In the inky expanse of space, a lone meteor hurtles past stars, planets, and asteroids, its path leading it on a collision course for earth. Inside this piece of rock and dust, a small bioorganic canister contains an extraterrestrial payload; a lone example of an alien species, sent from a dying planet towards the closest possible colonization planet: in thi...
(No sexual intercourse, or even innuendo, here. First chapter is mostly infodump, honest. I hope it's still interesting, regardless. But be aware! ) “I have to be the bearer of bad news today, I’m afraid. Your Universe was destroyed. All the galaxies you used to call Know Universe as much as the much larger portion that was beyond that. Your galaxy, and your...
Arcology has been discussed as a solution to urban sprawl, overpopulation, and wasteful consumption; some even suggest it is a solution to terrorism. Unfortunately, arcology remains the science fiction of a far distant future. "Miniaturize or die!" These words of Paolo Soleri echo from the empty domes of his "urban laboratory" called Arcosanti. (1) He preac...
Chapter Twenty Earth - 3753 C.E. "I'd almost forgotten why we were here," admitted Paul when the holographic message arrived for him at the hotel in the heart of the Amazon Jungle where he'd been staying with Beatrice. "It's been such a long time since we heard anything about the mission." Professor Wasilewski's image flickered against the window through w...
Mione stood in the wings of the stage; the crowd was restless and talking among themselves, discussing the last competitor. Hopeful, Mione worked to calm her nerves. This was her first time singing in front of a crowd, and it was on the biggest stage available on the moon. The entire lunar population would be watching. Ever since this moon had been colonize...
It Was Chinese New Year, 2024, when The Waning began. No one noticed at first, everything seemed normal, except the incidence of wild animal attacks rapidly rose to levels that would have been considered madness before the beginning of the Waning. However, as the months went on, everyone started to notice something: no one was getting pregnant. Something el...
It’s been over two months now since you left the safety of the biosphere behind. It’s hard to imagine how miserably boring your life felt back then and, although you’ve decided never to regret the choice that you made, sometimes you felt that you’d give almost anything for a week of that simple life. Oh yes, nothing but the processors to worry about, nothing...
Chapter Sixteen Ulysses - 3751 C.E. It only when the space ship Ulysses had travelled far enough from the Schmidt Republic that it appeared as nothing more than a tiny dot in the distance that Paul and Beatrice received a visit from Lieutenant Korolyov. He introduced himself as the Interplanetary Union military officer whose assignment was to ensure that th...
Consciousness is slow returning. The first thing Grubs becomes aware of is the vibrations of the deck plating he's touching, telling his bones that the machinery in the engineering bay is working away. No real sound though, which means he's not in the bay proper. So why is he lying on the deck? Memory returns in a rush, along with a brief flood of adrenalin...
Copyright 1980--2002 madengineer3 all rights reserved * It is a damp and windy outside. Through the bay window I can see low flying deep gray clouds passing overhead, and hear the low throated moans that come from the sound of the wind blowing across the top of the fireplaces' chimney. My favorite pipe is making friendly gurgling sounds as I draw on it....