.
Content warnings 2
deathsuicide
Robert Reed
5 free-to-read stories indexed on Quasar
"Security AIs heard whimpering, diagnosed the source, then alerted the rest of the household. A baby moggie had fallen inside one of the nearby recycling hubs. Of course the children hurried outside to see, and being noble souls, they dragged the...
Kleave’s life is upended when a freak accident disables all three of the archives where he stores copies of his experiences and memories.
"Three days into their journey, and the strangers—humans and one janusian couple—felt as if they had become respectable friends. A convincing illusion, and essential. The male janusian, rooted firmly into his wife’s broad back, was eager to outline the situation."
Kingfisher searches an endless icefield for a woman he can’t forget. He’s been searching a long time—tens of thousands of years at least. But he’s not giving up.