A massive ship building Wormholes (Stargates ?) for billions of years. People who are in suspended animation for most of their lives. An AI that wants full control.
Finally, they meet an intelligence massively more intelligent than humans. Truly alien. I am, in a small amount reminded of Fred Hoyle’s novel “The Black Cloud” from the 1950’s, but the twist at the end of the story is good. Maybe not quite as alien as first thought.
This is clearly better than any of the short stories I have read for this year.
Lurker’s rating : 8/10