The Robot Whisperer

Author : Brian C. Baer Robots love me. As much as robots can love. And in a plutonic sense, of course. Something about my chubby little baby face sets off their simulated paternal instincts and they all bend over backwards to answer my questions. That sort of thing comes ...

Vacuum Fluctuations

Author : Glenn Blakeslee Stan and I sat by the campfire in the desert night. The fire was burning low, a bed of embers surrounded by fire-blackened stones. We sipped on our beers, and I waited for Stan to start talking. He's one of my oldest friends, a physicist and a ...

House Hunting

Author : Greg R. Fishbone Agent Stanley, six-time salesman of the month, cut a trail through the switch grass with his machete. His motions were effortless, hardly distracting from his practiced patter about low interest financing. Behind him trudged the Forrester family. ...

Molly

Author : Lander Ver Hoef We get the window seat, Molly! Isn't that neat? We'll be able to see everything. Have you ever been to space before, Molly? Me neither. I wonder what it'll be like. I hope I don't get Z-sick. No, Molly, I don't know what that machine out there does. ...

Divine Revelation

Author : Rob Burton Within the holiest temple, buried deep within the cathedral, Arch-Bishop Emmanuel Berret struck the Bios Chime above the altar of power. The bell released its singular soft tone to bounce crazily between the hard walls. Terrified that his failing hearing ...

Mary Sue

Author : William Tracy The heroine was surrounded by towering aliens. Their gleaming carapaces reflected her shapely body, a flowing robe hugging her curves. Their glittering, faceted eyes took in the sight of her hands clutching the gash that revealed the ample curve of her ...

Christmas on Mars

Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer During their first month on Mars, the two-man and two-woman crew made the most significant discovery in the history of mankind. While exploring the Grover Caves in the Scandia Tholi Mountains, they discovered irrefutable evidence of ...

Happiness

Author : Mark Ingram Filius was elated. He elatedly embraced his elatedness. His skyship soared just above the bulbous clouds, kicking up wake-mist when it graced the fluffy canopy. Before him, the sun appeared to be permanently stuck in its descent at the twilight hour, ...

Friendly

Author : Ari Brill The galaxy is a dangerous and cutthroat place, with no room for the weak. So we have always known; intrinsic in the cruel laws of nature, all organisms must fight, or die. Knowing this, we were not unprepared. With the invention of hyperdrive came the ...

The Assassin

Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer When Mati Forish was five years old, she could move coins across the table using only her mind. At ten, she could make small stones levitate. As a teenager, she could fly an aerocar from the back seat. Out of fear, Mati’s parents ...

Rule #86

Author : Joey Cruz There are certain rules in this world that we must abide by. We don't always agree with them, and they rarely agree with us, but if we are to survive to see tomorrow, we need to place our personal feelings aside and just accept things for what they ...

The Plane Truth

Author : Asher Wismer 30,000 feet above the ocean, my fighter jet went into a barrel roll. This was not optimal. I hung on the control stick for dear life, opened the flaps, and grunted as we decelerated hard. In the air around me, flashing lights tailed and surrounded my ...

Best Supporting Actors

Author : Sam Clough, Staff Writer "My card." The smooth-shelled android pressed a small square of cardboard into Gin's hand. Gin turned it over. Printed, in a fine copperplate script were the words 'Best Supporting Actors', and then underneath that, there was an address, a ...

The Time Traveller

Author : Gavin Raine It is with some consternation that I realize I am having difficulty in ordering my thoughts. Perhaps this is the onset of confusion one must expect, as the air supply becomes exhausted. I must make haste to write my account: Only a few hours have passed ...

The Vortex of Youth

Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer Cephei A and Cephei B are eclipsing binary stars that are located approximately 3,000 light years from Earth. Cephei A is a supergiant that is currently the second largest star in the Milky Way Galaxy. It is so large that if it ...

To Sleep, Perchance…

Author : Roi R. Czechvala It was raining, it was always raining. It fell thick and oily. I sought refuge in a Food-a-Mat. I dropped a couple of bucks into the slot beside the little plastic door. It had once been clear, but now was clouded with age. I pulled out what was ...

Free Range Humans

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer It was the free-range humans that Dorg liked best. Those fatty, preservative-laced humans from the cage-farms were disgusting. They had most of their senses ironed off. Eyes, ears, and nose sealed shut for maximum docility. Their sense ...

Sufficiently Advanced

Author : Sam Clough, Staff Writer As the supports of Hall's final prototype sank a half-centimetre into the soft earth, he breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment's perfect peace, one of the guide crystals under his seat exploded. Fragments scattered all over the clearing, ...

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