Author: Alastair Millar “So,” I asked him as I took the bar stool next to his, “What do you do?” He half-turned, and evidently liked what he saw. No surprise, I’d made an effort for the evening. “Data mule,” he replied with a smile. “I’m Dan.” “Hi Dan, I’m Andi. ...

Author: Majoki Spacers could care less, but most planet-bound types are quick to wrangle over the cause of the long and ongoing intrasolar war. Earthers claim it has to do with mother world sovereignty and maintaining primacy rights. Venusians argue they are protecting ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer There’s a shadow on my gun again. Not the one the rifle puts on the wall, but a little blob that sits on top of the shadow of the telescopic sight, waving tiny limbs while I try to ignore it. Getting rostered to frontier worlds comes with ...

Author: Kevlin Henney The flood water had receded enough for the warden to take the bridge from the town, but there were puddles and pools and fallen branches enough to swallow the road and stymie his progress. "He'll be here soon. Be silent and still," Walda said, ...

Author: Cecilia Kennedy Shapes drift down the aisles of the ferry I’m taking to an island I’ve never seen before. A coworker, Sally, swears it’s the best-kept secret in the entire Pacific Northwest. We’ve got a seat near the window, as parents and children run up and down ...

Author: Jaryd Porter “What’s the damage?” I asked. Snafu used a couple of car jacks to keep the tank suspended, while she removed the treads. She’d removed her combat armor and left it lying in the loose grit around us. “Most of everything’s fine, honestly,” she said. Her ...

Author: Jeremy Nathan Marks When astronauts landed on Wolan, some shed tears of joy at what they found while others salivated. They appreciated their fluids touching the dulcet air of another world. And they cried and drooled because there was enough timber to last for at ...

Author: Lauren Everling I didn’t want to end up here. I didn’t want to be in a holding cell with five other women who looked like funhouse mirror versions of themselves, wrinkled and geriatric, although one of them was only twenty-five. She got aged sixty-five for robbing a ...

Author: Majoki The universe is a bowling alley. It sets up the pins and we knock ‘em down. That’s pretty much all you need to understand entropy. You’ll need a little more to understand humanity. We are high maintenance. We basically feast on order and crap ...

Author: Julian Miles There he is, tapping away on his communication device. Verify. 2024. Autumn. White House. Executive Residence. Second Floor. The body will be found at 05:14 by Charles Lebruin, one of his security personnel. Time? 05:12. I step towards him. “Mr ...

Author: Chris Lihou Sophia’s hood on her navy-coloured jacket was pulled over her head, her eyes directed towards her feet. She was out walking and needed to ensure a secure footing on the uneven cobbled pavement of smooth dark stones glistening from the recent rainfall. ...

Author: Tony D'Aloisio He'd been in the hospital room for what seemed like weeks, although really it was just a matter of a couple days. The nurse had assured him earlier that morning that he would be able to leave soon. His parents were coming by in the afternoon to pick ...

Author: John Lane Mr. Jacobson. Mr. Denali. Mr. Parker. All of them will be taking a permanent nap very shortly. I remembered conversations with each of the men during my first week of sentience (plus other events in the subsequent weeks and years that followed). I ...

Author: Jarick Weldon Seven minutes of terror. That’s what the humans call it. Screaming through the atmosphere of Mars, not knowing if your fate is to be incandescent firework or twisted fragments strewn in an impact crater. And I am terrified. They have programmed this ...

Author: Aaron Bossig Everything had made perfect sense at the time. That’s the part I can’t believe now. Borrowing Mom’s car to pick up Maggie for our date, that made sense. Taking her to the movie she wanted to see, that made sense. So did stopping by the creek for some ...

Author: Majoki “Look at that classic!” Hajoom pointed down the throughway. “What audacious design.” Bretynne barely glanced. “Must belong to a collector. Hard to believe something that old, that out of date, is still around. Relics like that are so underpowered, so slow, ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer There’s another rumble from the clear sky above. More lightning flickers about, and it’s a lot closer than anything produced by weather. “Definitely a Smiter!” I whip my head about. Line of sight to targets and sky are essential, so ...

Author: Alastair Millar It was Fifthday, and time for the weekly appeals audiences. As the Station’s ultimate decider for matters financial, I mostly see cases too controversial or complicated for the civil service - usually because they involve the rich or influential. ...