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Mihari, Anna Fallon
Not being accepted as normal incurs fear in
many. Mihari and Heman find out just how
dangerous it is on their home planet of
Electroza.
Time
Flares, Herbert Grosshans
Flung into a past alien, timeline, to them, the
crew of the Spaceship Synergy must find a
way back home without changing the past.
Chameleon, Jane Carver
Can H’lish, an uncommon Horde female, accept a
stranger’s love after being abducted
and sold as a slave?
Soul Match,
Kimberly Hunter
Every five hundred cycles a special couple is
chosen. Their destiny: To fall in love.
Unfortunately, the chosen couple doesn’t want
that destiny.
Jayne Kwest, Space Adventurer, Episode 21,
The Forbidden Jungle, Mae Powers
Jayne Kwest sets out on another adventure,
soaring through space, to a planet where
the locals aren’t too friendly, but the hunks
are hotter than a super-nova.
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EXCERPTS
Mihari
by
Anna Fallon
Chapter One
Self-conscious, Mihari crossed her arms over her
chest and huffed at the scantily clad women
basking in the new season sunshine. She hugged
her thick pullover to her body. If only I had
their body shapes. But she didn’t, which
made her different.
“Mihari…Mihari, wait up!” she turned to see her
friend and fellow teacher, Shimani, running
along the beach, her three breasts jiggling in
her halter-neck top. Obviously her day off,
lucky her!
“Source be! What are you doing rugged up like
that?” Shimani demanded.
No one, not even her best friend, could ever
know Mihari’s secret. She had only two breasts.
She needed the third to breed. Any female with
only two did not fit in. Freaks some called
them. How could any man love her? Even among her
own race, she would be an outcast. Non-breeders
did not get the same lifestyle as breeding
females.
“Hi Shimani. Where are you off to?”
“Well, you know I have been trying for tadlets.
Romen and I will be busy all day.” She giggled a
little. Mihari envied her happiness.
“Well, good luck and have fun.”
“Sure will. It’s about time you settled down.
When are you going to let yourself be claimed,
Mihari? There’s nothing quite like it.”
Before she could answer, Shimani raced off
again, calling that she must see someone
urgently. She quickly became a blur of speed and
finally disappeared from view. Mihari sighed,
relieved she did not have to make the usual
excuses about not settling down to a breeding
regime. Yes, two breasts, very large and well
rounded for sure, but only two.
Electroza was not the biggest planet in the
galaxy, but not the smallest either. The planet
held something every other civilized world
needed in abundant supply, power. Not the
political kind, real power. Electricity ran
through everything and everyone on Electroza.
Without it, nothing could exist.
In addition, Electroza took breeding very
seriously. Along with the electrical charge,
came a sexual charge. Source spilled over into
all emotions, but the sexual dynamics could
rarely be ignored. Mihari had managed to resist
her body’s natural urge, so far. For how much
longer she did not know, especially when Heman
ventured anywhere near her.
She continued to trudge through the azure silica
sand toward the Learning Facility. After hard
study, determined to make up for her inferior
body type with her brains, she now taught law.
The third breast exuded Source into a fleshy
nodule located in the roof of the male’s mouth.
Only then could the male produce the Ampules to
impregnate the female. Oh, she’d read about sex,
talked about it, heard about it and even
fantasized about it. Mihari just hadn’t actually
participated in the act. The fear of discovery
kept her from sexual engagement.
As her pair of fleshy mounds developed, she
didn’t panic. It could take until the age of
twenty-one to show signs of the third. Now, in
her twenty-sixth year and as flat as a post in
the middle, Mihari’s worst fears were confirmed.
Every day she looked, wished and prodded.
Nothing. You would think in this modern age an
alternative could be found, and all those poor
Outlanders could come home. She stuffed the
middle cup of her bra with ample amounts of soft
material every morning before leaving home.
Damnation on it all, I’m a modern female.
It’s time these old prejudices went by the
wayside.
Mihari wanted to stand up and tell everyone she
wasn’t any less an Amphereian just because she
had two tits instead of three. She had the same
mint-green, silken skin as all the other
females. She glanced down over her long, strong
racing legs, studied her normal six fingers on
each hand, slightly webbed, with an opposing
thumb. The electric Amphereian sex drive
certainly worked well. Why should she be made to
feel like a freak?
But still, she would be expected to breed
eventually. Rumor had it that failure to do so
made them give a forced physical examination.
Sooner or later, she would be discovered and
thrown out into the wastelands to whatever
lurked out there.
-------------------------------------------
Time
Flares
By Herbert Grosshans
Chapter One
The research ship Synergy hung in space
at a distance of approximately twenty million
miles, give or take a few millions, from the
newly discovered white dwarf Ceta Tauri, a star
about to go nova. A celestial lightshow like
that would not be seen in the Solar System for
another fifty years.
Professor Armand Braun stood beside one of his
colleagues, Dr. Bushiri, scrutinizing the huge
screen that would display the event in
three-dimensional multicolor. All the
instruments were ready to record it for history.
The recordings would provide studies for years
to come.
Gene Snydor had only a passing interest in the
whole affair. His main concern was the security
of the vessel. As Chief of Security, he was
responsible for the safety of everyone on board.
Professor Braun turned around to look at Snydor
and gave him a friendly smile. As it happend, he
and Snydor had been neighbors for nearly
thirteen years as children. Of course, Braun’s
intellect practically dictated his future. With
a natural IQ of two-hundred thirty-eight before
his augmentation, he became a scientist, whereas
Snydor, excelling in sports, decided to follow a
career in law-enforcement. His augmentation
enhanced his mental capabilities, but it also
made him stronger and faster than an ordinary
man.
“What’s up, Gene?” the professor asked, and then
he nodded to the woman with Snydor.
“There is some concern with a few staff members
that we may be too close to the action,” he
said. “They worry about the ship being caught in
the eruption.”
Dr. Braun chuckled. “You’re obviously not
talking about members of the scientific
community?”
“Of course not. It’s mostly the non-augments who
are worried.”
“How would they even get those ideas into their
heads? They know very little about this.” Dr.
Bushiri stared at Snydor. “It’s your job to keep
things like that under control, Lieutenant. We
hired you for that purpose alone. Anything else
is not your concern.”
“Are you bothered by my presence here on the
observation deck, Dr. Bushiri?” Snydor didn’t
raise his voice, but his tone left no doubt
about his displeasure.
“Your place is not here, Lieutenant Snyder. Yes,
I’m bothered by your presence on the observation
deck,” Dr. Bushiri spoke sharply.
Professor Braun laid his hand on his colleague’s
arm. “Take it easy, Dr. Bushiri. Gene Snydor and
I are friends from long ago. He is allowed
certain privileges.”
“Well, as the head of this research expedition I
guess it is your right to be eccentric,” Dr.
Bushiri grumbled. “It’s just not protocol to
have non-scientific personnel spend their time
with the researchers.”
“I guess then I’ll be breaking protocol, because
Lieutenant Snydor and I will be having supper
together.” Professor Braun smiled. “Don’t be a
stickler regarding regulations, Bushiri. Relax
and enjoy yourself sometimes. Maybe a session
with one of the sex-therapists on board will
ease your tension.”
“I’d rather die of boredom before I seek the
company of an Artificial. You can’t even have a
descent conversation with them. All their
responses are pre-programmed.” Dr. Bushiri
showed his disgust by pretending to spit onto
the polished floor. “They’re nothing but talking
vaginas on legs.”
Professor Braun laughed. “It seems to me you
don’t know how much you really need to seek out
their company, Bushiri. You’ll have to get rid
of some of that anxiety you’ve built up. Enjoy
life.”
“Obviously, the Doctor hasn’t met the new
generation of Artificials,” Snydor said. “They
possess self-awareness and can make their own
decisions. They are undistinguishable from
Humans. The only way you’ll be able to recognize
one of them is by the tattoo under the arm.”
“You wouldn’t be able to fool me,” Bushiri
sneered.
Snydor smiled and turned to the woman beside
him. “What is your opinion, Miss Silver?”
The woman returned his smile. She looked at
Bushiri. “What is the difference between an
Artificial and a Human, Dr. Bushiri?”
“The difference? Humans are born as babies. They
grow up and have to learn everything naturally.
An Artificial is created with all the knowledge
inside its brain, the body grown in a vat. It is
born as an adult. The biggest difference is the
fact that they don’t possess souls. Only Allah
can create Humans with souls.”
“How do you know you have a soul, Dr. Bushiri?”
The stare of her blue eyes seemed to make him
uncomfortable. “Do you have scientific proof of
even the existence of a soul?”
------------------------------------
Chameleon
By
Jane Carver
The beginning…
Using her favorite Earther Original word, H’lish
told her image in the reflection glass, “You are
so plain it hurts the eyes. True, you’re tall
like a Horde but why can’t you be thin like them
too? And what’s with the white skin? Dead white.
Even the gods call that ugly. Why not lustrous
skin like Fanshe? Now that woman glows, she is
so gorgeous. I look like some obese Original.”
She turned her back to the glass and gazed over
her shoulder. “On all of Sigma V and in Denili
where so many Horde and Originals mingle, why do
I have to be alone?” Her butt rounded nicely but
abundantly. “You’d think a man would like to get
a handful of that.” She sighed as she turned and
leaned toward the glass again. Straight blue
hair fell over her shoulder and across her full
face. She hated her round face and rounder body.
One finger outlined an eye. “At least I have
attractive eyes.” She stuck her tongue out at
her image, the golden eyes in the pale skin
shining like glowing torches. A last glance at
her body and she snorted, totally unimpressed
with what she saw.
She talked aloud a lot; no one listened. No one
bothered to know her. Pulling aside the glass
cover and looking outside, she noticed the male
and female that lived across the way. The Horde
female glowed with happiness; H’lish could see
the wide smile, the heightened luster to the
pale skin and the way the female held the male’s
hand. Love. Again she snorted. “I have to
stop doing that. Sinclair noticed me doing it at
school and admonished me. ‘Too Original’ she
said.”
Just then a young Original female with her
golden skin and sun-gold hair walked by. She
cast a glance at the happy couple that
immediately lowered their gazes and shuffled out
of her sight as if apologizing for being joyful.
“When the Earther Originals showed up on Sigma
V, the Horde should have fought them instead of
welcoming them like meek duckers.” She let the
cover fall, shutting out the sight of the
Original. “We would have been happier if they
never showed up.”
Five hundred Earth years though had tamed the
native population referred to as the Horde by
those who came, took the land and settled. Horde
members became second-class on their own planet,
in their own towns.
H’lish dressed, stepped on to the public
transport and settled in for the short ride to
work. In her daily writing book, she jotted her
thoughts:
I was taken from my parents because the Horde
aren’t smart enough to raise their own. At
National School where the Horde are taught only
the minimum, I managed to study more than was
offered. No one stopped me. They simply didn’t
care. I am a helper in a school for Originals,
and no one notices me. I could pass from this
world, and no one would come looking for me. I
am nothing special. I don’t even look like the
rest of my ancestors.
If I could only find a male who would love me,
see beneath this body to the real me inside, I
would be happy. And children…I’d love to have a
child. Or two. But…”
She ground the stylus against the page hard, bit
her lip to keep from saying bitter words about
how life was, and continued to pour out her
thoughts in writing.
“Only an
Original may keep her child. Oh yes, and the
rare Horde female who mates with an Original. Of
course that hardly ever happens, and I’m sure
even the other Earthers would look down on the
pair.”
A gong clanged in the transport, and H’lish
noted that her stop was two cycles ahead. She
finished her thoughts:
“I must remember to join Fanshe and the others
this afternoon for a walk. Maybe that will make
up for these rather dismal thoughts. Can’t
imagine why I bother to mourn history. Nothing
will ever change.”
Soul Match
By Kimberly Hunter
Chapter One
Once again, Brexell Kanna found himself waiting
at the transport station, wondering where his
friend, Jesson NicNix was and when he was going
to show up. It had become Jesson’s habit, a bad
one, to be running late. Literally. For the past
two solar days, Jesson had run through the
crowded station to barely make it to the
transport on time. By Brexell’s internal clock,
Jesson was going to be making a repeat
performance today.
Sighing in resignation, Brexell made his way to
the waiting platform, hearing the announcement
that the transport he was waiting on was soon to
be making its stop.
“Brexell, wait up!”
Brexell turned at the shout of his name, seeing
Jesson racing to join him on the platform. When
Jesson reached his side, Brexell could only
shake his head.
“If you would get up on time, you wouldn’t have
to run to catch the transport.” Smiling at his
friends disheveled state, noticing his rumpled
black flight suit, green stand-up collar undone
at the throat, one of his Master Pilot pins
missing, and the built-in suit boots scuffed on
both toes. Jesson looked like he had either
slept in the suit or tossed it to the floor.
With Jesson, you never knew, though Brexell was
betting on the floor.
“Hey, I had a late night.” Jesson said
defensively as he tried to straighten his
appearance. His efforts did little good.
“Uh huh. The sisters from 3B or the brothers you
met at the club three solar days ago?”
Jesson gave a lecherous grin. “The brothers.”
Brexell laughed. “I thought as much.”
The sleek, gold colored transport arrived
without a sound, stopping at the platform with a
combination of energy and air. When the side
doors opened, Jesson and Brexell waited for
their turn to get on as a few passengers stepped
off. After boarding, they went to their usual
window seat.
“So, we still on for tonight?” Jesson asked as
he slid onto the seat first.
“Tonight?”
“Yes, tonight. You know? At Perdition’s? Mix and
Mate night?”
Brexell’s eyes’ widened, his memory finally
grasping what Jesson was saying. “Sorry, forgot.
My mind’s been wandering lately.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Don’t start, Jesson.”
“Hey, I didn’t say anything.” Jesson raised a
hand in defense. “You know you can’t have her.”
And Brexell did know. Though after what he found
out earlier in the day, that fact was just one
more reason to keep away from her. A big one.
Might as well get this over with and tell him,
Brexell thought with a sigh, turning to his
friend.
“Jesson, I need to show you something.”
Jesson grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
“Really? Well, by all means, show away.”
“Not that, you cosmic slut.”
“Guilty as charged.” Jesson’s laugh bordered on
a giggle.
Brexell shook his head then began to roll up the
right sleeve of his flight suit all the way past
the elbow. Jesson watched patiently, apparently
catching on that something really was bothering
his friend.
When the sleeve was where Brexell wanted it, he
cautioned Jesson “Don’t blurt anything out,
understand?”
Jesson nodded, curious as to what was going on
and noting his friend’s serious gaze.
Brexell blew out a breath then showed Jesson the
inside of his elbow where a circle with four
wavy red lines branded his skin.
“Fornac!” Jesson gasped then hit a panel above
the window.
“Privacy mode activated,” a female voice said as
a transparent shield covered them. No one would
be able to see or hear them until the transport
arrived at their destination or they disengaged
the shield themselves.
“Those were my words as well. With a few added
ones, of course.” Brexell said, rolling his
sleeve down.
“But how?” Jesson spluttered. “When? Who?” How
did Brexell receive the Diex? He couldn’t have
gotten it in the traditional way.
“The who is easily guessed.” Brexell gave Jesson
a pointed look.
Jesson’s eyes widened in shock. “No fornacing
way!”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Brexell sighed as he
leaned back in the seat.
“But, I don’t understand. I thought you had to
have sex for the Diex to materialize. It’s the
only way to know for sure that you’ve found your
One Match.”
“That’s what I thought as well.” Brexell
grimaced. “Apparently we were wrong.”
“Wait, the woman is forbidden, so I know you
haven’t had sex with her.”
“Of course not.” Brexell snorted. “Do I look
like I want to spend the next fifty cycles on a
penal colony mining Filax stones?”
“You have a point. Alright, so how?”
“I touched her.” Brexell answered with a gusty
breath.
“Say again.”
“I touched her.” Would saying the words louder
make them any less true?
“You touched her. That’s all.” Jesson replied
with disbelief in his voice.
--------------------------------------
Jayne Kwest, Space Adventurer,
Episode 21, The Forbidden Jungle
By
Mae Powers
On her last adventure, Jayne Kwest barely
escaped the Beezleblob monster from the slime
planet Okra-7. Now fate had steered her to
Balliden where she’d been commissioned to find
the lost statue of the Zomradi goddess Endayah,
one that held untold healing powers and more.
But Jayne didn’t have a lot of info on the
mysterious jungle valley. The locals said it was
forbidden to go into the Zomradi Jungle. Jayne
went in search of the statue anyway…
* * * *
Jane Kwest looked over the vast Zomradi valley
before her. She could see the tops of the jungle
trees from the plateau where she stood. The
flora and fauna were thicker here than she’d
seen in other jungles on different planets.
Yet, there was a quiet surreal about this place,
even though she hadn’t been down into the rain
forest yet. Soon enough. Reportedly though, an
unusual alien tribe of savages living in its
midst, but that was just rumor.
A rumor based on some inept scientist’s minute
findings from a radionic telescope. Those
far-fetched radio-video telescopes never worked
properly. Their forerunners were Hubbleon’s and
that whacked-out invention nearly kept Earth’s
exploration teams from moving beyond the late 21st
century.
Thankfully she’d been born n the early part of
the twenty-first century. But then she wasn’t
ready to replay in her mind how she got zapped
from the 21st into the 23rd
century. Things were so much wilder here.
As a rogue relic finder, she’d done her damnest
to become one of the best explorers and relic
hunters in the business. And for her, right now,
business boomed tremendously.
A scientist from Alphen-2, who had been here
years before, needed the special healing
abilities of the statue. It had healed him some
years ago. Now he wanted to use it to stop a
plague that was killing his kin and people.
Unfortunately he had not been able to take the
statue with him to study, some twenty years ago.
Now the situation was worse. He’d tried
everything, scientific, magical and more.
Jayne had met him when she rescued his niece
months earlier. He vowed to pay her whatever she
wanted if she could obtain the statue he’d never
been able to come back for. She had a soft spot
for the elderly man, and the job just felt
right. She knew it was a poor world, and the
system’s galactic government didn’t offer much
help. What could Jayne do but go after the
statue solo.
She quit woolgathering and found a steep trail
that led down from the plateau. The trip wasn’t
easy, but then nothing in life had every really
been easy for her. Not that she complained much,
but occasionally ‘easy’ would have been nice.
An hour or so later, Jayne found herself
standing at the bottom of the small mountain.
With its steep embankment, there really had been
nowhere else to set down her speedy space-lander
anywhere else but the top of the plateau in the
one area that had been smooth enough for landing
such a small spacecraft.
The space-lander didn’t carry a lot but had a
bit of storage room and could carry two or three
people, depending on space availability. She
once crammed two other adults and a child into
the cramped space. That was a different episode
though. Right now she had only herself to worry
about. She looked over the murky waters of the
rough river, not seeing any way but swimming to
get to the other side, which led to the jungle.
Damn, not simple at all. Those waters really
didn’t look inviting. Of course in this heat,
she hoped they were at least cool. Thankfully
the backpack she carried was waterproof, made of
a special thin alloy material few knew about.
She had only one course unless she followed the
thin embankment around to find another trail
into the jungle. But that could take hours, and
she wanted to get this mission over with. She’d
had a fantastic offer to go find an ancient
gemstone on the planet Fraternia, and that
client was mega rich. She could retire on that
job, if she chose to, or at least take a very,
very long vacation to some far-out luxurious
resort planet.
The thought of a vacation was inviting and
spurred on her decision. Jayne tightened the
straps of the backpack around her front and
glanced back down at the river. It seemed to be
less rough near where she stood.
She dove in quickly and started swimming for the
opposite side. Jayne swam as fast as she could
through the thick, muddy waters. She saw the
opposite bank in sight when she was suddenly
lifted high out of the water. Something thick
and slimy tightened around her waist, drawing
her down into the murky depths of the waters. As
her lungs started to fill, making her choke on
the nasty wetness, her captor thrust her upward.
Water fell from her, and air quickly filled her
lungs.
Jayne saw the tops and arms of the
octopus-looking creature as other tentacles came
toward her ominously. She then heard a sharp
swishing in the air. Three arrows hit the
tentacle arm holding her. The creature screamed
out in pain. Just as she fell downwards, she
felt an almost magnetic-like force of wind
catching her body, before she was whisked toward
the riverbank she’d been swimming for. She
landed in a man’s arms. For a split second, she
looked up into a bearded face before he turned
his face and started to run with her in his
arms. |
