The Last Kremer Prize

Author : J. S. Kachelries

The Gossamer Comet hung motionless 10 meters beyond the Folkestone Colony’s outermost habitation “wheel.” The Gossamer Comet was a one-man “human-powered” spacecraft that was about to attempt to win the last unclaimed Kremer Prize, a £100,000 ...

Tommy Texas

Author : B.York, Staff Writer Tommy Texas was born in Sienna where his ma and his pa taught him to thank others for the luxuries they had. They thanked Peter for the ability to cook; they thanked Kimberly for the ride into town, and they thanked their grandpa Jeremiah for the ...

Social Service

Author : Kathy Kachelries, Staff Writer It was a no-call assignment, and Carson hated no-call assignments. Attempts to contact the McCaulty family through conventional mail had been unsuccessful, though he noted that the lever of the mailbox had been raised, indicating recent use. ...

The Little Nothing

Author : Adam Wiesen

White. Sterile. No roof, no walls, no floors. No shadows. Make a sound. Hear anything? Of course not: no acoustics. You look nervous, Ben. Don’t. We’re not there yet. This is just a test. Plugged into your parietal lobe, running a line into your implant. ...

Troublesome Customer

Author : Jeremy M. Hall

“Welcome to Chrono-Real Estate-Advertising. How may I help you?”

“I'm here to buy from March 1, 1650 to March 30, 1650 for the entire city of Jamestown, Virgina.”

“Sir, we can't do that.”

“I have a suitcase with several ...

Glory Star

Author : J.R.Blackwell, Staff Writer The old man may have looked like Santa if he smiled, but red faced and spitting he was closer to a vengeful devil than the spirit of giving. The old man cornered Uill with his sizable bulk. "You are not a poet." He said, stepping closer. He stunk ...

See Food

Author : Viktor Kuprin

When the alien ship reached us, we were down to four hours of oxygen and nothing in our prospector ship’s food storage.

It was the Tsoor who rescued us, the ones who look like walking man-of-war jellyfish. Oh, they were nice and polite enough, and ...

The Prodigal

Author : Benjamin Fischer

“Have a seat, Jim,” said the General.

“Is this what I think it’s about, sir?” the Colonel asked, shutting the hatch behind him.

He sat down. Across from him, a LED nameplate proclaimed “Major General David Pietz USAF, ...

A Matter of Interpretation

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer "I'm sorry, if I'd have realized you were coming tonight, I'd have prepared a more substantial demonstration." The Professor addressed the Investor nervously, moving piles of notes and abandoned test equipment out of his way. "Your message stated ...

It’s Pirate Season

Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer

The sound of a bugle woke me up. Damn, reveille. I hate that sound. I swore an oath to myself that I’d fix that one day. I unzip my “bunk” and float out. As I began to put on my uniform, I smiled again at the poster on the far ...

The Return

Author : Grady Hendrix

“Wait!” he said. “Look at that!”

“What the hell is it?” she asked, slamming on the hovercar brakes.

“You’ve never seen one?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“You’re in for a treat,” he said, bouncing up and ...

Sheer Irony

Author : Sarah Klein

"You must think yourself pretty clever, Mr. Culler," Parkinson said, snickering. "Look at all these devices you've rigged up to catch an intruder. Do you notice how I've been able to avoid every single one without losing a drop of blood?" He ...

Ancestors

Author : J.R.Blackwell, Staff Writer Maja's ancestors conferred in her head before the date. "Wear a dress!" said her great grandmother. "Not that one!" cried her great grandfather "He will think you are a whore, and will offer you money for sex." "Old man, you are behind the ...

Making Up For Lost Time

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer The correctional facility did not work for me.

I left the building with the need to make up for lost time.

I waited exactly one day and sixteen hours before I grabbed someone and dragged him into an alley to resume work on cleaning the ...

If I Could Do It Again

Author : Sam Clough, Staff Writer ...I'd do all the same things. Just faster. There's so much to see, so much to do. When I stop and think of how much time I've wasted - sleeping, procrastinating, unemployed and misemployed, it makes me want to cry. There are all the things I've seen ...

Special Delivery

Author : Kathy Kachelries, Staff Writer "I think mine is a girl," Anju said as she stretched her legs out over the sofa in the resting room. Her hands crossed over her round stomach, which was covered by the stork-printed flannel shirt Special Delivery issued to everyone in the ...

Leisure Time on a Starship

Author : Patricia Stewart

“Honey, I’m home,” I yelled as I entered our spacious 241 square foot twin occupancy cabin. Being married, and serving on the same spaceliner together, entitled us to that extra 103 square feet of living space. But more importantly, it also ...

Tail

Author : Duncan Shields

It's how you react to your life going wrong that defines you.

When you win, you smile like everyone else. It's how you react to obstacles, changes of fortune and sudden lane changes in your life that reveals a true aspect of your ...

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