Five. The harness digs into his shoulder. Mission control keeps a stream of chatter in his ear, but Gagarin can hardly hear them over his pounding heart. The rocket shudders around him. Four. Humanity has always been entranced by the… Continue Reading
Something hit the hull and it was loud. Just moments ago, we were on a routine flight around the station. Now we’ve stopped. The stirring started immediately, a quaking sensation rattling through the length of the ship. Systems were working… Continue Reading
ZANDER STARHAWK: THE MAN BEHIND THE LEGENDarticle by Kaim Scribson (Editor’s note: be sure to subscribe to the Galactic Union Gossip for instant access to every one of our stories via your ocular implant.) It is with some trepidation that… Continue Reading
There’s a spaceship, a jumpsuit, and a moose. Well, really, there’s just the jumpsuit and the moose. They just happen to be on the spaceship. Oh, and there’s me. Trying to get to the jumpsuit. Being blocked by the moose.… Continue Reading
The Akahoshi Hikari 4X is a family-class spaceship that comes equipped with the latest advancements in AI, as well as the superior firepower and reliable navigation you’ve come to expect from Akahoshi. Don’t trust your family’s future to anything less… Continue Reading
Sub-space radio transmission from the direction of Tau Ceti: “Mayday! Mayday! Do you read? ‘Beef’ Vaquero reporting in! Over, dammit!” Reply from Nina Bozovic, technician at Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico: “Is this a joke? Not funny. I’m just an underpaid… Continue Reading
Early Christmas morning aboard the Masters’ starship, and once again there was no Santa Claus. I stared at the stars streaming past on the display window. There was a quiet knock on our apartment’s door, a little rap-a-tap-tap given with… Continue Reading
Antideuterium tablets flashed as they tumbled from Yuri’s shovel into the Theresa’s furnace. Exhausted, he staggered to the water bucket. Water poured down his chest and splashed to the floor, curling into steam around his boots. On a viewscreen he… Continue Reading
When the spaceship came, Tamsin thought it was some sort of marketing stunt. It landed on the beach just above the high tide mark with a whir and a puff of steam. People on the boardwalk stopped and stared. A… Continue Reading
I still remember that awful moment, in school, when I realized mathematics is the language of the universe and I could barely speak one coherent word of it. I sensed its beauty, but could never commune with its soul. Mastered… Continue Reading