They call it a Fable

Author : John Tudball

When we are young we are told a story of a ship.

As the story goes, the ship is damaged beyond repair and is set to crash into its destination planet. The crew on board consists of one android, one clone and one pure born. There is only one escape pod ...

Childhood's End

Author : Kaj Sotala

Even after nine years, people still stare at us. We're used to it.

The plague that suddenly made all of humanity sterile wasn't easy on society. There was panic, rioting, doomsday cults. But eventually people adjusted and things calmed down, and scientists ...

The Gambler

Author : James Smith

Nardo sat in his broker's office, running his "impatience" script. He occupied himself with the U.N. Secretarial bout running on hologram in the corner. One American candidate had just tagged out and his partner climbed to the top rope, towering above the ...

Project Starshot

Author : William Tracy

It was late after hours at SETI headquarters. Still, two men hunched over a computer, it's light bathing them in a blue glow.

“I can't believe it, Jim.”

“There's no doubt. Arecibo is picking up an artificial signal from an intelligent ...

Spider

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer

Susan crept downstairs slowly, curious about the noises she was hearing from the kitchen. The lights weren’t on. It was Christmas morning so it was still dark out at five in the morning. Her parents slept far away from the kitchen all the way ...

The Upgrade

Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer Deep in the bowels of the Top Secret Experimental Vehicle Development Center, sat the most technically advanced aircraft ever developed by General Motors. As the ship rested solidly on its landing skids, I meticulously guided the ion-vapor ...

Rumors

Author : Matthew Green

There were rumors of course, most were squashed, but on a ship full of soldiers with nothing to do but watch the stars go by, rumors happened. It was like getting cleaning detail, no use trying to prevent it, just grab a space suit and scrub.

The ...

Last Letter

Author : Debbie Mac Rory

Dear John,

How are you? Such a stupid way to start a letter like this. You’ll probably never get it anyway, and even if you do I’ll never know your answer. But I hope you’re well. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. You were right. But I don’t ...

Raining Cellos

Author : Pyai (Megan Hoffman)

Anton set the hypernav coords to just beyond the rim of debris.

"Aren't we cutting it a bit close, Captain?" a thick gravelly voice came from behind him. Silverlo, whose face was a mess of scars, wrinkles and facial hair, frowned at him. ...

Smoke 'em if you got 'em, Gene

Author : Tony Pacitti

Jack pulled a SimStik out of its small plastic container and placed it between his lips. Alice cleared her throat and looked at him through drunk eyes and a patch of blonde, wind blown hair.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, the SimStik bobbing up and down as he ...

Liberty

Author : Benjamin Fischer

The Shore Patrol has to ring three times before she comes to.

“Ma’am, we would prefer to not break down the door,” one is saying. “Please open it now, ma’am.”

Groggy and maybe still drunk, she paws at the suite’s ...

Stealth

Author : Roi R. Czechvala In a dark, empty hanger, a needle-like flat black fighter rested in its cradle... thinking. “You see General,” a small man in white gestured toward the ship, “those pods mounted beneath each ‘wing’ are the main armament. The magnetic rail ...

Finnegan Sue

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer

Finnegan Sue was a pit fighter.

She wrapped leather around her knuckles, mindful of her nails, and ran her sharpened tongue around her poisonous needled mouth. She sung a tune while she prepped. Her horrible lisp made a mockery of the ...

Arrivals Lounge

Author : Chris McCormick

The finest moment of my whole life was when I stepped off that ship. When we finally found each other in the arrivals lounge, her utterly uncomplicated joy was mirrored by my own. Two friends since forever, separated by years of space travel. There was no ...

Jupiter's Lightning

Author : James Smith

Nothing but killers. They came screaming soundlessly out of the Oort and Mercury Station was gone. My wife swallowed a handful of pills when the remains of Venus fell across the Moon.

The Dyson sphere lays empty, reconfigured into an enormous laser. I ...

Adoption

Author : Geoffrey Cashmore

The first thing Vinka noticed were the trees, (Bula was late…why was she always late?) the ground was dirty too; some places nothing but bare earth or a covering of ragged grass. That couldn’t be healthy, could it? These pathetic people.

Vinka ...

Systema Metropolis

Author : Sam Clough aka "Hrekka", Staff Writer It's just like they try to teach you in biology. Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. Municipalis, Europa, Munchen, EDF, Umbra, Generatrum, Gigas. The common or garden Generatrum Gigas. Very roughly, that's ...

Sol-DOT

Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer The bright yellow spaceship of the Sol Department of Transportation pulled up next to a two ton rogue asteroid. They deployed the grappling sling, and slowly maneuvered it toward the asteroid. After they secured it, the spaceship adjusted its ...

Random Story :

  • Renew

    Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer The pig carcass filled …