They Live in Starlight

Author : David Botticello “One last bit of business for the day,” barked the ship’s loudspeakers, “I must to inform all crew and travelers that one of our esteemed passengers is a Sunsprite. Please take all necessary precautions,” the Captain’s voice trailed off before quickly adding, ...

She Who Weaves

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer I woke to one of those ‘phantom impacts’ on the bed. The source of the bump was one of the legs of the spider looming over me. I will admit to squealing a little before grabbing my glasses to restore things into perspective. The glasses allowed ...

Tipping Point

Author : Rick Tobin “I need a short break. You,” he directed, pointing to his second. “Move the weapons to the dark side of the planet. We may be able to hold them off there if we can hide the missiles during transit.” The junior officer nodded and began sending orders to the ...

Asymmetric Warfare

Author : Bob Newbell Another Ezerfol battle cruiser came in from the inner system and joined the other vessels surrounding the Earth ship. The latter was the UESS Curtis Newton commanded by United Earth Defense Captain Anton Tao. Tao and his crew were wanted by the militaries of both ...

The Politics of Non Sequitur

Author : David Botticello When the Nezzan ambassador abruptly walked out of a Council session, nobody really thought much of it. It was a time-honored method showing political irritation. Not that the Nezzan had ever used it before. They were a quiet species—fundamentally reasonable we ...

The Tower

Author : William Ovide Richardson On a clear day, the tower was a perfect filament of white, stretching from its mile-wide root before you to its faded terminus directly over your head. The human mind is not accustomed to seeing straight lines at such massive scales. It interprets ...

Defying Nature

Author : Dominic Constable Jacob stood in his garden. The sky was clear and the sun cast it's early morning, summer rays across the long strip of grass where the clover had taken hold, it's white flowers, scattered across the green vista. He could hear the hum of the bees and see the ...

Don't Touch That

Author : Cheryl Wood Ruggiero You're right. I really should not have touched it. I certainly know better. My mother always told me not to touch odd things I found in the woods. I told my own children the same, and my grandchildren. But it was so shiny. And so smooth. And when I ...

Drake Park

Author : Gray Blix Late afternoon in Drake Park. In the red-orange light of the setting sun, he walks down the path towards the footbridge and pauses. Should he cross the river or turn and walk along the... A bicycle blur brushes by him and swoops onto the footbridge, barely missing a ...

Tunnel Rats

Author : Rick Tobin “You speak English, Mario? I don’t know German and you don’t speak French.” Emil put the phosphorescent torch down by the other resting miner. They took their break secretly, amid the dust and constant reverberation from other slaves mining the deep caverns. ...

A New Beginning

Author : Nick Sousa My senses returned to me slowly as I took stock of my surroundings. “We’ve been watching, and waiting for quite some time. Your last day on earth has come and passed. You’re safe now, and you will never have to return to earth ever again. Take some time to ...

Help Wanted

Author : Suzanne Borchers “Hey, Cuz, why are you sitting on that refuse pile?” George5 glided by snickering. “Thought you were high end, not dead end!” Eddie kicked at the garbage beneath him. He couldn’t be obsolete! He could still warm and cool his skin with just a thought. He ...

The Utopia Society

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer Upon a world a lot like our own, amidst ruins of wonders long fallen, there lies a single legible artefact, its surface unblemished by time, with words still clear under the transparent layer that keeps its metallic surface pristine. Year 0001 ...

Alternates

Author : Bob Newbell "Another ten billion dollars a year?!" said the Senator incredulously. "And that on top of the billions already spent annually? And for a scientific toy that only worked one time for a few minutes? And that had some kind of radiation leak or something right after ...

Scale

Author : Beck Dacus For most the difference between being stranded on an island and being stranded on a distant planet is merely numerical. But while stranded on the planet Ergingad, I could feel it. Probes had been there before, so it had been explored. We knew about the atmosphere, ...

Ghosts

Author : Amy Sutphin Sargent Pedlson watched the foggy mass forming through the streets from his birds eye vantage in the radio tower. It was thinner than traditional fog, but behaved as though fluid. The ghost oozed through the streets, around the houses, creeping though any crack or ...

God must have blinked

Author : Helstrom “Hey honey, come look at this.” I took my bearings and found Samantha's voice, drew a bead on it and pinched space in her direction. She was far out on the edge of the universe, casually riding the expanding frontier. “What is it?” “Have a look. Out ...

Shutters on Main

Author : Matthew Marchitto The rain was heavy and it blurred the faces of the crowd on Main Street. Deb stood in an alley off to the side watching the people move like a herd of cattle. Neon signs for places like Rucker’s Bar and the Harlot Peepshow glowed with muted light. A ...

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    Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer Sarraled stared through the …