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May 27, 2005

Volume 1, Issue 15

Since we have so many who are so entertainingly composing futuristic pieces, let's have a dedicated sci-fi theme today, but with some "don't"s instead of "do"s:

- Don't make the setting on Earth.
- Don't include aliens.
- Don't rip off any previously established mythos (ie. Star Trek, Galactica, etc.).

That's some pretty wide latitude but I think this group can more than handle it. Good luck!

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Ted: The New Gods Part Two

The process of growing starships inside the corona of the sun was made possible by two things: The energy available, and the Gardeners' training. The training had been around for millennia, but not until Tivik the Holy's near accident had this new application been discovered.

Tivik had been trained by his Order to make small changes, minute adjustments. The effects might not be seen from his actions for a season or a year or a decade or more. But when faced with a solar storm trying to kill him, he made the first "Leap Of Magnitude" and saved his ship.

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Stacy: Human Nature

Moon Base Alpha's construction was proceeding nicely. After a disastrous first year, with near 50% casualties, the training had finally caught up with the reality, and now only actual veterans taught the noobs what they needed to know to avoid spacing themselves. It also made for good PR back home, especially when the bleeding hearts in the World Congress screeched about the "cost in human lives".

'Still, the occasional accident will happen,' thought Lancaster, as he pulled the body towards the airlock, again thankful for the 1/8 gravity. The airlock cycled open then closed, and Lancaster returned to duty, whistling.

Read more from Stacy's ..

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Michele: Where The Wild Things Were

He eyed the lush greenery, the swift, clear streams and the trees ripe with colorful fruits. The sky was a virginal blue, uncontaminated by anything toxic. He could hear life all around him; the calls of animals and birds and insects, as familiar as if they were the species of Earth.

It was all so breathtaking, to see nature untouched by human hands, to see this beauty as if it had been created anew just this day. Pure. Clean. Unadulterated.

He pictured this pristine place inhabited by humans and radioed his superiors: “Looks like this one’s uninhabitable. Let’s move on.”

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The Eschatologist: The Speed of Emotion

He reached across the black seas, past winds that raced to hurl themselves against the shores of Earth, past the shining silver sails glistening in the magnetic breeze. And then further he went, crashing against the heliopause and then, just as quickly beyond old Tycho's remnant.

He felt their pain, whoever they were. Cries of suffering interrupted his sleep and every waking moment; a tragic echo between nebulae and dark matter. I am coming, he called out, just hold on a moment longer. Finally, at the speed of emotion, he broke through, plunging into Andromeda with tears in his eyes.

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From the Comments: Jim Parkinson

Tim never understood the science behind the dimensional portal. Something about submicroscopic singularities beaded on a cosmic string. Frankly, he didn’t care. Tim had been told why Portal Station was orbiting the Sun but he hadn’t paid much attention.

Tim was Portal Station’s Lead Sanitation Officer. Tim cleaned the toilets.

Sometimes another group of young people arrived in shiny new spacesuits. But a quick trip through the dimensional portal made people age. By next week those that survived the trip would be old and infirm but their eyes would reflect the wonders they had seen.

And Tim cleaned the toilets.

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