Author: Thomas Tilton Hard, mean knocks at the door. That would be Mr. Farcus, the landlord. Chuck was already two months behind on rent, and today was the fifth day of month three. Mr. Farcus was …

Author: Steve Smith, Staff Writer It breached the atmosphere in the late evening, the sun beginning to warm the far side of the little blue planet as it tucked into the shadows and dropped down to …

Author: Servaya It began, as many things do, in the dead of night. “Dad!” cried the boy. “There’s monsters under my bed!” The covers were down before he was fully awake, and as he rolled smoothly t…

Author: Garrett Frechette We have called ourselves a great number of names over the course of these many years. At times, we presented ourselves as federations and republics, our history records ou…

Author: Kate Runnels Ara studied the Avatar for a moment, liking what she saw. It wasn’t enough like her to raise suspicions if anyone she knew played the game, but she would be comfortable playing…

Author : James McGrath “I know you’ve all heard it, but you have to hear it again…” We’d heard the guide’s speech six times, so Kirstin and I stood at the back j…

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer Drax left the party early, as he often did, dragging two beautiful young things into his elevator and up to his sprawling office to ‘admire the view’,…

Author : Jae Miles, Staff Writer The speaker hums as the decoder scans for the encrypted channels that the Chendrin use. I know I shouldn’t give in to this ghoulish need to eavesdrop, but I cannot …

Author : David Shute They’ve had me running assassination jobs for awhile now. Terrorists, political loose ends, and the occasional despot in between bigger jobs. It kicked off with Nan Kang-…

Author : Matthew Harrison The mood in the meeting room, dominated by the large screen, was subdued. Only the tall silver-haired figure of James sat unperturbed, yet like the others he was waiting. …

Author : Rollin Jeglum “Sam, would you check the sensor detection module? Some of the readings are scrambled.” “Sure, no problem. Any specifics?” “Try the logic board in slot A3. I’ve s…

Author : Jae Miles, Staff Writer The lights reflect from the gleaming chrome and glossy Union Jacks on the lines of matt black all-terrain cars. Typical over-indulgence: four-wheel drive is hardly …

Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer As I flew through the Rio Bravo Corridor in western Texas, the town of El Paso rose above the horizon. I banked northward and began a gradual arc to align my…

Author : Clint Wilson, Staff Writer He walked and he calculated. The intense red sun beat down yet, as always, the suit kept things temperate. He urinated without thinking, and on he walked. He gla…

Author : Samuel Stapleton “Megan! Sweetheart! You’re on time!?” “Not here to chat.” She hissed as she paraded in. “I know, I know. I’ve got your new look ready, stand still please.” She complied as…

There was a time when food could be remembered; a time when you could lick your lips and recall the sweet sting of dehydrated packaged delights. Too bad those days don’t exist anymore. Days like …

Author : Tony Taylor A klaxon blares again in Suda’s ear, dragging him toward consciousness. His groggy eyes strain open to find error messages flooding his helmet’s display. Replaced by fear, the …

Author : Sam Clough aka “Hrekka”, Staff Writer “We’ve considered the simple stuff in previous sessions, and now all of you are comfortable with the basics of folding space, …

Author : Kraigher Lutz They had first found it, there at the highway split. They had seen its design in the leaves and grass. The design spiraled out, burning the soil. We had worked quick trying t…

Author : JD Kennedy The bridge of Earth’s first colony ship, Columbia, was a beehive of activity. The newly awakened ship’s officers were carefully reviewing the system readings at each…

Author : Bob Newbell The infinitesimal point that had been the universe bounded out and stars and galaxies returned to their proper places in the cosmos as I defolded back into normal space. I stee…

Originally, Karen went along with the idea because she was certain her roommate wouldn’t come through with the goods. True, Jill had befriended (“befriended.” Chrissy giggled, her fingers han…

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer Trees lay flat behind the ship where it had crashed to the ground in the forest. Its silver shell winked in the sunlight, shuddering occasionally as whatever m…

Author: Marcel Barker Rrrtx class destroyer Ssstnbrx hung high over Earth’s southern pole, invisible and silent. Commander Tttx read from the onyx screen in front of him. 10 Facts About Bananas Doc…

Author: Kevin P Michaels George Tompkins hated almost everything. He hated buildings for being too tall, he hated cars for being too loud, he hated animals for being wild, and most of all he hated …

Author: Rick Tobin “Get out of here, now!” Telerman yelled into his beleaguered colleagues’ faces over blaring dance music inside Omnia, as lights flashed around them, from above, over a vast dance…

Author : Ian Rennie Matron moved almost silently from ward to ward. The faint silken brush of her passing made the nurses look up, meeting her eyes as she passed, exchanging glanced messages that s…

Author : Desmond Hussey Black rain streaks the windows of Mr. Nielson’s 35th story apartment. Beyond the aqueous smear, a tiny room is illuminated by the hypnotic flicker of an enormous, wafer thin…

Author : Hugh Downs Royce Millison requested cremation. He had got the idea in 1908, early in his long life. He was neat and efficient and said he didn’t want his remains ‘to take up sp…

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer My family became meat farmers in the spring of ’22. Like a lot of city dwellers, we tired of the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life. We sold our possession…