Author : Janie Brunson "Welcome to the Talent Exchange Office. You must have a talent you would like to trade?" "Yes." "What is it? Your talent?" "I ... I can write poetry. In two languages. Puedo escribir en inglés y español. Sorry, English and Spanish." "A poet! ...

Author : David C. Nutt Major Janus took one last look at the soldier’s file. Rank & Name: PFC Johnny Benton Ralston. DOB: 12 SEP 2134. HOR: Southington, CT. Psi Aptitude: Off the charts. The accompanying progress reports told a familiar story. Phase I & II of ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer “I can see it from here, Duke, and it’s quite something, I can tell you. Let me give you and our other listeners what I see. I’m on Parliament mound, facing south. The river Thames is a shallow umber trail flowing sluggishly from west ...

Author : Anthony Rove King Alexander—that was the name he had chosen for himself, anyway—leaned back on his throne. It wasn’t very comfortable. After a lifetime of resting his considerable girth on plush synthetic fabrics, the primitive wood-on-iron chair hurt his backside. ...

Author : Andrea Friedenson “Such an expressive planet,” Lana said. I watched the reflected light from her monitor flow reds, greens, and blues across her perfect face as she admired the image of Earth that floated before us. The data visualization made the planet seem to ...

Author : Jules Jensen The gray fur was dry and dull. The small hollow horns on his head were curly and crooked. She stroked a finger over the horns. He closed his eyes, like he enjoyed the touch. The claws on his four paws were long. They needed to be trimmed at least once ...

Author : Matthieu C. R. Cartron “And why is it that you wish to explore deep space?” said Allen, the director of the space program. It felt like an obvious question to Gyron. Why did anyone wish to explore the unknown? For the same reason no doubt. “Exploration is the ...

Author : Jules Jensen I stopped and sighed, and then crossed my arms. This wasn’t a normal game animation, but there was no one out this far, so I didn't have to pretend. A field of short grass met up with a lake. It was peaceful. And it was hot. I hated the heat, but so ...

Author : Charles Paul Wallace Ashura contorted her body, thrust her arm through the jagged rip in the ship's inner hull and aimed the flash-driver at the stuck bolt. Which, as ever, refused to turn. She slumped back down to the shrapnel-strewn floor and considered her ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer The rolling glens of Morglanwe sweep gracefully down, their bases hidden by the long grasses that gird them. From this side of the gently waving grass sweeps a scattering of low dunes that back the beach on which we stand. In the sunset, ...

Author : Liam Hogan “What do you remember?” It was what they asked. Teacher, Scientist, Mother. The same testing question, always. Heads bowed, we stared at our desks. We didn’t understand why, but we knew the question was dangerous. “I... I remember...” a voice crept ...

Author : Philip Gustavus Hostetler It wasn't enough that we could destroy the world with ICBMs. Underground bunkers utilizing solar, wind and tidal power. Seed banks, stem cell grown proteins, aquaponics. It all makes life very liveable in the human, civilized ...

Author : Matthieu C. R. Cartron It was after several hours, and, several brief outbursts, that Henry came to a most significant conclusion: A frog simply cannot learn calculus. Henry was a very smart nine-year-old. So smart, in fact, that he was already taking college ...

Author : John Gerard Fagan The air inside smelled of bonfires. He shivered and fastened the boy’s jacket to the top. “Try and sleep,” Claud said. Broo replied with silence, staring at boots that were too big for his feet. They huddled together on the ship’s metallic floor ...

Author : C. James Darrow From ninety six million miles away Earth looks like a faint blue ornament hanging off something unseen. Every ounce of life our solar system cradles and keeps warm is on that pale speck and from this distance it all seems so insignificant. Soon ...

Author : Alex Smith Six of them stood around the grave, silent. It was the first time they had lost a soldier. For a long while, nobody moved. The air was still, disturbed only by the whirs and clicks of their implants, and the gentle humming of respirators. Eventually, ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer (We hope you’ve linked after following our Intergalactic Most Requested: Should I Be Keeping a Human? infoburst. If not, link it before continuing.) IMPORTANT: if you bought your human for a sub-adult of your race, please void the ...

Author : Russell Bert Waters She slept as he observed her for the final time. The moonlight brushed the canvas of her skin with a paint that revealed her natural beauty. He yearned to wake her, to spill his regrets out in one long glut. He would not do this, of ...