MARTIAN TERRITORIAL LOG: 9 June, 15 MD Becky was probably waiting for breakfast. Normally, Vickie’s headstrong daughter would fix up breakfast herself or just stuff something into her saddle bags for eating on the range later. But today was different, and she’d been promised breakfast. A last home-cooked meal. A last meal? Vickie checked one…
December 25, 3491 Whitey was a wreck. Born a thousand years earlier on a planet a thousand light years away, the ancient freighter had made a thousand long forgotten runs for hundreds of years, no doubt providing a living for long forgotten crews. Somewhere in its dim history something had happened, and the ship had…
Wednesday, December 25, 2390 Martian Date: Tudec 25, 181 “Gotta bio, Sarge!” Hagan called out, snapping everyone’s attention to him instantly. Fear that death could still reach them, especially now, so close to the end, was a constant companion. “Where?” Sargeant Portyansky hollered back. His platoon of forty marines were the last living souls remaining…
Tuesday, September 10, 2080 Mars Date: Tudec 24, year 16 Notes: Ages have been converted into Terran years. Tudec is the second December of the Martian year. I sat down in the rocker beside my kids’ bunk beds. David had the top bunk, but for reading time he always cuddled under the blankets with Erica…
Christmas Eve, 1995 “Look, Mom, I’m really sorry, but we can’t make it.” Barry’s voice carried regret, but I had long since known it wasn’t the regret of being unable to visit but rather regret he had to call. “Margie’s still wrapping presents and getting the house ready for our party tomorrow. And April is…
“How long has she been there, Mommy?” Milly asked. “Who?” Victoria, Milly’s mother, was very rich, very successful, very busy, and very oblivious. The hov was in the shop until 9:00am, the chauffeur had told her, and they’d only had the one vehicle at the rural estate, so it was a quick taxi hov to…
Martian Territorial Ranger Log: 30 Tujun, 0010 MD Roids jammed his hov’s throttle full open and caught Chipped Tooth Moffa square in the face as the suit-slashing outlaw brought his gun up. Moffa let out a brief scream, followed by a hideous gurgling. Already badly injured by the impact, he was now crushed and burned…
MARTIAN TERRITORIAL LOG: 11 June, 12 MD Maybe Three-Eye Stevens would get him this time. He’d certainly had the opportunity, Roids thought as he pressed his torn suit against a convenient boulder. He pulled out another suit patch – his fifth – and pulled away from the rock. The bullet-sized hole hissed angrily, but stopped abruptly when…
Martian Territorial Ranger Log: 1 Tujun, 0010 MD Author’s Note: This is the authentic Martian edition, and is not intended for export to Earth! “Miss Becky?” The cowboy’s voice called out quietly. Becky Elam opened her eyes and looked at the man’s flickering shadow, cast onto the small tent’s wall by the fire behind him.
Martian Territorial Log: 6 Tumar, 0010 MD “Reset to…” Roids tapped up the map on his suit’s display and studied it. “Reset to grid 0357S, 08641W, and deep scan.” “Grid reset,” the bike called back over the comlink. “Deep scanning. Negative life signs.” Roids sighed and continued a grid by grid search for Laserface Williams….