The first story was about a man who is on a date with his girlfriend when he is genetically sampled by some security drones and due to a glitch, they think he is a notorious criminal and they sterilize him so completely so that he can never reproduce, even his hair and dead skin sparks up as soon as it leaves his body so that it won’t even hit the ground. Most of the story is him trying to continue his life after having it ripped away from him.

There’s another story about a journalist who keeps getting credit for a “dog video” that he captured, and that it’s later questioned whether he staged it. Kind of like the movie “nightcrawler“ but set 100 years from now.

There’s another story about the political consequences of rejuvenation, with the last holdout senator being from Alaska on his ranch with a bunch of News bees come in, there are essentially miniature recording drones looking for a statement. The arc of that story is whether or not he’s going to vote for the procedure.

Been thinking a lot about this book lately, only problem is I read it once nearly 10 to 15 years ago and I’d like to read it again.

Any ideas?

My friends and I are creating a shared sci fi universe. We’d love your feedback !

Over the course of a year, my friends and I have constructed a shared far-future sci-fi universe. It’s our first large creative endeavor, but we’ve made the decision to put our efforts into this endeavor with all we’ve got. We have poured our hearts and souls into this creative universe that features a unique combination of corporate satire, sci fi dystopia, and surrealism. I don’t want to give away too much here, but we would very much appreciate your feedback and (if you like it enough) a follow.

What follows is a brief scene snippet from The Floor (our first story in this universe). Below it, you will find the link to the story on medium and our socials. Thank you so much for reading this far!

“…

He fetched the blanket and tied it around his head in his best impression of a shawl, careful to shade the entire visor of his space suit. It draped down to his calves as he looked like a full-on man-child.

In his regal attire, he opened the rear door of the ship with his electric wrench in hand. The hydraulic presses creaked as it opened, but he was not met by the faint glow of the stars. The ground glowed almost the same color as his console, a phantom red.

Nevins momentarily considered the possibility of this being a fever dream, but as the door lifted his doubts were alleviated.

He had never dreamt of anything like this.

Despite the blanket which limited his field of view, he immediately saw the source of the red glow. Above him was the most spectacular and dizzying array of aurorae he had ever seen. The equatorial sky was shimmering with slivers of red light as if a luminescent lava bed was flowing overhead. It rippled and undulated, warping and dragging itself throughout the sky. The undulations were not slow and tentative, but rapid and violent. They sliced through the atmosphere, only to dissipate into a kind of orange-yellow ether and the sky to be sliced with crimson again. It was so bright he could barely see the stars shine through. The ripples above his head were not only limited to the atmosphere. Staring down at the ground, massive shadows cast from the activity above ebbed and flowed with momentum similar to a river. It was as if he was at the bottom of a pool. The neon from each arc glistened on the shattered terrain, like a chandelier canvassed across the coast.

The still water on the ground had sprung to life. The luminescent bacteria, in almost perfect syncopation with the aurorae, were throbbing with life. As soon as one aurora would dissipate, they would dim themselves, only to reactivate in an explosion of color, some perfectly mimicking the above light show. They were so perfectly matched with this phenomenon, he knew that they must have adapted to it– generations of light shows cycling in and out. Eons of solar activity had somehow bred a sense of expectation into them.

It was a visual explosion that Nevins could only think of one word for: circus. It was certainly a light show with shameless excess, yet still retained all of its beauty. So much was going on and put into one moment, but none of it seemed wasted. There had to be some way to see this phenomenon more safely in the future. This was the planet that kept on giving, he thought, as he yearned to share this with his wife and daughter back home. Surely, he would have the resources to make it happen then.

He quickly packed the drill equipment back into the trunk of his ship. He had to get back home and share this place with his family and friends. The Floor had taken a few conveniences from him but had given them back in prodigious proportions.

                                                                 ………”

For the full story START HERE!: The Floor — part 1 https://medium.com/@christopherhammcreative/the-floor-part-1-be7c95025826

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pilbert_co?_t=ZT-8tZJdWWA9XS&_r=1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pilbert_co?igsh=N2Uzc2JuaDR2bHpq

I tend to collect a lot of book with the plan to read them later. I live near a store where old books are sold very cheap.

I bought The Mote In God’s Eye a few months ago, because I have heard good things about it. Today, I picked up West of Honor because I knew the author.

I know both are in the CoDominium universe, but separate series? Which should I read first? If they’re both standalone stories, would one spoil the other, or help me understand the other?

Also, I just finished Leviathan Wakes and I am looking to read one of these while I wait for Calibans War to arrive

The human, for century, always imagined race from outer space, and always they included one that was warlike. What they did not realize is the war-like one were modeled after themselves, after the great warrior of old whose blood lusting DNA still laid into their genome, half awake, half dormant. And when the aliens came, those little blue humanoids, they were half the size of an adult men, and when a foolish boy tough it funny to capture one, the aliens realized their powerful laser, energy weapon, down to their more primal kinetic armory could not take him down; and just lightly burned or bruised the teen. Only their artillery and electric rifles could stop him.

600 hundred years later, you are a human, on a distant world, fighting against fearful and bestial alien. After generations of mandatory light genetic modification on your family and many other, you have now attained in all respect the double of all physical attributes your ancestor could claim. You might be something that, trough nature, would have been possible but legend-like rare for you stone-age ancestor, except for your height, which is of 2.30 meters, not unlike a lot of the rest of you kind. You wield weapons with such bloodlust, primal energy and bravery you and your race are legends. Towering high above all other aliens, tearing apart the hungry hordes of interstellar-travelling beast, you might not remember the dreams of your forefather. But, while cutting in half in a swing of your kar'kethen sword an insect the size of a house on the planet your fighting for, and wearing an armor so thick and brutal you look like a monster, a golem, a creature that could crush the local simply by not looking the right way when crossing the road, and while displaying such strength that all the galaxy respect you and fear you, you embody a dream they though distant and strange. You are the bulwark of the civilization, you are the ones who crush planets and level mountain. You are the fighting race, of untamable angster

The ghost ship in deep space called the Icarus Dawn had haunted Commander Ren Vega’s nightmares for years. Rumors spoke of a silent hulk drifting beyond charted star-lanes, untouched by salvage crews and free of all distress signals. Now, as his scout vessel, the Kestrel, docked with the derelict airlock, Ren felt an unsettling chill seep into his bones. For ten years, no one had glimpsed even a scrap of evidence explaining the Icarus Dawn’s disappearance—until a faint signal lured him here. The corridor lights flickered beyond the docking seal, shadows dancing like wraiths. Whatever secrets lurked within this ghost ship in deep spaceThe ghost ship in deep space called the Icarus Dawn had haunted Commander Ren Vega’s nightmares for years. Rumors spoke of a silent hulk drifting beyond charted star-lanes, untouched by salvage crews and free of all distress signals. Now, as his scout vessel, the Kestrel, docked with the derelict airlock, Ren felt an unsettling chill seep into his bones. For ten years, no one had glimpsed even a scrap of evidence explaining the Icarus Dawn’s disappearance—until a faint signal lured him here. The corridor lights flickered beyond the docking seal, shadows dancing like wraiths. Whatever secrets lurked within this ghost ship in deep space, Ren intended to uncover them, no matter the cost.

Boarding the Deserted Hull

Ren guided Lieutenant Sora Hayes along the Icarus Dawn’s warped corridors, each step echoing through metal passageways that reeked of stale air and drifting dust motes. Their helmets provided a thin barrier from vacuum exposure, but the emptiness felt more oppressive than simple atmospheric loss. Strange scarring marred the walls, suggesting a violent internal event. Wires dangled from the ceiling, and shards of plating floated in zero gravity as if time had stalled the moment disaster struck.

Hayes’ voice crackled in Ren’s ear: “I’m picking up residual power in the reactor core—barely a flicker. It shouldn’t be possible after all these years.” She paused, tension edging her tone. “Commander, it’s as if something or someone kept the systems alive.”

Ren scanned a terminal, forcing it to display fragmentary logs. Nothing conclusive emerged except partial codes referencing “anomaly breach” and “dimensional rift.” Shaking off a prickle of dread, he advanced. The Kestrel’s tether line occasionally pulled, a reminder that escape was only a corridor away. Yet the vacuum beyond felt safer than the silent gloom of this ghost ship in deep space, where walls seemed to whisper secrets meant to remain hidden.

Reactor Shadows

Guided by flickering emergency lights, Ren and Hayes descended into the engineering section. The battered reactor thrummed with low-level energy surges, an improbable sign of life inside a vessel presumed lost. Panels beeped erratically, as though responding to input from an invisible crew.

Hayes knelt beside a console, hands shaking as she attempted to interpret garbled sensor readings. “I see a buildup of exotic particles in the center of the ship. It’s spiking… Commander, these readings match theoretical wormhole physics.”

Ren’s throat tightened. Legends of a rift-based accident had once circulated about the Icarus Dawn—wild tales describing a misguided experiment that supposedly consumed the entire crew. Now, confronted with data echoing that rumor, he felt his pulse hammering.

A sudden movement caught his eye: a drifting shape near the far corner. Its silhouette shimmered in the half-light, vanishing when he aimed his headlamp. The sense of being watched gripped him. Perhaps the vessel retained more than just decaying bulkheads. He signaled Hayes to stay close, resisting the urge to flee. If any part of the crew survived, or if something else had replaced them, they needed to know.

With trembling resolve, Ren advanced deeper into the reactor bay. The air—still artificially circulated by a damaged oxygen unit—carried a faint chemical tang. Between bursts of static, he thought he heard faint breathing over the comm—like a phantom heartbeat echoing through the ghost ship in deep space.

Echoes on the Bridge

They emerged into the command deck, a vaulted space lined with shattered display panels. At the center stood the captain’s chair, strands of wiring draped over it like cobwebs. Each console told a story of sudden chaos: half-finished meal trays floated near chairs, personal belongings scattered as though the crew vanished mid-action.

Ren approached the main station. A red light blinked feebly, indicating the last recorded transmission. Activating it caused an audio log to hiss through his helmet speakers: “…emergency protocol… we lost containment… rift expanding… can’t shut it down….” The final seconds dissolved into static, trailing off with a scream abruptly cut short.

Hayes exhaled shakily. “That must be the moment they vanished. But where did they go? And what caused the rift?”

The overhead lighting flickered, intensifying the gloom. A faint resonance vibrated through the deck plating, as if the ship itself groaned in slow agony. Then, across the cracked surface of the main monitor, ghostly text scrolled: “We are still here.”

Ren and Hayes froze, adrenaline spiking. The Kestrel’s sensors reported no life forms, yet an unseen intelligence seemed to manipulate the ship’s systems. The hush felt suffocating, charged with tension. If an entity lingered on this ghost ship in deep space, it possessed the power to control electronics at will. Struggling to steady his nerves, Ren gripped the console. “Who are you?” he murmured. No reply came—just a faint static buzz like distant voices on the edge of hearing.

Encounter in the MedBay

Ren decided to check the medbay for logs regarding the crew’s final hours. His footsteps echoed through a passage lined with cracked doors. One slid open to reveal a stark, clinical environment cast in pale emergency lighting. Stainless steel counters, glass-fronted cabinets, and floating medical gear indicated a frantic exodus. Bloodstains marred the floor near an overturned gurney.

Hayes scoured the dispensary for medical logs. “Commander, they used strong sedatives,” she said softly. “High doses, repeated injections. Maybe they tried to calm someone in mania or a delirium.”

He frowned, imaging the crew succumbing to cosmic madness triggered by that rumored rift. Then an automated assistant sparked to life—a battered med drone lying half-broken in the corner. It lurched upright, mechanical limbs twitching. “Assist… assist…” it droned in a hollow monotone.

Ren stepped back, heart pounding. The drone’s camera eye whirred, tracking them. “Crew compromised… quarantined… subject zero opened the rift….” Its speech devolved into glitchy whines. Then it ground to a halt, collapsing in a shower of sparks.

The few words it managed confirmed an unthinkable scenario: The Icarus Dawn crew might have experimented with advanced technology, unleashing an anomaly that devoured them all. Cold dread clutched at Ren’s core. This ghost ship in deep space wasn’t just a random tragedy; it was the site of a cosmic experiment gone awry. The prospect of encountering the same fate curdled his courage.

A Rift in Reality

Treading along a corridor strewn with personal effects, they reached a sealed hatch. Signage indicated it led to a restricted research lab. Hayes bypassed the lock with a handheld decryptor, the door grinding aside with an eerie finality. Inside, the environment felt heavier, as though gravity itself thickened. Ren recognized the ephemeral pulses in the air from prior logs describing “rift phenomena.”

At the room’s center, a ring of instrumentation formed a half-circle around a black rift suspended mid-air, swirling with faint starlight patterns. It was small—barely large enough for an adult to slip through—but the edges rippled in defiance of physical law. Papers, wrenches, and lab coats drifted aimlessly near that gravitational anomaly, occasionally vanishing if they touched its shimmering boundary.

Ren’s stomach lurched. The presence of a stable tear in spacetime hammered home the dire truth: The Icarus Dawn never simply vanished; it transcended normal space. This ghost ship in deep space straddled the line between existence and oblivion, trapped by an artificial rift the crew had failed to contain.

A console beeped weakly, displaying lines of code and diagrams of the anomaly’s energy spikes. Hayes scanned it. “They tried reversing the polarity to close it. The attempt backfired, expanding the rift instead,” she concluded grimly. “No wonder the crew disappeared.”

As the tear pulsed ominously, a faint moan echoed behind them, reminiscent of a human voice stifled by water. Ren turned, dread rising. At the lab’s far end, a twisted figure hovered in partial silhouette. Could it be a living crew member? Or something else entirely—an entity shaped by cosmic distortion, waiting to claim new victims?

Revelations in the Commander’s Mind

Ren advanced carefully, heart hammering. The figure’s outlines blurred, as if it flickered between states. A voice, fractured by static, whispered over the comm: “Commander… help… us….” Each word trembled with agony and desperation. He recognized the timbre—Captain Mira Archon, the Icarus Dawn’s commanding officer, long presumed dead.

Hayes gasped, reaching for her sidearm. “Commander, you can’t trust that voice. We have no idea what it’s become.”

Yet Ren’s empathy warred with caution. The presence, half-lost in shifting light, appeared deeply tormented. Could some fragment of the captain’s consciousness remain, anchored to the ship by the rift’s unstoppable pull? He approached slowly, searching for proof of humanity in the entity’s eyes.

“Mira,” he said softly, “we want to help.”

Her face shimmered, revealing a swirl of starlight trapped beneath translucent flesh. Something behind her eyes suggested recognition. “Close… the rift…” she managed, each syllable a tortured rasp. “Don’t… let it spread….”

Before Ren could respond, a surge of gravitational flux rattled the lab. Sparks erupted from the ring of instruments, the swirling tear growing more erratic. Mira’s form distorted, mouth opening in silent anguish. Then, in one violent spasm of cosmic force, she dissolved into swirling darkness, as though the rift devoured her anew.

Ren staggered back, mind reeling from the horror. This ghost ship in deep space had turned its crew into echoes, trapped between worlds, doomed to fade whenever the rift spasmed. A wave of helpless fury crashed over him. For all their bravery in coming here, they faced an unstoppable anomaly that refused to release its claim on the living or the dead.

A Final Attempt to Seal the Fate

Alarms wailed across the Icarus Dawn, the entire vessel buckling under the rift’s intensifying power. Sparks rained from overhead lights, and an ominous rumble signaled the partial collapse of structural beams. Hayes took one look at Ren, worry etched on her face. “Commander, we have minutes—maybe seconds—before the tear grows unstoppable.”

Ren clenched his jaw. The logs he’d seen suggested an emergency failsafe, though the crew’s final transmissions implied it was never successfully deployed. “Help me search,” he ordered. They scrambled to the lab’s battered consoles, flipping through half-baked code and frantic engineering notes. At last, they uncovered a hidden subroutine labeled “Energy Inversion Protocol.”

Hayes typed furiously to compile the incomplete data. If the plan worked, it could theoretically invert the rift’s polarity, collapsing it into a singular point. But the text included dire warnings: “Massive risk to local space. Unknown consequences for living matter.” The entire ship might vanish, or the tear might expand.

Ren weighed the options, sweat cold on his brow. Leaving the rift open guaranteed future travelers would stumble upon this ghost ship in deep space, only to share the same doomed fate. The chance to end this cosmic hazard demanded action. “Do it,” he said, voice low but resolute.

They aligned the portable power nodes around the rift, each node blinking readiness. With trembling hands, Hayes input the final commands. A shriek of protesting metal accompanied the swirl of energies building in the ring. The rift pulsed in furious waves, as if sensing their intent. With a roar that shook them to their core, the subroutine triggered.

Light blazed. Gravity lurched. The vortex flared, twisting in on itself as arcs of plasmic current shot across the lab. Ren and Hayes braced themselves, hearts pounding, uncertain whether they’d survive the cataclysm or be consumed like the lost crew.

Outcome of the Ghost Ship in Deep Space

A deafening thunder engulfed everything, then faded into silence. Ren opened his eyes, pulse racing. The lab lay in smoking ruin, half the consoles shattered. But the rift—once seething with cosmic malice—was gone. The swirl of chaotic energy vanished, leaving a faint shimmer in the air like the memory of a nightmare.

Hayes coughed, shakily rising from a crouch behind a console. “Commander… we did it.” Despite the devastation, her eyes flicked to an overhead readout: no dimensional anomalies detected. The infiltration of cosmic power had ended.

But with the rift gone, the Icarus Dawn’s failing systems began shutting down for good, its emergency lights dimming to starlight alone. The hull groaned, decompression vents hissing as atmosphere drained. As this ghost ship in deep space lost the last vestiges of power, it would soon become a silent tomb drifting among the stars.

Ren opened a channel to the Kestrel. Static hissed, then a faint response crackled through. “We read you—are you alive?” Relief choked him. The docking corridor still functioned, albeit barely. Without hesitation, they raced back through twisting corridors, stepping over the remains of illusions that once haunted them.

They arrived at the airlock just as final life support flickered out. The Kestrel’s hatch slid open, warm lights beckoning them. Gasping, they collapsed inside, each breath laced with gratitude. Outside the porthole, the Icarus Dawn’s silhouette drifted away, its battered hull dimming to black. The ephemeral anomaly no longer pinned it to a cursed timeline, but the cost had been monstrous.

In the hush that followed their frantic escape, Ren stared at the lifeless shape receding into cosmic emptiness. The ghost ship in deep space had lost all power, but at least the nightmarish rift would claim no more souls. Hayes touched his shoulder gently. “We did what we could. Let’s go home.”

With a final nod, he set the Kestrel’s engines to thrust, leaving the shadow of the Icarus Dawn behind. Some secrets of the cosmos were never meant to be touched—and some tragedies left only echoes among the stars.

, Ren intended to uncover them, no matter the cost.

Boarding the Deserted Hull

Ren guided Lieutenant Sora Hayes along the Icarus Dawn’s warped corridors, each step echoing through metal passageways that reeked of stale air and drifting dust motes. Their helmets provided a thin barrier from vacuum exposure, but the emptiness felt more oppressive than simple atmospheric loss. Strange scarring marred the walls, suggesting a violent internal event. Wires dangled from the ceiling, and shards of plating floated in zero gravity as if time had stalled the moment disaster struck.

Hayes’ voice crackled in Ren’s ear: “I’m picking up residual power in the reactor core—barely a flicker. It shouldn’t be possible after all these years.” She paused, tension edging her tone. “Commander, it’s as if something or someone kept the systems alive.”

Ren scanned a terminal, forcing it to display fragmentary logs. Nothing conclusive emerged except partial codes referencing “anomaly breach” and “dimensional rift.” Shaking off a prickle of dread, he advanced. The Kestrel’s tether line occasionally pulled, a reminder that escape was only a corridor away. Yet the vacuum beyond felt safer than the silent gloom of this ghost ship in deep space, where walls seemed to whisper secrets meant to remain hidden.

Reactor Shadows

Guided by flickering emergency lights, Ren and Hayes descended into the engineering section. The battered reactor thrummed with low-level energy surges, an improbable sign of life inside a vessel presumed lost. Panels beeped erratically, as though responding to input from an invisible crew.

Hayes knelt beside a console, hands shaking as she attempted to interpret garbled sensor readings. “I see a buildup of exotic particles in the center of the ship. It’s spiking… Commander, these readings match theoretical wormhole physics.”

Ren’s throat tightened. Legends of a rift-based accident had once circulated about the Icarus Dawn—wild tales describing a misguided experiment that supposedly consumed the entire crew. Now, confronted with data echoing that rumor, he felt his pulse hammering.

A sudden movement caught his eye: a drifting shape near the far corner. Its silhouette shimmered in the half-light, vanishing when he aimed his headlamp. The sense of being watched gripped him. Perhaps the vessel retained more than just decaying bulkheads. He signaled Hayes to stay close, resisting the urge to flee. If any part of the crew survived, or if something else had replaced them, they needed to know.

With trembling resolve, Ren advanced deeper into the reactor bay. The air—still artificially circulated by a damaged oxygen unit—carried a faint chemical tang. Between bursts of static, he thought he heard faint breathing over the comm—like a phantom heartbeat echoing through the ghost ship in deep space.

Echoes on the Bridge

They emerged into the command deck, a vaulted space lined with shattered display panels. At the center stood the captain’s chair, strands of wiring draped over it like cobwebs. Each console told a story of sudden chaos: half-finished meal trays floated near chairs, personal belongings scattered as though the crew vanished mid-action.

Ren approached the main station. A red light blinked feebly, indicating the last recorded transmission. Activating it caused an audio log to hiss through his helmet speakers: “…emergency protocol… we lost containment… rift expanding… can’t shut it down….” The final seconds dissolved into static, trailing off with a scream abruptly cut short.

Hayes exhaled shakily. “That must be the moment they vanished. But where did they go? And what caused the rift?”

The overhead lighting flickered, intensifying the gloom. A faint resonance vibrated through the deck plating, as if the ship itself groaned in slow agony. Then, across the cracked surface of the main monitor, ghostly text scrolled: “We are still here.”

Ren and Hayes froze, adrenaline spiking. The Kestrel’s sensors reported no life forms, yet an unseen intelligence seemed to manipulate the ship’s systems. The hush felt suffocating, charged with tension. If an entity lingered on this ghost ship in deep space, it possessed the power to control electronics at will. Struggling to steady his nerves, Ren gripped the console. “Who are you?” he murmured. No reply came—just a faint static buzz like distant voices on the edge of hearing.

Encounter in the MedBay

Ren decided to check the medbay for logs regarding the crew’s final hours. His footsteps echoed through a passage lined with cracked doors. One slid open to reveal a stark, clinical environment cast in pale emergency lighting. Stainless steel counters, glass-fronted cabinets, and floating medical gear indicated a frantic exodus. Bloodstains marred the floor near an overturned gurney.

Hayes scoured the dispensary for medical logs. “Commander, they used strong sedatives,” she said softly. “High doses, repeated injections. Maybe they tried to calm someone in mania or a delirium.”

He frowned, imaging the crew succumbing to cosmic madness triggered by that rumored rift. Then an automated assistant sparked to life—a battered med drone lying half-broken in the corner. It lurched upright, mechanical limbs twitching. “Assist… assist…” it droned in a hollow monotone.

Ren stepped back, heart pounding. The drone’s camera eye whirred, tracking them. “Crew compromised… quarantined… subject zero opened the rift….” Its speech devolved into glitchy whines. Then it ground to a halt, collapsing in a shower of sparks.

The few words it managed confirmed an unthinkable scenario: The Icarus Dawn crew might have experimented with advanced technology, unleashing an anomaly that devoured them all. Cold dread clutched at Ren’s core. This ghost ship in deep space wasn’t just a random tragedy; it was the site of a cosmic experiment gone awry. The prospect of encountering the same fate curdled his courage.

A Rift in Reality

Treading along a corridor strewn with personal effects, they reached a sealed hatch. Signage indicated it led to a restricted research lab. Hayes bypassed the lock with a handheld decryptor, the door grinding aside with an eerie finality. Inside, the environment felt heavier, as though gravity itself thickened. Ren recognized the ephemeral pulses in the air from prior logs describing “rift phenomena.”

At the room’s center, a ring of instrumentation formed a half-circle around a black rift suspended mid-air, swirling with faint starlight patterns. It was small—barely large enough for an adult to slip through—but the edges rippled in defiance of physical law. Papers, wrenches, and lab coats drifted aimlessly near that gravitational anomaly, occasionally vanishing if they touched its shimmering boundary.

Ren’s stomach lurched. The presence of a stable tear in spacetime hammered home the dire truth: The Icarus Dawn never simply vanished; it transcended normal space. This ghost ship in deep space straddled the line between existence and oblivion, trapped by an artificial rift the crew had failed to contain.

A console beeped weakly, displaying lines of code and diagrams of the anomaly’s energy spikes. Hayes scanned it. “They tried reversing the polarity to close it. The attempt backfired, expanding the rift instead,” she concluded grimly. “No wonder the crew disappeared.”

As the tear pulsed ominously, a faint moan echoed behind them, reminiscent of a human voice stifled by water. Ren turned, dread rising. At the lab’s far end, a twisted figure hovered in partial silhouette. Could it be a living crew member? Or something else entirely—an entity shaped by cosmic distortion, waiting to claim new victims?

Revelations in the Commander’s Mind

Ren advanced carefully, heart hammering. The figure’s outlines blurred, as if it flickered between states. A voice, fractured by static, whispered over the comm: “Commander… help… us….” Each word trembled with agony and desperation. He recognized the timbre—Captain Mira Archon, the Icarus Dawn’s commanding officer, long presumed dead.

Hayes gasped, reaching for her sidearm. “Commander, you can’t trust that voice. We have no idea what it’s become.”

Yet Ren’s empathy warred with caution. The presence, half-lost in shifting light, appeared deeply tormented. Could some fragment of the captain’s consciousness remain, anchored to the ship by the rift’s unstoppable pull? He approached slowly, searching for proof of humanity in the entity’s eyes.

“Mira,” he said softly, “we want to help.”

Her face shimmered, revealing a swirl of starlight trapped beneath translucent flesh. Something behind her eyes suggested recognition. “Close… the rift…” she managed, each syllable a tortured rasp. “Don’t… let it spread….”

Before Ren could respond, a surge of gravitational flux rattled the lab. Sparks erupted from the ring of instruments, the swirling tear growing more erratic. Mira’s form distorted, mouth opening in silent anguish. Then, in one violent spasm of cosmic force, she dissolved into swirling darkness, as though the rift devoured her anew.

Ren staggered back, mind reeling from the horror. This ghost ship in deep space had turned its crew into echoes, trapped between worlds, doomed to fade whenever the rift spasmed. A wave of helpless fury crashed over him. For all their bravery in coming here, they faced an unstoppable anomaly that refused to release its claim on the living or the dead.

A Final Attempt to Seal the Fate

Alarms wailed across the Icarus Dawn, the entire vessel buckling under the rift’s intensifying power. Sparks rained from overhead lights, and an ominous rumble signaled the partial collapse of structural beams. Hayes took one look at Ren, worry etched on her face. “Commander, we have minutes—maybe seconds—before the tear grows unstoppable.”

Ren clenched his jaw. The logs he’d seen suggested an emergency failsafe, though the crew’s final transmissions implied it was never successfully deployed. “Help me search,” he ordered. They scrambled to the lab’s battered consoles, flipping through half-baked code and frantic engineering notes. At last, they uncovered a hidden subroutine labeled “Energy Inversion Protocol.”

Hayes typed furiously to compile the incomplete data. If the plan worked, it could theoretically invert the rift’s polarity, collapsing it into a singular point. But the text included dire warnings: “Massive risk to local space. Unknown consequences for living matter.” The entire ship might vanish, or the tear might expand.

Ren weighed the options, sweat cold on his brow. Leaving the rift open guaranteed future travelers would stumble upon this ghost ship in deep space, only to share the same doomed fate. The chance to end this cosmic hazard demanded action. “Do it,” he said, voice low but resolute.

They aligned the portable power nodes around the rift, each node blinking readiness. With trembling hands, Hayes input the final commands. A shriek of protesting metal accompanied the swirl of energies building in the ring. The rift pulsed in furious waves, as if sensing their intent. With a roar that shook them to their core, the subroutine triggered.

Light blazed. Gravity lurched. The vortex flared, twisting in on itself as arcs of plasmic current shot across the lab. Ren and Hayes braced themselves, hearts pounding, uncertain whether they’d survive the cataclysm or be consumed like the lost crew.

Outcome of the Ghost Ship in Deep Space

A deafening thunder engulfed everything, then faded into silence. Ren opened his eyes, pulse racing. The lab lay in smoking ruin, half the consoles shattered. But the rift—once seething with cosmic malice—was gone. The swirl of chaotic energy vanished, leaving a faint shimmer in the air like the memory of a nightmare.

Hayes coughed, shakily rising from a crouch behind a console. “Commander… we did it.” Despite the devastation, her eyes flicked to an overhead readout: no dimensional anomalies detected. The infiltration of cosmic power had ended.

But with the rift gone, the Icarus Dawn’s failing systems began shutting down for good, its emergency lights dimming to starlight alone. The hull groaned, decompression vents hissing as atmosphere drained. As this ghost ship in deep space lost the last vestiges of power, it would soon become a silent tomb drifting among the stars.

Ren opened a channel to the Kestrel. Static hissed, then a faint response crackled through. “We read you—are you alive?” Relief choked him. The docking corridor still functioned, albeit barely. Without hesitation, they raced back through twisting corridors, stepping over the remains of illusions that once haunted them.

They arrived at the airlock just as final life support flickered out. The Kestrel’s hatch slid open, warm lights beckoning them. Gasping, they collapsed inside, each breath laced with gratitude. Outside the porthole, the Icarus Dawn’s silhouette drifted away, its battered hull dimming to black. The ephemeral anomaly no longer pinned it to a cursed timeline, but the cost had been monstrous.

In the hush that followed their frantic escape, Ren stared at the lifeless shape receding into cosmic emptiness. The ghost ship in deep space had lost all power, but at least the nightmarish rift would claim no more souls. Hayes touched his shoulder gently. “We did what we could. Let’s go home.”

With a final nod, he set the Kestrel’s engines to thrust, leaving the shadow of the Icarus Dawn behind. Some secrets of the cosmos were never meant to be touched—and some tragedies left only echoes among the stars.

---------------

If you enjoyed Spectral Drifting, you may also explore these enjoying stories on allegends.com

The Leviathan Paradox

The Last Architect

Meridian’s War

I've started writing a long break. Would love some feedback! Story name: Going Across. Genre: Sci-Fi/Space Opera/Fantasy.

Word count is 3,800. So, I'm not copy pasting it here, apologies.

The link to Chapter 1 on my website blog is: https://goingacross.space/blogs/goingacross/going-across-chapter-1-the-leap

Chapter 2 is almost done, I'll publish it today.

Thank you!

What's the best way to find alpha readers for a new sci-fi book which indirectly teaches about programming because it's hidden into the story and exposes the reader to the major computer science words. I know the software field (tech) is in a slow time. I'm also looking for other science STEM fields like cryptography, nuclear, quantum to write a fiction story about teaching those subjects. I like to learn while I read and haven't ever seen a fiction story which also teaches about the subject without being hard sci-fi.

So after the inconsistent answers from chatgpt, i realised that its inaccurate and unreliable. So i need some ability ideas for my character which its basic idea is that it can Control, Move and Manipulate every Particle in its body (every matter outside the boundary of its body doesnt count). The abilities for it Must be as Scientifically Accurate as possible and i want to push it's power to its limits as far as possible (if its possible to reach galaxy, cosmic or universal level im not sure honestly). So if theres any science experts up there, opinions and ideas for this will be appreciated.

(Duly note, i did not research that much, only on what I know about)

Magic can be defined as an illusion or trickery of human's perception or something supernatural with powers bending fundamental laws of reality or a sense of wonder and something that feels beyond human understanding or something that seems impossible to even happen.

Now which definition it follows?
would it be supernatural, an illusion, a feeling of wonder, or something that feels so advanced it feels like magic?

supernatural would mean something like the ability to influence events, objects, or reality itself through mysterious or supernatural means. But it also means it follows some kind of different laws in order to reduce or avoid the fundamentals of reality. like idk, maybe incantations... that is a kind of rule in order to affect reality.

illusion just means that it follows the laws of reality in order to trick our perceptions into believing it is 'magic'.

if it is a feeling of something wonderful and feels beyond human understanding then yeah sure why not.

and if it is something that seems impossible to even happen then by logic it just means as unknown science we haven't discovered that can explain the phenomenon.

to sum up, magic can be something reality breaking and uses different laws which can just be another kind of perception of the universe since science is just human's understanding of the surroundings. It can be a trick of our perceptions. It may be a feeling of something wonderful. And lastly, It may be simply unknown science that we haven't found yet.

(btw if it exists, i want to summon fireball, dont care about the size of the room im in)

As Mars terraforming continues bright colored genetically engineered plants dot the landscape and a thicker atmosphere provides a more familiar looking sky color.

Took some great background pictures so I set up the Mars diorama including a rocket transport, surface vehicle, pressurized portable science lab, and miniature tent in a partial diorama.

How should I say it mm the world is like got but on a greater plane and in space. I will explain each sections it might seem like it broken but it's all connected.

1. The Divine Order

A group of immortals chosen by the Lord 10,000 years ago, the Divine Order operates in secret, upholding the ultimate cosmic balance. They oversee the Royal Palace and the succession of kings. Though they rarely intervene in daily affairs, their influence is absolute when they do. Two key moments in history highlight their power: when they intervened in the Royal Palace’s violation of the Holy Book (6,000 years ago) and again 2,000 years ago during a conflict between the God Knights and the Royal Council.

2. The Royal Palace

The Royal Palace serves as the highest governing body in the known universe, called into action when crises exceed the capacity of the ISTO. It consists of several components:

The King: Elected every 100 years by the Election Committee (EC), the King is the head of both the executive and judicial branches. The King ensures peace between the Royal Council and the God Knights, and mediates their power struggles. If the King dies prematurely, a special election is held to select a new ruler.

The Royal Council: Composed of 24 royal families, this hereditary council holds vast power. Each family manages its own dimension, influencing the direction of the government and policies. The Council’s internal rivalries significantly shape the political landscape.

The God Knights: Elite warriors responsible for enforcing the laws of the Royal Council. While some God Knights inherit their positions, others are selected based on their skill. They serve the King directly, and their presence in the Royal Palace ensures law and order are upheld.

The Royal Family Rivalries: These rivalries are crucial to the political intrigue within the Palace, especially as some families produce warriors who ascend to positions of influence in the God Knights, intensifying the power struggle.

3. The Election Committee (EC)

The EC is responsible for electing the King, made up of three representatives from the Royal Council and three from the God Knights. In the event of a tie, the ISTO President appoints a neutral third party to break the deadlock. This neutral party is an expert in planetary affairs, law, diplomacy, and military strategy.

4. The Intergalactic Space Treaty Organization (ISTO)

The ISTO functions as a galactic equivalent of the UN, handling everything from trade to diplomacy and defense. They monitor the universe’s operations and ensure cooperation among planets and star systems. While they know the Royal Palace and Divine Order are crucial, their understanding of these powers is limited.

Sub-organizations within ISTO:

UNO (Universal Health Organization): Oversees health systems across the multiverse.

Universal Trade and Mining Organization: Manages trade and resource mining on a universal scale.

Space Police and Galactic Military: Defense forces ensuring peace across galaxies.

Special Forces and Secret Service: Covert operations to maintain stability.

Intergalactic News Network (INN): Provides galaxy-wide news coverage.

5. The Schools

The universe is home to several prestigious schools, which train the brightest minds and most skilled individuals:

The School of Knights: Trains warriors, security forces, and military personnel.

The Mage School: Specializes in magic and sorcery, and produces influential mages.

The School of Science and Technology: Prepares engineers, scientists, and technical experts who advance the universe's technological prowess.

The Phoenix Tournament: A prestigious event where these schools compete in a variety of challenges, intensifying rivalries and fostering talent.

6. The Outer Barriers

Created by the Lord 10,000 years ago, these barriers protect the universe from dangerous entities and phenomena, such as the corrupting demon mana. They are heavily guarded by ISTO forces and ensure that nothing too dangerous escapes into the universe.

7. The Demon Kingdom (Azhrak'ah)

Once a prosperous human kingdom, Azhrak'ah was devastated during the Great Cataclysm 30,000 years ago. The event transformed its human inhabitants into demons. The Demon Lord, originally the Lord, was twisted by years of suffering and the accumulated pain of war. Now, he waits for the end of his torment, but continues to fight for his demons.

Azhrak'ah’s History:

The Great Cataclysm: A catastrophic event caused by an external force that destroyed Azhrak'ah, turning its inhabitants into demons. This marked the beginning of a new, darker era.

8. Ley Lines

Ley Lines are channels of energy that contain memories of past battles and conflicts. They are dangerous as they can harm or kill anyone who becomes connected to them, especially if the individual dies while linked. Some rare ley lines hold unknown memories, containing powerful information that could change the course of the universe. There are 2 type of ley lines one is normal used for battle training by knights,mages and scientific guys then there is the second type highly rare showing memory of the recorded past information.its highly rare.

9. Planetary Governments

Each planet is governed by its own local government, which elects representatives to the central government of the star system. These representatives then elect a representative for the galaxy, who eventually sends a representative to the ISTO Assembly. The Assembly meets once a year to make decisions about the universe’s future.

The Plot & Characters

The Lord was born 15,000 years ago, long after the Great Cataclysm, which was indirectly caused by other villains central to the plot of a different story. The Lord had no involvement in the Cataclysm initially, but as time passed, he became corrupted by suffering, pain, and the endless war with demons. His transformation into the Demon Lord was a gradual process, fueled by years of exposure to demon mana, the death of comrades, and the hatred of the demons—who were once human themselves. (Lord mentioned here is the hero who ended the 12000y old war)

This lord here is the one who wrote the holy books and made the barrier protecting the universe from the demons and it's currpot particles.in the end of the war creating all organization he exits the barrier for some reason never to be seen again. Later due to madness over exposure of currpot particles and loss of his friends in 12000 y old war and all anger and emotions of the people who turned into demons in the civilisation of Azhrak'ah. After hundreds of years to it's exposure he turns to demon lord .later investatgion leads him to believe the main cause of this was the gods and inorder to get their attention he has to destroy the civilisation inside the barrier he made when he was the lord.

The first tbooks center on the cast of mc's and their journey and eventually all teaming up to defeat the demon lord (previously the lord) only to realise it's only the beginning.

The Story's Main Conflict:

The main enemy, the Demon Lord, starts as the core antagonist. The aim is to defeat him and cleanse the corruption he has spread, but the true threat lies in the external forces that led to the Great Cataclysm and the Lord’s eventual fall.

The narrative follows multiple main characters—each with their own perspectives—similar to Game of Thrones. The protagonists’ paths will intertwine, revealing that they all share a role in confronting the Demon Lord and restoring balance to the universe.

Character POV Structure:

There will be no singular main character. Instead, the narrative will feature a cast of main characters, each with their own POV, leading to multiple storylines. In the end, all these characters are essential to the plot’s resolution, and each story will contribute to the broader narrative arc.

????. Gods: they are not the god knights or divine order both created by lord. But gods are divine beings from heavnly relam beyond anyone comprehension including divine order . The are balanceir of the universe even outside the barriers. They are good but not in typical sense their aim of universal scale and only universal equilibrium to achieve this they will do anything kill destroy etc.

Detailed information

Azhrak'ah: A highly advanced civilization destroyed by the gods, who feared its rapid development and the possibility that it would discover their existence. The destruction of Azhrak'ah led to unintended consequences, including the creation of demons.

The Gods: They control the universe’s balance, willing to take drastic actions, like destroying civilizations, to maintain equilibrium. Their actions are motivated by a perception of the "greater good" for the universe’s survival, though they are not inherently benevolent.

The secret society (haven't decided their name): A secret organization that manipulates events behind the scenes. They were the true instigators of the demonization of Azhrak'ah's citizens. Their plan, executed during the gods' attack, turned citizens into demons, throwing the universe into chaos.

Demons: Created as a result of the destruction of Azhrak'ah and the interference of the Hidden Sect. These demons become a central force in the conflict that ensues, complicating the balance of power in the universe.

The Gods and the Greater Good: The gods, although seen as powerful and authoritative, are not purely good. They are focused on maintaining balance at any cost, even if it means destroying entire civilizations or manipulating the lives of individuals.

The Hidden Sect's Role: This secret organization is revealed to be the true mastermind behind the chaos in Azhrak'ah. Their plan to turn the citizens into demons caused a massive spiral of events that led to the gods’ actions being misinterpreted and the situation spiraling out of control.

Species

Humans

Elves

Homeworld: A mystical, ancient star system rich in magic and natural energy.

Role in the Universe: Stewards of the natural order, possibly tied to the Ley Lines and the Divine Order. Elves are known for their mastery over magic and their deep connection to the cosmic forces.

Political Power: Members of the Royal Council. The Elven Royal Family is revered for their wisdom, longevity, and spiritual guidance. They contribute to the governance with diplomacy and tradition.

Giants

Homeworld: A rugged, resource-rich star system scarred by ancient battles. Giants’ world is filled with massive ruins, remnants of their once-great civilization.

Role in the Universe: Known for their strength, military prowess, and engineering capabilities. Giants contribute significant power to the Royal Council, ensuring physical defense and protection of the universe.

I'm reading them all again well listening this time, which it's well don't and for lightish sci fi and military it's really good and fun and pretty funny at times. My question is, What do you see when thinking of the other races?

Anyone have suggestions for sci fi writing that includes themes like Heinlein’s Starship Troopers? He just had such an interesting way of framing his society.

Roscoe Talbot and Tavi Jones are almost literally in paradise. They run a juice bar in beautiful Hawaii. It’s a simple life, but they don’t have any complaints. Until now that is. Roscoe and Tavi have discovered that there are absolutely no records of their existence. No driver’s license, no social security number, no records of housing or employment. Absolutely nothing. In fact, they can’t even recall anything about their lives from before they started working at the juice bar. Well, there is one exception. They find a news article about Roscoe competing in a limbo contest on the island of Kalalani. Roscoe and Tavi must travel to this mysterious island to uncover the truth about their past. But danger lurks around every corner. Kalalani is ruled by a mysterious figure named Kai. To call him a cult leader is a major oversimplification. Kai has a way with words to a supernatural degree. When he says jump, his followers don’t even have to ask how high, or when to stop. You could say Kai is a real Silvertongue.

Silvertongues is created by Josie Eli Herman and Michael Alan Herman. They both previously created the audio drama The Call of the Void. I quite enjoyed The Call of the Void. So, as soon as Silvertongues was announced, I was very eager to see what Josie and Michael had cooked up this time. And they certainly did not disappoint with their second audio drama.

I should start by discussing the format of Silvertongues. The episodes alternate between main episodes set during the Present Day, and minisodes set seven years earlier. The minisodes do eventually catch up to the start of the main episodes. They’re also very important for unraveling the secrets of Roscoe and Tavi’s past. So, make sure you don’t skip the minisodes.

Silvertongues has some absolutely fantastic music. The opening theme starts things off strong with some funky 1970s inspired beats. Then we’ve got the closing theme with some groovy disco-inspired music. Of course, the soundtrack is also capable of getting more sober and introspective during those serious scenes. Honestly, the soundtrack for Silvertongues has easily become one of my favorite audio drama soundtracks. Each episode is introduced by the dulcet sounds of local DJ Seth Budarocci. I liked how the last line of the final episode is him giving a sign-off. It was a nice little touch.

Some of you might be wondering if Silvertongues is set in the same world as The Call of the Void. It was established in The Call of the Void that the multiverse does exist, and we even briefly encountered an alternate version of Topher. Well, Silvertongues does feature the unexpected return of a character from The Call of the Void. 

Ladies and gentlemen, listeners of all ages, Fargo Kaminski is back. Ah, but Fargo isn’t alone. We also get to meet her sister Tasch. She is just as crazy as Fargo, but also like Fargo, Tasch is quite good at what she does. Tasch is one of the best, if not the best, pilot in all of Hawaii. Granted, her landings sometimes leave something to be desired. She flies an old Soviet cargo plane, well, that’s where most of it came from. The other bits came from here and there, occasionally being held together with duct tape.

Fargo does briefly mention that she dealt with some crazy stuff in the swamps of Louisiana. This would seem to confirm that Silvertongues is set in the same world as The Call of the Void. However, Tasch is voiced by Josie Eli Herman, who also voiced Etsy in The Call of the Void. You’d think that Fargo would have commented on how similar Tasch and Etsy sound. Then again, this is Fargo we’re talking about. It is entirely possible she did notice, but didn’t consider it worth commenting on.

There is a third character who falls into the crazy, yet awesome, category. Darcy Bennet has a name that is clearly a reference to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. And let’s see, what else am I forgetting? Oh, right. In terms of personality, he’s basically Crocodile Dundee. Darcy is the go-to guy for, well, just about anything you need. Need a boat on short notice? He’s got you covered. Need someone who knows a thing or two about snakes, deadly and otherwise? He’s your man. He’s also…well, he’s certainly enthusiastic with explosives, at any rate. Darcy is voiced by Michael Alan Herman. I would not have guessed that had I not listened to the credits. I listened a little more carefully after that, and I kind of picked it up. Still, quite an excellent demonstration of Michael’s range.

Kai is the titular silvertongue. Kai has what can best be described as the power of persuasion. Everyone who hears his voice is compelled to obey any command he gives. And I do mean any. For example, if he tells you that you are chained to the floor, you will not be able to get up. Doesn’t matter that there isn’t anything physically holding you down. Kai’s power will make you believe that you are chained to the floor. Kai rules over Kalalani as an iron-fisted dictator and wannabe demigod. Kai claims to have been chosen by the gods of the island to rule Kalalani.

I’m a bit reminded of Amy Carlson. She was the leader of the Love Has Won cult who, among other things, claimed to be the reincarnation of the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele. As you might imagine, Native Hawaiians weren’t too pleased to see a White woman from Colorado claiming to be one of their deities. The cult faced considerable protest when they attempted to move to Kauai.

Now, you might have noticed I’ve been neglecting Roscoe and Tavi. This isn’t because they are bad characters. They were certainly engaging enough. However, much of Silvertongues revolves around their quest for identity. So, it is kind of hard to discuss them without getting into spoilers.

There don’t appear to be any plans for a second season of Silvertongues. The series ends on a fairly definitive note. However, season one of The Call of the Void seemed to be closed and done, yet we got two more seasons. I will also add that the ending of Silvertongues didn’t feel rushed like the ending of The Call of the Void’s first season was. Rather, it was more like the satisfying ending of the third season.

Whatever the future holds, I can say that I had a great time with Silvertongues. It was a thrilling adventure set on the sunny shores of Hawaii. It was an excellent follow-up from the team behind The Call of the Void. Come take a thrilling tropical auditory vacation from the comfort of your own home. 

Have you listened to Silvertongues? If so, what did you think.

Link to the full review, including the spoilers section, on my blog: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-audio-file-silvertongues.html

Does anyone still do this? In my day, we didn't talk about individual books so much as authors. It was just easier that way. Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Anson Heinlein, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Anne McCaffrey, Katherine Kurtz, Christopher Stasheff, you mention an author and you've just referenced more than 30 books!

Whateverhappenedfto... fen!?

Y'see, once upon a time, long before some little boy learned he liked playing with the long, stiff thing in his pocket, the science fiction community was a real community! The domain of fans was called "fandom." The singular term for a fan was "fan;" while the plural term was "fen." The term "muggle" was invented by muggles. The fandom term for a nonfan was a "mundane," usually shortened to just " 'dane." The domain of 'danes was the "danelaw." So you had the fen in fandom and the 'danes in danelaw and all was right with the world for SMOFfing and GAFIAting. I'll explain those last two some other time. Better yet, consult your elders!