Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Jack Bragen

Jack lives in Martinez, California. He’d had to struggle all his life with a neurological handicap, but he has worked determinedly to develop his undeniable talent at writing, and he has enjoyed notable success, to the benefit of many of the unfortunate in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Culpable Obedience” may strike some readers as a rather curious science fiction story because it raises several questions, for example:

When the spaceship captain is abruptly summoned to duty, he deliberately avoids saying goodbye to his family. The captain himself knows he’s behaving abnormally. Why does he avoid showing his feelings?
How would the revolutionary government have proceeded if the captain’s ship had not been disabled by a meteorite? Or if it had been destroyed?
How does the revolutionary government know it should appoint Ms. Collins to command the fleet?
The Head Council Member implies that the U.S. prosecuted “hypothetical crimes,” but we’re not told what those crimes are. On one hand, readers are invited to draw their own conclusions; on the other, the story stops short of making a point.

A story that provokes questions is not necessarily flawed; it may be quite instructive in its own way.

Jack Bragen’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Jack. Keep up the good work!