Luca sat alone on the sprawling bridge of the Lillehammer Forge, watching extra large snowflakes drift down onto the mining complex below. It hadn't snowed on Alcyone III in sixty years. It seemed fitting; nothing made sense anymore. The hatch hissed open and in walked Brantley carrying a giant fresh orange—it was the size of a… Continue reading Little Things
Tag: Space Ships
Neon Orbits
Caracara 7-12 had been daydreaming, for lack of a better word, for...well, for a long time. Objectively speaking, anyway. He—it still thought of itself as a he, old habits and such—was watching the neon orbits of the galactic center, stars whipping around Sagittarius like a carnival swing ride. It was hypnotic. When he slowed his… Continue reading Neon Orbits
A Bad Way to Go
"Goddammit, Darian! Let. Me. In. That's an order!" She pounded on the plexiglass partition, leaving a sticky palm-shaped residue like strawberry preserves. Ensign Darian Harn knew that he was safe on this side of the airlock, but he took two steps back anyway, bracing himself against the back of the flight chair. "I can't do that,… Continue reading A Bad Way to Go
Revelations of Pilgrimage
Enev wasn't the least bit interested in the pseudo-religious Pilgrimage, but was even less enthused about making the journey with his parents. Going with his grandfather, Hershel, had been the compromise. Grandpa Hershel had nearly a century on Enev, and the two remained cordial but had little in common—they didn't even look alike. They spent… Continue reading Revelations of Pilgrimage
Professional Courtesy
"Captain Itsu to the cockpit, please." There was no acknowledgement, but moments later there were two klanks against the hatch. I buzzed him in. "Problem, Aviator?" I looked back over my shoulder, past the captain, at the squadron seated in the cabin, and then nodded at the co-pilot's chair. He made his aggravation known but… Continue reading Professional Courtesy
Psychotropic Space Nuts
Gatlin felt weird. The whole world seemed to be capsizing around him, and he felt...magenta? He knew the feeling was usually called cold—he was shivering—but for some reason he was equating the tactile chilliness with the color magenta; he could feel it crawling across his skin, little flickery blobs of purple-red like paisley come alive. He… Continue reading Psychotropic Space Nuts
Wanna Make a Couple Bucks?
"Stop stalling. A bet's a bet." Xyler's opened his mouth as wide as he could, stuck his tongue all the way out, and held the pepper in front of his mouth. He sat that way, still as a statue, making an unsure moaning noise, before again pulling the pepper away. "C'mon, Eb, you know I… Continue reading Wanna Make a Couple Bucks?
Alternative Fuels
Evolution has been around longer than humanity, so it follows that nature has already solved many of the problems we’re only beginning to identify. It should be no surprise then that technology bent toward the arc of biology soon after we had the power to manipulate the machinery of the cell. We learned to speak… Continue reading Alternative Fuels
Tempers and Timers
Roscoe Bard jogged to the landing pad, his utility vest bouncing heavily against his scrawny chest. In his haste to greet the pilot he'd grabbed his jacket but hadn't put it on. The small scout ship—only 30 meters from tip to tail—was only a dragonfly-shaped silhouette against the gargantuan disk of the late evening sun.… Continue reading Tempers and Timers
The Past Casts Shadows As Long As the Future
Marshall sat on the ledge of the fountain in the square in front of the Naluo Center, tucked between the imposing towers of the city and the more imposing crowds that scurried frantically at street level. He was early for his interview; career change. Naluo had a good program, or so he'd been told. He… Continue reading The Past Casts Shadows As Long As the Future
Warmup Pages 