She tugs on my sleeve eagerly: “Play with me daddy, please?”

I glance down at her and smile, my beautiful daughter… So hopeful.

I turn back to my computer screens, the telescope’s hum drowning her whispers, the plight of an astronomer searching for intelligent life, somewhere in the infinite void.

Ernesto Sanchez is a Mexican-American speculative fiction writer specializing in hard science fiction that explores the intersection of technology, humanity, and the future. With a graduate background in information technology and project management, he brings technical depth and real-world insight to his imaginative storytelling. Originally from Los Angeles, Ernesto now lives with his wife and daughter in Washington State.