Space Colony

Space Elevators: what they are, how they work and why we need them.

Short Sci-Fi stories from the Lighter Side of yesterday and all your tomorrows; alternative todays; and all those maybe times in between. From orbits and vectors the other side of the spiral arm, to the smoking field at the back of the Yew Tree pub. From Boudicca's helping hand, to the secret behind Toothsavers; Why did the mountain have to move to Mohr? Have the Potens got this Planetary Takeover quite right? It's Absolutely Disgusting, isn't it? the way these immigrants seem to hate everyone on the planet? You only Have One Vote - How important can that be? You turn your back for five ...

Paradise-1. Earth’s first deep space colony. For thousands of people, it was an opportunity for a new life. Until it went dark. No communication has been received from the colony for months. And it falls to Firewatch inspector Alexandra Petrova and the crew of the Artemis to investigate. What they find is more horrifying than anything they could have imagined.

Interstellar colony ship Deliverance. Somewhere in deep space. The Deliverance is tragically off course, missing its rendezvous with the escaping fleet and leaving the survival of the colony in serious jeopardy. Pulled out of hibernation years too late, Caleb is thrown into the middle of the crisis and forced back into the fight. With the ship low on power and time running out, it's up to him to find some way, any way, to overcome an impossible situation and get the colony to safety. Otherwise, the only thing he'll be protecting is a tomb.

In a tiny ship never meant for deep space, Denali is one hell of a trip. But the leading mind in nanite medicine is stranded there. Captain Sass Collier wants him back, to cure failure to thrive syndrome in her own colony. Each of the crew has a motive to embrace the risk. The lucky ones wish for adventure. Adventure is assured. But Denali holds another prize beyond their wildest dreams. Can Sass hold her fractious crew together, get the goods, and meet her launch window home?

After narrowly defeating the invading enemy fleet, there is evidence that the attack isn't over. Thousands have died, and all that stands between human extinction and the invaders are the remnants of the colonial military. Connor must find a way to rally the colony using every scrap of ingenuity to stop the invaders. But will he succeed when he finds himself pitted against mankind's ultimate enemy?

Centuries ago the human race fought its first great war against an alien race - and lost. A tiny population of human beings fled to distant Safehold. Centuries later their descendants have forgotten their history; for them, life has been an eternal Middle Ages, ruled by the Church of God Awaiting, whose secret purpose is to prevent the reemergence of industrial civilization. But not all of Safehold's founders were onboard with this plan. Those dissidents left behind their own secret legacies.

Seven years ago the New Earth colony received one final message from Earth...a warning. First a global pandemic, then the emergence of a new species. A war for survival ravaged the Sol system. Now they are coming for the colony. Many colonists don't believe it, but Connor does. They must prepare. They must fight. But how can they survive something that killed every person back on Earth?

The only survivor of the ill-fated ISA mission is now stranded on Mars. Having been designated a bio-hazard by Earth, any hope of returning home is all but gone. She is alone, isolated, and abandoned. That is, until another human shows up in the main colony airlock. However, he's barely alive and soon dies without regaining consciousness. More disturbing though, a DNA test identifies him as a colonist who has already died, several years earlier, impossible as that may be.

The Moon has always been more than a celestial body—it’s a symbol of human curiosity, imagination, and the unyielding desire to explore. In "The Moon: Humanity's Next Frontier," this timeless companion of Earth takes center stage in a fascinating journey that blends history, science, and the bold visions of the future. Discover the Moon’s dramatic origin story, forged in a fiery collision that forever linked its fate to our planet. Explore how its influence shaped Earth's environment, stabilized its seasons, and played a pivotal role in the emergence of life. Travel through history to...

The colony is still recovering from its war with the Vemus, but now they face a new threat. Something is causing a major upheaval among the creatures of New Earth, and the Colonial Defense Force is in trouble. A new discovery sheds light on what happened to the alien race that inhabited New Earth, and their fate may affect whether the colony survives. As the scientists race to unravel the mystery, hordes of super-predators are rushing toward colonial settlements, and Connor must find a way to stop them before all is lost!

Those on the side of progressing humanity through advanced technology have finally triumphed over their oppressors. The unholy war between the small but mighty island realm of Charis and the radical, luddite Church of God's Awaiting has come to an end. However, even though a provisional veil of peace has fallen over human colonies, the quiet will not last. For Safehold is a broken world, and as international alliances shift and Charis charges on with its precarious mission of global industrialization, the shifting plates of the new world order are bound to clash.

Alex Archer is a soldier now, the only civilian survivor from Scorpio to join the NAC Defense Corps. With their training complete, Alex and her friend Private Isa Cressey find themselves on emergency combat deployment with their new unit. The destination is the Alpha Corvi system, where an allied warship has vanished. Alex can guess why.

A newly certified space engines mechanic desperate for a job must overcome his doubts to apply for work in a small village in the asteroid belt. It's run by a beautiful women with a quirky sister. He gets the job, but must deal with falling in love with his boss, her sister falling in love with him, and a village full of eccentrics that include a man over exposed to cosmic rays who patrols around the village thinking he's a French Legionnaire. Dog Walking in the Asteroid Belt is a sweet and humorous story about a young man weighed down by doubts who comes to realize a village really can be ...

Six months ago, Connor learned what the alien race that populated New Earth feared - a mysterious enemy who nearly brought about the collapse of an entire civilization. To help the colony prepare for this new threat, Connor rejoins the Colonial Defense Force. Using alien technology, Connor opens a gateway to another universe hoping to learn more about the threat. Instead, he receives a colonial distress beacon. Six months ago, they’d left people behind on a mission, all presumed dead. The beacon might be them, or it might be a trap, but Connor will not ignore the call for help.

One starship will either save Earth or destroy her. A century ago our star erupted, destroying Earth's wormhole network and closing off trade with her colonized planets. After being out of contact with the younger worlds for so many years, humanity is shocked when a huge ship appears at the edge of the solar system. Our outdated navy investigates, both curious and fearful. What they learn from the massive vessel shocks the planet.

July 25, 2234: The crew of the Adamura discovers the Anomaly. On the seemingly uninhabited planet Talos VII:a circular pit, 50 kilometers wide. Its curve not of nature, but design. Now, a small team must land and journey on foot across the surface to learn who built the hole and why. But they all carry the burdens of lives carved out on disparate colonies in the cruel cold of space. For some the mission is the dream of the lifetime, for others a risk not worth taking, and for one it is a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe.

The crew of the Sirocco has made it back to Concordia—only to find the Scythians got there before them. Their planet has been invaded, the human population has been enslaved, and the fight for freedom seems hopeless. But that doesn’t stop the Concordians from trying.

After the cradle was lost, humankind expanded across the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. Centuries of conflict followed, but peace returned under the rule of the Commonwealth. Now, the enormous world settling starships of the past have been recommissioned, and the Astraeus has set sail to find new worlds at the centre of the galaxy. Not long into the journey, Lizabeth Denning witnesses a horrific murder and sees the wrong man framed. And to make matters worse, the ship begins to experience violent tremors. In a race against time, the passengers must find the killer and repair the ship before ...

Tefu grows up in a small post-apocalyptic city-state on the tiny ice moon of Saturn, Enceladus. She’s a musical genius and as the 20-year-old daughter of heroes, people have high expectations of her. She tries to define her identity and discover her calling amid impending interstellar war. Overcoming her fear of performing solo, she’s on her way to realize her dream when a jealous peer tries to thwart her ambitions. She attains fame but cuts herself off from her loving family. Guilt and loneliness lead to paralyzing stage fright. Can she be forgiven by the family she has hurt? Will she ...