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Fresh Inventory

By Stephen R. Smith | June 22, 2012
Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer The walkway stretched along either side of the manufacturing line beneath it, expanded metal flooring paired with railings of aircraft cable under tension. Beneath them, nestled snug inside a transparent tube, a spherical rig trundled ...
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The Vitruvian Vivisector

By submission | June 21, 2012
Author : Dan Whitley “Detective...” began the Chief as he shook a file folder choked with papers in front of himself. “I give you six months, and you hand me this?” The Detective swallowed hard. “Sir, I am well aware – perhaps more than anyone else on this case – that our ...
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The Best of the USS Essex

By Patricia Stewart | June 20, 2012
Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer “Sir, it’s either artificial, or a new form of celestial object,” reported the Essex’s science officer. “Explain,” probed the captain. “It has about one quarter of Earth’s mass, squeezed into one-sixteenth of its volume. Its average ...
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Dark Watch

By submission | June 19, 2012
Author : Andrew Bale It’s the worst watch in the ship. Kitchen, reactor, sanitary – anything is better than staring out this damn window. It’s so bad you have to pass a psych check before they let you do it, and everyone keeps trying to fail. This job is worse than being ...
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Analogue Vacation

By Duncan Shields | June 18, 2012
Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer I blinked twice to fast-forward the counter-person to the ticket purchase but nothing happened. She still stood there behind the counter, asking me again if I had packed my bags myself. I blinked again. Nothing. I sighed. They were using ...
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Floogbags and Rim-holes

By submission | June 17, 2012
Author : Brian McDermott “What's the market?” “68.23 bid for a hundred thousand.” Joh said. The price of Iridium was rising. And out here in the farthest sector, a place the whole galaxy said was populated by floogbags and rim-holes, my little collective was one of the only ...
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The Proceeding

By submission | June 16, 2012
Author : Brian McDermott The hall was cavernous and dark. At one end, standing on a ledge, were the two high ranking Gondrian Council members. Doxenag, an elder, and young Watuu, newly appointed to his position. Doxenag called out. “Come forward.” A light flashed and an ...
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Metatemporal Intervention Bureau

By Julian Miles | June 15, 2012
Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer He’s sitting in the car waving without a clue as to what’s about to happen. Below me, the repository window opens and a man who only wants to make a point by scaring the most powerful man in the world is about to make history. I manifest ...
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Hitching A Ride

By Clint Wilson | June 14, 2012
Author : Clint Wilson, Staff Writer We had endured the slum for generations now. I came from a long line of survivors. Here behind the tattered patchwork fence of our family compound we had fought off countless invaders. But we wouldn’t have to worry about such things ...
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Downloadable Content

By submission | June 13, 2012
Author : Susan Nance Carhart The Children of the Lonely Moon charged, screaming their bloodlust. The Crimson Champions hewed them down, blades flashing, muscles bulging, armor gleaming. Adam Firedrake banged his sword pommel on his shield, taunting a troll, while Lyra darted ...
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Fever

By submission | June 12, 2012
Author : Josie Gowler The fever breaks at five in the morning, suddenly. It’s like the air right after a thunderstorm. I sit up. Much too quickly. The greyish room swims for a few moments and I clutch the sides of the bed. Feet on the floor. The cold creeping up through my ...
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Without Glass

By submission | June 11, 2012
Author : K. Pittman In the crypt, the door about to close, she dances. Her bodysuit lined with cpipe and circuits, feet bare on plascrete, steps unpracticed but confident. She dances, gazing briefly at the helmet on the low shelf beside the windowless crèche, beside the ...
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A Man Stands Up

By submission | June 10, 2012
Author : Tom Moro We are the light of life We are the seeds of salvation We are the light of life We are the gateways of creation We are the light of life Gene slammed his head against the wall, tears streaming down his small, flushed face. Fear had been pouring through his ...
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Only Physics

By submission | June 9, 2012
Author : Andrew Bale General Mortensen glanced again at the timer on the wall, ticking down the minutes until the door at the other end of this glorified closet would open. Twenty programs he oversaw for DARPA, and this was the only one that really felt weird. The door behind ...
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Too Old For War

By submission | June 8, 2012
Author : Dan Whitley Magnets' shot rang true and hammered the Fed tank right in the mantlet. Once the smoke cleared, we could see she'd clocked the damn thing so hard that its front-left hover-tread had failed, digging itself into the dirt under the weight. Pellet-shaped ...
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Lost in Translation

By Patricia Stewart | June 7, 2012
Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer Jennifer surveyed the interior of the sleek two-person starcruiser. “Nice ship, Larry. What did you say you paid for it?” “One point five on Giarcslist. That’s 50% under market.” “Wow,” she replied as she added an emphasizing whistle. ...
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Family Planning

By Julian Miles | June 6, 2012
Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer “Nice revolver.” “Revolver! This is a custom rig Damascre-Tulan Sliver Pistol with armour-piercing fletchettes that will cut through your personal armour like a hot knife through jelly.” “Butter.” “What?” “The phrase is ‘hot knife ...
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Sleepers

By Duncan Shields | June 5, 2012
Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer Bringing the sleepers out of cold storage was always a difficult process. The actual thawing out was almost fault-free. That was no problem. The problem was the emotional and psychological fallout that happened when they tried to join in ...
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