The Prodigal
“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
It’s Pirate Season
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
“Wait!†he said. “Look at that!â€
“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
"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
Making Up For Lost Time
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
Special Delivery
Leisure Time on a Starship
“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
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 ...
Perfect World
The unit amended its status from idle to active and moved from the rest position to its allocated docking bay. Immediately the previous night’s traffic from distant units in different time-zones came into view as a long string of pulsating alert buttons ...
The Dreaming
For The Cause
Beacon
Captain Reynolds gave the order to swing the ship around for another pass. This was turning out to be more lucrative than anyone had imagined. He kept a close eye on the element survey statistics as they began the next run through the densest part of the emission ...
Counterpoint
King of Kings
Stevenson walked down Corridor J-12 and a rustle went through the living quarters. Stevenson was coming! Stevenson was on his way! Stevenson! Stevenson! He turned the corner at Junction J-12/J-13 and the first thing that hit him was the marshy smell of ...
Hollow
The night breathes quietly beneath the world. Everything glints and shimmers off the water-smooth curves of ‘tites and ‘mites, catching the half-light of pale glowing fungi in ways our eyes never evolved to expect. Who knew the earth would be so ...
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