Science Fiction
hard as steel, soft as velvet, electrifying as lightning, solid as gold, insubstantial as interstellar near-vacuum; from space opera, steampunk, AU, cyber, to humorous
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June 7, 2017, Science Fiction, “The Icy Breath of Enceladus”, by Liam Hogan
The stars are hard diamonds against a jet black sky and yet still it snows — not from clouds: in the near vacuum there are none — from the geyser two klicks away, the ice crystals sent high above the crusted surface of Enceladus. The falls are heavier now that the geyser is getting closer. Much closer. Two hundred kilos of ice crystals and water vapour every second
The one thing we never expected, we didn’t plan for, when we established our base at a ‘safe’ distance.
June 7, 2017, Science Fiction, “Mistress Molly and Krell“. by Jared VanDyke
Scout Krell hadn’t expected to crash land on her first mission. But then she hadn’t expected a pack of frenzied humans to stuff her infiltration pod with beer and stumble off into the woods with it. To get it back before she froze in the snow would require psionic contact with these primitives who reeked like spawning pits and perceived an interstellar pod as a beverage locker.
The sooner it was over, the better. But then, she hadn’t counted on Mistress Molly.
April 28, 2017, Science Fiction “Defender of the People”, by Bojan Ratković
Nemesis bragged about his hacks – cash machines spitting out currency, CEOs donating money with no recollection of doing so, government ministries leaking data. And now the cy-brain hack that drove Henry Muross to jump to his death from the roof of his own skyscraper had electrified protesters to the point of revolt.
It was a blow to the Special Taskforce. People were saying Nemesis had supporters in police and government. The Taskforce was turned over to Marcel. But who was Marcel? And who was Nemesis?
April 26, 2017, Science Fiction “Weatherbuns” by Diana Hauer
“Rudolph, is that you?” bellowed the old man. The wind was starting to pick up again, blowing his baker’s apron behind him. Sandra could see the code of her Autumn Day shredding under the power of the storm. The bubble of calm was shrinking fast.
“I hoped I’d be the one to bring you down, lunatic. Now here you are, in my bakery.” Weatherman Fawkes laughed and strode forward, unconcerned as the clouds closed in on him. “And it’s not even my birthday!”
March 9, 2017, Science Fiction: “The Fo’dekai Artifact“, by J. D. Moyer
The Fo’dekai could write in blood, and now he had their stories in him. Thousands of them, crowding his dreams, bleeding into his waking consciousness, his mind groaning from their weight.
The first dreams were visions of a strange world, flying over blood-red deserts, black oceans, purple forests. Darren sensed a planet being constructed, layer-by-layer, in his mind.
He wanted to talk about the dreams, but no reason to be alarmed the doctor said.
No reason? He had literally dived into a dark ocean and plummeted into a black chasm. He could see, monochromatically but with precise resolution. He could feel his short undulating tentacles, and his skin rapidly oscillating through a kaleidoscope of patterns.
Feb. 21, 2017: Science Fiction:”Painting Clouds“, by A. Merc Rustad
We cloudweavers specialize in different shapes — we collaborate and mold the textures of air and rain, cold and heat. The sun and moon are pallets to tint our canvasses.
But now the sun is dying. People no longer look at our art, our gifts, and as they stop looking, our clouds thin and fade. We grow weaker, less aware. Without our mediums, our art, what are we?
Feb. 18, 2017: Science Fiction:”Ghosts of Bunker Seven“, by Derrick Boden
Her skin was mottled blue, like storm clouds on a night sky. On days when the stares got to her, she’d throw on her old military coat and a pair of sunglasses. If it were up to her, she’d be wearing a pair of concrete shoes at the bottom of the surf. The bacteria coursing through her veins had other ideas.
And now, after all the cover-ups and slashed pensions, the brass was back. Calling for her to clean up their mess again.
Jan. 26, 2017: Science Fiction: “In Zarbok’s Kitchen“, by Matthew F. Amati
“Tell him no! Absolutely not!”
I groaned inwardly.
In my six years as sous-chef at Zarbok’s Of Aldebaran, I had told Chef Z again and again that the customer is always right.
But Zarbok was an auteur. You don’t get to run the galaxy’s only fifty-star restaurant by compromising your compound vision.
Jan. 11, 2017: Science Fiction: “A Meeting of Spirits“, by Russell Adams
I just knew the lights were looking for me, so I ran for my life and forgot about that old played out Sun Lizard silver mine. Suddenly I was lying at the bottom of a fifty‑foot shaft.
I hope I got a decent funeral.
I was instantly stone cold sober, and that’s when I figured out the lights hadn’t been looking for me. Stupid idea, aliens flying across the universe to get back a few goddamned gold nuggets.
But I wasn’t wrong thinking they were looking for something.
lead illustration: “By the Light of the Moon” digital illustration © Eugenius330 Textures courtesy of Renderosity.com
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Dec 31, 2016: Science Fiction: “Life, Or Something Like It”, by J. Michael Neal
Salazar Niskanen had just initiated the burn that would take him out of the system when a voice he’d never heard before began a conversation with him. It was his ship, and she had some unexpected news for him.
Dec 17, 2016: Science Fiction: “The One and the Many”, by William Ledbetter
Opono had spent the entire first third of her life convincing peers and family that there was sentient life in the cosmos and she could find it. They had finally believed her, financed her, and some had even contracted future offspring to combine with hers so their lineage would have memories of the momentous occasion. She had failed them all.
Sept 10: Science Fiction, “Word from Home, by Mark Rookyard
photomanips and digital illustrations by Fran Eisemann
Oct. 1, 2016, Science Fiction: “Mobius”, by Elian Crane
If Ahab captained a starship — a brief, lyric vision
Sept. 25, 2016, Science Fiction: “Leon’s Last Meal”, by Shayna Coplan
Leon liked human law, but not the meals it served him.
Sept. 19, 2016, Science Fiction: “Time Trial”, by Liam Hogan
The device appeared in his parlor. He was only trying to make it work. And now here he was, somewhere and somewhen, charged with perverting the course of time and space.
July 27, 2016: Science Fiction: How Your Mother Killed Me, by Evan Dicken
Illustration: “Star Citizen” photomanipulation by Enrico Frehse
A quest of many lifetimes begins with a single slice
July 24, 2016: Science Fiction — “Negotiations”, by Matthew J. Streett
Where does the commercial domain end
What can it take when you’re not looking
How do you get it back
?
June 6, Science Fiction: “Derelict“, by Derrick Boden
What you remember when you forget everything else
Illustration: “Legacy” by Norbert
June 4, Science Fiction: “Mister Bob“, by Dan Campbell
Like it says on the door, when you need to know the unknowable… ask Mister Bob
Illustration: “Crab Mutant Creature“by sParzZ
April 25, 2016: Science Fiction,
Sonical — Locker X This fractal animation video was created by Brian May. He wrote the music first. While writing it, images of science fiction scenes came to him, and inspired him to make the video!
Sonical — Locker X has found it’s way into six festivals so far, in Germany, Australia, UK, Martinique, and Hong Kong!
Sonical Locker X images and sound © Brian May
April 9, Science Fiction: “With the Taste of Oblivion in Her Mouth“, by M.E. Garber
Illustration: Illustration: © Leozoa creature in the midst of the unsettled desert.
Leo lives in Sweden and can be found at http://leozo.deviantart.com/Sweden
Feb. 27, Science Fiction: “Boomerang Zone”, by Robert Dawson,
Illustration “Make a Wish” by Karim Fakhoury,
photographs courtesy of NASA
When even that thin lifeline is cut, what do you rely on?
Feb. 17, Science Fiction, “Then We Stood Still“, by Bojan Ratković
Digital Painting “Silence” by Priya Johal.
An homage to the works of Isaac Asimov
January 14, 2016: Science Fiction: ” A Walk in the Sun”, by Geoffrey Landis —
Reprise of the classic hard science fiction story.