Abyss and Apex

The last time I submitted to A&A I got no response from them and eventually withdrew the story. I waited over a year before submitting another story to A&A, but it happened again. I queried and got nothing. I used Aleta's email and she said she'd look into it. I had my hopes up because 35 days is good news when everyone else is rejected inside of a week. Now it looks like another big R for my subscription matrix and I'll have to look for another place to send The Telling. Hard SF anyone? Reader must be aware that almost every planet out there will have higher or lower gravity than earth. Reader must know what a Red Giant star is. Reader must not be thrown when I use the term tidal lock. Reader must be aware that an alternative mode of intelligence could be a hive mind.
Update: It's final - a reject. The usual at A&A and other "soft" sites - too much talk about the science. I tell stories from a masculine left brain viewpoint. I tried a trick to get around it by changing the gender of the protagonist, but I couldn't slip it by them.