Caravanserai 1
Behind me, refuge turned to menace, my courier ship disappears in an actinic flash. Ahead looms a city; rectilinear, chaotic, vast. Or so it appears, until…
Pablo Vilas
163 stories written on Ficly, 2014, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0. Their page on ficly.com
Ascension II: Prosecution
The prosecuting attorney for Juno Station was next to speak. He demanded jurisdiction over Bates for reckless flying, evasion of customs inspection…
Ascension II: Court
Judge Maynard rapped his gavel. “The court will come to order.” A mixed party of late arrivals was still being seated. They were Navy personnel in rumpled…
Ascension II: Discovery
The wormhole within a wormhole appeared above the tender’s jury-rigged manifold, and Ishikawa regretted his impulsive nature. Arcs of blue energy sprang from…
Ascension II: Haldol
Two guards brought Bates into the conference room, one on each arm. Full of Haldol, he walked with a slow, shuffling gait, concentrating on the floor. They put…
Ascension II: An Idea
“I have an idea,” said Ishikawsa. “Maybe we should talk about it.” “What is it?” Shwartz said warily. “We could open a wormhole that leads to someplace other…
Ascension II: Remorse
“Well, that didn’t work out very well,” Ishikawa admitted. “What have you idiots done?!” blared the STS channel. Tethered together by the cruiser’s grappling…
Ascension II: Shortcut
Ishikawa charged the manifold capacitor and pondered its wormhole sustainment controls. The Necrogorgons used prime numbers where other races would use orders…
Ascension II: Under Fire
“Resist and you will be fired upon,” snapped the STS. Shwartz came into view on the starboard camera. He’d jumped for the warp manifold transport cradle, his…
Explosives: Hypnagog
Barker used his helmet to scoop out a hollow in the hardpan for his hip. He folded his other shirt to form a pillow, lay on his side in the hollow and rocked…
Ascension II: In a Pinch
A shadow moved over the stolen ship. A harsh voice on the STS channel startled Shwartz. “Attention, Necrogorgon tender. This is USNE cruiser _Finite State…
Ascension II: While the Cat's Away
Bates went into the apartment bedroom. A potted red venerem certis fungus, commonly called lover’s lips, occupied one of the nightstands; it looked hideous…
Ascension II: Scramble
ON HS TRL, Pitcher tongued, plastering himself under the scant overhead of the shed’s roof. “This is Juno Spaceport Police,” blared a loudspeaker on the…
Ascension II: Low Bidder
They emerged from the garage to find the street and the air above it alive with Colonial Police vehicles, drones and crawlers. “That was fast,” Ishikawa said…
Ascension II: How Not to Succeed in Business
“How alien are we talking?” Ishikawa wondered. “Did they breathe osmium tetroxide?” “No, nothing like that,” the dealer laughed. “They were just, you know, a…
Ascension II: Deal
“So, Tic-Tac-Tony’s,” Ishikawa mused, revolving his glass. “A game, and a pretty easy one.” “Not this game,” Shwartz said. “People come here because they’re…
Mr. West Has His Way
Reverend Fludd inhaled with audible effort, raised a trembling crucifix and searched for his place. “I command you, unclean spirit ... whoever you are ...”…
Ascension II: Project X
The gunfire outside subsided. Ishikawa unwrapped the large flat package he’d brought to the Threeworld business agent’s office. “I happen to have an example of…
Ascension II: What Matters
“The Navy uses a complicated system for classifying ships,” explained Max Shwartz. He glanced uneasily out his office window. The tram line across the street…
Ascension II: Charms
Of all the races sharing Juno’s alien enclave, the quadrimanians were the most feared. This was because their four hands gave them all sorts of advantages over…