A family of Bou Sain Guo floundered nearby, struggling in the thick mucus ooze of the swirling river. Somah hesitated, transfixed by the fires illuminating the boxy stick-like bodies, their rake-like hands outstretched and pleading. “Keep moving, kiddo.” Pavel pushed… Continue Reading
It was winter and a blue snow fell again covering the plains of this insignificant planet in a fine cobalt dusting of fresh, deep powder. Janey liked to kick it around exposing the light blue layer beneath the darker surface;… Continue Reading
Adam stared across the table and tried to remind himself that when he looked at Eric, he was seeing the future of humanity. Or at least that’s what the paperwork said. The dossier listed Eric’s qualifications including strength, resilience, and… Continue Reading
“You should leave Tani here…” Gwen was digging in her garden as usual, on bended knees amid rows of mutated hydrangeas. It was Ms Krilov speaking behind; that monotonous tone was distinct and grating. “…I doubt,” Ms Krilov paused temporarily,… Continue Reading
Charlotte sank her pitchfork into the fragrant compost and daydreamed of libraries — the old-fashioned sort, lined with yellowed tomes of liver-spotted pages and fragile leather spines that crackled against her palm. As data technician officer for the colony on… Continue Reading
Android JT1K checked its data. Alert: Power low. Reduce load. The solar flares they’d experienced in high orbit must have done more damage than had been recorded on board the mother ship. Power to the lander had almost drained. Decision:… Continue Reading
“I’m glad you could come see me off,” said the woman behind the airlock. Her voice crackled through a speaker in the ceiling of Sector 8-G, but Dr. Hauser could tell she was smiling. He imagined her kneeling, plump and… Continue Reading
Roaring on a mighty flame stack, the rocket ship Conquest descended through the atmosphere to the surface of planet Alpha-1. Bulbous-bodied, tri-finned, and gleaming, the interstellar colony ship was breath-taking — which was part of the Big Idea. Camera drones… Continue Reading
This time when Roo woke them up, some of the colonists began to cry. They looked around with eyes still bleary from deep sleep, at the medical robots that stood ready to check their status and Roo waiting to take… Continue Reading
On this first wondrous day of planetfall we danced and sang and drank (perhaps too much) and had all the stars and the gods to thank for bringing our ship to this place: New Earth. On this eleventh day of… Continue Reading