U, Robot sat in a room. (As will be learned later, it is here that U stopped reading) It was a big room, not that size was important, which it wasn’t. After all, the size of the room had nothing to do with the size of the robot, nor with how important the robot was, … Continue reading “U, Robot, and The Totally Unremarkable Paper” by NoMan (A.L. Schuhart) →

Illustration: "ET Kid Gets Rocket" by Steve Cartwright (c) 2005 When the Solinarians asked me to save their planet, I told them it would cost at least $10,000,000,000,000 credits. “Plus expenses,” I added. We’d met for lunch at Hammerhead Hank’s Intergalactic Multi-Ethnic Bar and Grill, and I was eating the Telexu squid burger with pickled … Continue reading “If You Don’t Help Us, We’re Doomed” by Cole Haddon →

Cursing the Guardian, Jerrine glanced at the digits counting down the release cycle for airlock CX2. It served no purpose. Nothing she could do would speed up the replacement of argon with nothingness. The other transcendentals used to mock her impatience as irrational, but she clung to every remaining human trait she possessed, thinking it … Continue reading “Virtual Parenting” by Tim C. Taylor →

That's right, you saw me on "Oprah" and "Donahue." And I'll betcha my last beer you're wondering what kind of chucklehead would've done it. Well, let me explain by telling you that only one word describes the Ultimate Joyride: totally awesome. And that's what it was, a joyride. If it wasn't, you think I'd be … Continue reading 10 Years Ago in Planet… “Stealth” by Andrew G. McCann →

  The boy settled down on the bench under the skydome. The long night was drawing to a close as his father began the story. “Well son, it all started with SKALO, the Society for Kindness to All Living Organisms. SKALO was a group that made your garden-variety vegetarian look positively carnivorous. Not only did … Continue reading “Going Green” by Rachel Dunstan Muller →

  Just before midnight on a Saturday, a young astronomer in Puerto Rico became the first to spot the small object sputtering toward the sun. It came in past Pluto, riding a spark that moved clearly against the millions of hard, bright stars behind it. Within two hours of e-mailing his colleagues at various universities … Continue reading 10 Years Ago in Planet… “Astrobeast” by Andrew G. McCann →

He lay back on the gurney, staring at the lights suspended above him. The bright glare burned his eyes, but he scarcely had the strength to close his weary lids. He was dimly aware of shapes around the edge of his vision, but moving his head was completely out of the question. He concentrated on … Continue reading “Second Chance” by David Murphy →

  Editor's Note: This story has been removed at the request of the author. About the Author: Zia Ahmed lives in the Boston area and reluctantly aids corporate world dominance for a living. (c) 2004 Zia Ahmed ziahmed@yahoo.com About the Artist: Romeo Esparrago is one man, but his artwork can be many places at once. … Continue reading “The Traveler” by Zia Ahmed →

  *Pr--Sh--Error. Reindexing.* *No threat.* The computer's voice came from nowhere, but just leapt into Allela's eardrums fully formed. It sent a shiver down her back. She looked at Lukas. "Damn it, would you stop that?" Lukas was hunched over the console, paying no attention to her. She couldn't tell why, but his customary arrogance … Continue reading “Mind Weld” by Tristan Palmgren →

  Malorchia was content, savoring the newness of her first birthling on Pollis as Iron Feather steered his craft out of the Equuid system. Now that the most important and personal matters had been attended to properly, it was time to police the quadrant for the Confederation. The first order of business was for Iron … Continue reading “The Tremors of Squirm (part of The Langford Joh Saga)” by William Alan Rieser →