Author: Irene Montaner The planet gleamed faintly under the light of its star. Beneath a thin layer of clouds, its surface was mostly blue. Navy blue, according to the photosensors. Earth used to be the planet’s name. Voyager 11 had traveled for centuries and covered ...

Author: David Berger (The Phenomenon Known As “Soulmates” – Ms. Blu) “Why are you always complaining?” my wife asked me one night from across the kitchen. “You’ve got me; you love your work; we have a nice home; good friends; the sex is great.” “Yeah, great,” I ...

Author: Glenn Leung Levi ducked around the corner, cowering as the teenagers closed in with their crowbars, pipes and other hard-hitting objects. He wanted to run, but his brass soles would give him away. He had no choice but to extract the soft plastic layer from his arms, ...

Author: Breeze Navarro This is it. I remember the nights the scent of mint would gently pull me to consciousness. Our home would be lit by a single candle. You don’t want to disturb the darkness too much, mom would say. I’d sip tea. She’d sip whiskey and tell me the ...

Author: Lynn Finger “How much to fix this glitch?” I said. “You can’t afford it,” he tossed back. We were suspended in our respective amplifications, parked in an enabled space elevator made from light. We were formed and holding in the black expanse, our talk focused ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer They stare at me as I go by. Heart-shaped faces, pale skin, a hint of freckles, eyes like summer sky reflecting in still ponds. Every day since I got here, they stop what they’re doing to watch me go by. Still makes me uncomfortable, but ...

Author: Shon-Lueiss Harris The dining hall offered the best view. All the brushed steel and matte finishes throughout the rest of the ship stopped at the door. Entering the kitchen felt like stepping into a new world replete with delightful aromas, vibrant colors, and sleek ...

Author: Griffon Kaye You sit on the bathroom floor to smoke, on the thin rug, back hunched up against the tub. Whatever, your back hurts anyway, twenty minutes on the hard floor isn’t going to make it any worse, you’re not that old yet. Sit in the bathroom because it’s ...

Author: R. J. Erbacher I was twenty minutes outside the airport going 65 on the interstate headed to a meeting to smooth some feathers; my illustrious job. Watching the road around me I passed a bus on my right, in front of that was a small red hatchback, then an ...

Author: Chris Stewart “Dr. Marco Nutrice. M-A-R-C…” The council chairman, rumpled and sleep-deprived, interrupted, “Doctor Nutrice.” The witness, far chipper, countered. “Noo-trees” “Pardon?” “It is pronounce, noo-trees.” “My apologies, Doctor.” Sighed the ...

Author: R. Michael Jenny sat looking at the wonders out her window. In her right hand, she slowly twirled a bit of her silky, auburn hair, and in the other hand, she held a pen. Though intending to jot something down, she mostly just chewed on the end. In her mind’s eye, ...

Author: David Barber “So,” Hoffmann said to Cally. “You are the poet. The one who claims to hear meanings in queentalk that our software misses.” The man from Transuranics GmbH had brought his own translator rig; Cally listened to it murmuring the subtext of pheromones ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer I love Christmas, everyone’s preoccupied or in a good mood. A focussed gent like me can make a fortune. Times have changed, though: used to be all I had to do was hang around and look a bit down and out. That’s become a good way to get ...

Author: Glenn Leung "I'm sorry, what?" I gave the man my 'I don't believe you, but I'm intrigued' face. "Perhaps I should use visual aids," said the man as he set his drink down. He proceeded to grab a napkin from the counter and whip out a pen from his shirt pocket. In ...

Author: David C. Nutt “As I told you to begin with, if Renslo dies, you would die too.” I thought the Renegade Commander said that so I wouldn’t kill Renslo under the knife by violating my Hippocratic oath. Oathbreakers never understand the power of an oath taken; ...

Author: Timothy Goss Where to begin? Start at the dance. It’s a very good place to start. But the dance was slow. Everything was on its best behaviour, including the Humans’. They were representing Kircher and his crazy ideas. The Galactic community wanted assurances ...

Author: Steve Smith, Staff Writer Tenn disengaged the flywheel on the powerbike and coasted to a stop against the curb. He steadied the bike with both feet on the ground, glancing down as he did at the rough-shaven scalp of the man seated next to him on the sidewalk. An ...

Author: R. J. Erbacher “I’m sorry, what?” Aaron was about to tip his tray of leftover lunch into the bin and now held it frozen in mid-spill. Maybe telling him wasn’t a smart idea after all. I thought, out of everyone I knew and trusted, he would have an open mind. I had ...