Author: Philip G Hostetler These are strange places we live in; I won't say 'times' because we transcended time a long time ago, before and after time. But the places, the feelings, the sights and the smells are oh so intoxicating. A good desire from which to draw our ...

Author: David Penn On this world in the Pica region each house has a bell. It calls constantly to the families in every other house and the bells there call back. It is the business of all Tzogg-Charans to keep these bells ringing, and so sacred do they hold that duty that ...

Author: Hunter Liguore The doctor’s face grew worried. The mother glanced up between pushes, doubting her decision for a natural birth. The process was longer. More risks. One cut, one stitch, one minute. The jingle for Insta-Baby-Byrthing ran through her head, as she ...

Author: Josh Price A loud crash woke Eve. She shook Adam and he rolled over, blinking, sleepy. “Did you hear?” He shook his head. “There was a crash.” “Where?” “Outside.” Scowling, he nodded his head like he understood, but wouldn’t remember anything later. He could ...

Author: Iain Macleod Orbital mechanics was never my thing but this'll be the last time I ever have to do the math so it's all good. Unnamed asteroid floating in the belt around dwarf planet Estera is traveling at X velocity and ill be traveling at top speed once I pass the ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Wolkar shakes me awake. No noises disturbed me, so it’s through concern either distant or godly. “Wolkar, it’s barely light.” “Osky sent me. The sunrise swords have stopped.” Distant and godly. I drag my furs on and grab my ...

Author: Kathy LaFollett “Screeeet!” His name. In another’s voice. From a hallway he wasn’t looking down. Screet was looking down at his lunch. Sitting down at a table in the SpacePort Employee Sustenance and Snacks, or SPESS. Acronyms in space save time. Space is time, ...

Author: Trevor Lancon A distant star ejects billions of heavy ions every second, bestowing them all with its message: “I’m here.” One of the heavy ions skirts past a nearby planet. The beings on that planet would describe the ion as iron if they spoke your language. They ...

Author: David Barber Honoured ones, welcome to my collection of curiosities. These rare and intriguing items have been my hobby, no, my passion, for a lifetime. This chamber is dedicated to a world called Earth. These are pre-conquest curios: An embossed plastic ...

Author: Barbara Brennan Welcome to the terminal transit hub. No-one stays here; you go through and you leave. Papers please. . . . Thank you, that’s all in order. Once you pass through the turnstile, turn to your right, gate 95A. . . . Welcome to the transit ...

Author: Lance J. Mushung I dropped into the blue command chair of Kara. Her viewer showed countless glowing dots, with the two brightest being the suns of the binary system behind us. Natalia, the AI of Kara and my only crewmate, projected her holo next to me. She'd been ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The man sitting in the waiting room looks like a typical, middle-aged office worker. His suit might be his best rather than his daily wardrobe, but from freshly-shined shoes to carefully slicked-back hair, he’s a shining example of average ...

Author: Jonathan H. Smith The Earth Café was a new restaurant tucked away in a part of town where Calyx would have never gone -- had she not yearned to cheer up her grandfather. The tables were adorned with various oddities donated by the original settlers – the remaining ...

Author: Randall Andrews “You all know about the meteorite that fell near here last month,” said Ryan Dunne, recently tenured professor of geology. “I’ve been studying the two recovered fragments and have discovered something remarkable. As you can see.” With a flourish, ...

Author: David C. Nutt “Breaking in was easy- you’re way behind the times old man.” I nodded. “Could be. I never trusted all the high-tech solutions to everything. Only use that stuff when I have to.” My dogs growled. I hushed them. My captor chuckled and pet my dogs. ...

Author: J.D. Rice Fingers scraped against hard ground, seeking a handhold against the sulfuric winds that battered against the environmental suit. The sky rumbled with cold lightning, and hail battered the suit's graphene plating, begging for entry as if it needed to escape ...

Author: Brian C. Mahon It takes Zax only one external sponson rotation after crawling out the sleep sack to yell, “Du’! This is complete crap!” Jackass throws a wrench at Viewscreen One, which, lucky us, I put a shield over. “’Ey man, cut the gorbaj! We use that! I get ...

Author: Hari Navarro, Staff Writer Space. I creep up vast multitudes of inky hills though they are not hills but rather mountains of soot and slowly I sink ever down into their glue. My face is a hollow thing that has two windows and out of them I can see wells with ...