Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Here is the problem, in 1999 I traveled to Germany to study energy engineering. While I was there it was difficult to find books in English so I read whatever I could find. I did not keep a list back then. I remember reading a sci-fi short story that I really enjoyed and would like to read again, but cannot remember the name or author of the story or if it resided in a compendium.

Here is what I can recall regarding the story - possible spoiler alerts for a story over 16 years old:

- aliens had come to Earth and were slowly exterminating humans
- the aliens regarded humans as the only species that deserved their ire and thus made all other animals smarter which made the animals have contempt for the humans on Earth... except for dogs. The aliens were morally opposed to destroying any species other than the humans.
- some humans were able to escape in interstellar spececraft, the spacecraft could travel between stars through a process called space-folding
- at one point one human said to the protagonist (pilot), "shot the dog yet?" This was meant as a metaphor for wrapping up all unfinjshed business on Earth, i.e. one could neither bring nor leave a pet behind.
- the humans that escape, travel and exlore the galaxie and find no planet habitable.
- thus the group that escape returns to Earth thinking maybe the aliens have left.
- the aliens had not left but had all been killed by the dogs left behind.
- the dogs were made smarter by the aliens as well and exacted vengence on the aliens for killing the humans.
- since the aliens would only kill humans, they would not fight the dogs and were slowly destroyed by seige.
- I cannot remember why the aliens couldn't leave Earth.
- there was an artificial intelligence helping to give information to the protagonist, and could create small insect-like robot scouts.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? The story may have been called something like,"We've always been here." My searches here not turned anything up like this.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Happy reading.

Tom

The story was titled "Stay" by Stephen L. Burns, and appeared in the January/February 2011 double issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact

Michael wrote: "The story was titled "Stay" by Stephen L. Burns, and appeared in the January/February 2011 double issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact"

Michael, Thanks for the information. That seems much more recent than I would have guessed, but that may be why I was having so much trouble figuring out what story it was.

I'll check it out.

Michael wrote: "The story was titled "Stay" by Stephen L. Burns, and appeared in the January/February 2011 double issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact"

Well Michael, I got a copy of Jan/Feb Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and Stay is not the story I was looking for.

At the end of the story I am talking about, the protagonist (a human) builds a fire in the wilderness using a robotic wasp his ship builds for him. The wasp uses a laser to start the camp fire. The main character is attempting to investigate the dogs that have returned to the wild. I am also 90% certain the story I am looking to find was written no later than 1999 and perhaps significantly earlier since I don't recall how old the compendium was that I was reading.

But I do truly appreciate the suggestion and you gave me a name of a science fiction author that incorporates dogs into his stories, so I have something that I did not have before your answer... a place to start.