Author : M. A. Goldin “Anything?” “Bacteria, some multi-celled organisms, but nothing complex. Nothing sentient.” Captain Dalmar nodded, and the technician’s projected…

Author : Ellen Couch “Don’t you love me?” she asked. “You know I do,” I said quietly, “but you’re not mine, you never really were.” I could tell she didn’t understand- how could she? As far as she …

Author : Andrew Bale Survey Ship Aldrin drifted softly through space, main jets silent while the steering and attitude thrusters pushed it gently through a seemingly empty patch of space. Weeks spe…

Author : Jae Miles I opened a channel to the Finnvael; “This is Handler Orchus, what is your intent within the Olympus Theocracy?” The long silver needle rotated itself rapidly to orient at least n…

Author : Sean Mulroy Your home is now the Castle. Feel free to wander and explore any hall, every garden, each room and all the towers. Eventually there’ll be no need to, for they’ll come to you; b…

Author : Bob Newbell The crew of the starship looked at the strange yellow star on the viewscreen. The interstellar vessel's enormous magsail was slowly decelerating the vehicle against the st…

Author : Summer Batton “Oh look! They have grass ‘n water ’n little huts, too!” squealed the little girl as she ran to press her face against the glass and get a closer look. “Milly, get back…

Author : Roger Dale Trexler “No, no, no!” he said. It just won’t do.” He looked at the workers and shook his head. “Do you call those hands?” He motioned toward the thing lying on the slab in front…

Author : Tony Sandy ‘Stop!’ The shout rooted Martello to the spot. ‘If you step forward, you’ll regret it.’ ‘But it’s only a puddle surely?’ ‘Y…

I have agreed to this interview in order to deliver a promise. Do not be afraid. I was seven months old when I died. My parents lived on a primitive moon on a colony that rejected the free energy a…

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer Greenland. That’s where we discovered them first. All melted wires and skin grafts. Christmas lights in their eye sockets and playing poker with old-school pun…

Author : Jae Miles, Staff Writer Every anniversary of the counterstrike, they show that cursed video. You know the one: snow on the ground, ashes in the air, a lone woman in a ragged battlesuit mov…

In the evenings I would go into the studio, tablet in hand, and sit there for hours, just sketching. My husband had bought me a full-wall screen for our last anniversary, finally giving in to the i…

Author : Gray Blix The music was driving him crazy. Or rather, he feared, he heard music because he was already crazy. “Which came first” he asked himself loudly, so he could hear himse…

Author : Russell Bert Waters Their Emperor once conquered vast expanses; like Genghis Khan, who cried when he ran out of lands to conquer. But the Tar don’t cry. They don’t hear, see, o…

“Oh my God. Peter, you didn’t.” Peter smirked at his wife’s gaping stare. “You bet I did,” he told her smugly. “Nothing’s too good for our anniversary.” “It looks fabulous.” B…

Marco can leave the hospital bed, and for that, he is grateful. His balance is unsteady, but with a cane and time, he should be able to get around much the same way he used to. Dana smiles when he …

Author : Bob Newbell Trimet VII was the Emperor of the entire Epsilon Eridani star system. Of course, he didn’t know his solar imperium by the name a human celestial cartographer had given hi…

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer We put Jesus24K99 into his cage for our own protection. The anti-coagulants weren’t holding. He was destabilizing. He’d bleed out soon. The hole in our researc…

Author : Joseph Lyons “Good morning Mr…Ogden. I’m nurse Shaw, I’ll be your mod operator today. What can I do for you?” “I’m here for my girlfriend.” “Ok, perhaps I can interest you in the sensitivi…

Author : R. A. Jackson Each step came slower now. Her back hunched so that the long grey strands of her hair trailed across the stairs as she climbed. Counting the painful strides one by one was th…

Author : Clint Wilson, Staff Writer Time travel has always been possible. We’ve been doing it for centuries. Even the most archaic craft in our earliest space faring ventures used to bring back bra…

Author : Gray Blix The sign on the wall read, “180 ACCIDENT-FREE DAYS.” For the umpteenth time since the accident, UR4-51 climbed into an electronic parts recycling bin and positioned i…

Author : Rick Tobin “O holy night, the stars are brightly shining…” She choked off her singing of the next phrase, unable to overcome phlegm from fearful regret as Marcus lay still next to her in t…

Author : Joshua Reynolds A little flare. Just a flash on the other side of the sun, our sun, and it was gone. That was when we knew it had escaped. We made it in a generator the size of a grown man…

Author : Bob Newbell I raise my hand and wave to get Scott’s attention as he walks into the restaurant. He comes over and joins me in the booth. He gestures at my drink. “Is that whiske…

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer I work in a nursery. I’m about to kill six hundred babies. Where does life begin? That’s the age-old question. It plagued the pro-lifers and now, here, at the …

Author : Ian Florida Metal grates against stone as my cell door shrieks open. They shout as they slam their rifle stocks into my ribs. I laugh. They pause. They think I should be afraid. They think…

In 2198 Earth Standard Time, Jonas Fox, a pilot for the Interstellar Defense Crew, spotted a few pirates off the southern hem of the moon. He got on the radio to contact his fighters, who then zoom…

Seamus dipped the greasy piece of bread into the even greasier layer of oil in his plate. “Mm. It seems so much easier when you know your own sin, doesn’t it?” Carol hadn’t touched her food…