Hardsf Stories

In the distant future, a space probe loops around a neutron star.

In a dystopian world of war in the future, a group of soldiers, including Tinda, face a brutal clash with an enemy that has advanced technological means at its disposal. After a series of dramatic explosions and dangerous missions, their unit goes through horrific combat conditions and human losses. Tinda, being one of the few survivors, reaches the intercepted information of the enemy about a supercomputer called Hetman, which conducts military operations with extraordinary precision. The final conflict, the stakes of which are the lives and fates of soldiers and civilians, reveals the dark side of war - not only their fight for survival, but also the unethical actions of their commanders. When Tinda discovers the truth about the Gambian plan of Hetman, she gains the determination to oppose the ruthless decisions of her superiors. In the finale, faced with betrayal, the soldier makes a drastic decision in order to prevent further crimes. Derivative is a story of courage, sacrifice, and moral turmoil in a time when technology and human nature intertwine in dangerous ways. Who is truly enemy and who is friend when war turns the code of ethics upside down?

***1ST PLACE @ScienceFiction August 2019 Contest, "The Cave"*** Stranded on a harsh world, seeking shelter until help arrives, three castaways wrestle with mysteries that may be critical to their survival. -- This story was originally written for the @ScienceFiction August 2019 SciFi contest: "The Cave."

Senior Structural Engineer Wanted A successful, market-leading company at the top of their industry is looking for a motivated candidate to head an offshore project investigating issues with structural steel. Structural engineering experience of at least ten years needed, and prior experience with forensic engineering would be a bonus. Contract is fixed-term for at least 12 months, with possible extension. Excellent rate of pay, all expenses included. Must be willing to travel abroad for an extended period.​ Willing to 'travel' they said, must be motivated and have prior forensic engineering experience, they said. My name is Rhea Horton, and if I don't come back from this alive, please can you feed my cat?

A small research team discovers a planet whose intelligent robot-like inhabitants upend our entire understanding of life, consciousness, and the universe itself. Characters: Zuleibis Boo (20, they/them) Million Green (22, he/him) Hatusu Riberes (73, ve/vim) Tianli Andrade (93, he/him) Wiggly Static (426, it/it)

Cutting-edge medical research offers Perla the possibility of a miracle--but does she want one? --- The phrase "The play of light in the present moment" comes from Southern New Hampshire University, "HUM 100 Worksheet: Realism, Impressionism, and the Modern World": https://www.studocu.com/en-us/document/southern-new-hampshire-university/perspectives-in-the-humanities/mandatory-assignments/hum-100-worksheet-realism-impressionism-and-the-modern-world/2578385/view

Vanguard-3 is field-testing a new hyperdrive that will open up interstellar space to humanity... but when a catastrophic accident sends the ship flying towards Saturn's moon, Titan, pilot Mason and chief engineer Amira must figure out a solution before the ship burns up in the atmosphere. NOTE: This is the full version with corrections!

***1ST PLACE @ScienceFiction February 2020 Contest*** She's a cop with a job to do--bring in Seattle's most notorious hacker with an offer too good to pass up! ----- This story was written as a submission to the February 2020 @ScienceFiction contest. "Critical Impact Vulnerability" is an exploit classification used by Red Hat.

***EXCERPT*** Tilda Slash has been a thorn in the side of the Seattle PD for years. Every time they think they have her dead-to-rights, she slips through their fingers. But circumstances have changed. There's a worse threat out there than Slash, and the police need her help to bring it down. ----- This is an excerpt from my short story, which appears in "Boundary Shock Quarterly 22: Cyberpunks", available online at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

Într-un viitor în care omenirea a decis să nu mai uite, a fost creată Arhiva. Un sistem menit să păstreze tot ce a fost, tot ce s-a spus, tot ce s-a pierdut. Arhiva nu minte. Dar nici nu spune tot. Pe măsură ce documentele se adună, devine clar că memoria nu este neutră, iar adevărul nu este complet. Unele informații lipsesc. Altele sunt clasificate. Altele nu mai pot fi interpretate. Arhiva este o poveste despre ce alegem să păstrăm, ce lăsăm să se piardă și ce se întâmplă atunci când memoria devine mai importantă decât experiența. Poate fi citită independent. Face parte dintr-un univers comun, în care memoria este o rană deschisă.

Border was a dull planet. Nothing to do there except mining and playing cards, which was all good and dandy with Maya. It was exactly the kind of boring life she wanted, but good things don't last. Follow her journey down the hole (no rabbits, just a hole) and stumble with her upon a deep, ancient mistery which will forever change how humanity thinks of itself.

We've known that the moon is dead since Apollo. But what if something lay dormant in the dust, waiting to be found? In 2028, Mark Noble is conducting a survey of a moon crater. The entity secretly grabs a ride back to Moonbase on Mark's buggy. Once in the habitat, it begins to infect the crew. They find themselves in a frightening, helter-skelter adventure with only two possible outcomes: losing or saving the Earth. Moonscape is the latest hard science fiction story from Tony Harmsworth, a First Contact specialist who writes in the style of the old masters. If you like fast-paced adventure, fraught with the additional dangers found in space, then Tony's latest tale has been written especially for you. Explore the page-turning world of Moonscape today! (c) Tony Harmsworth 2019

In the 22nd century, humanity has retreated into the safety of virtual realities and space colonies. Robert Ratajczyk, revived through cryonics, finds himself lost in this unfamiliar world of digital immortality, struggling to reconnect with a life he no longer understands. As he grapples with the emptiness of modern existence and the eerie perfection of VR and AR, an unexpected encounter with a figure from his past might be the key to unlocking a future he never anticipated. ✨#1 hardSF ✨#1 transhumanism ✨#1 postcyberpunk

Li Jie Robinson thought it was just another haul through the Belt--but he didn't know how bad his day could get!

***EXCERPT*** Infants in the Martian outpost of Basin have been plagued with birth defects for years--until recently. Corporate has dispatched Siwela and her team to find out why. What she learns will have profound implications for her job--and for who she wants to be. ----- This is a slightly expanded version of my short story, which appeared in "Boundary Shock Quarterly 12: Lawmen and Crime Fighters". You may read the entire story by subscribing to my email newsletter at https://www.thecosmiccodex.com.

***Appears in @Ooorah Tevun-Krus #75*** Isna Dahal is ready to kick back and toast a job well done on her first break from the project in five years. When she's called in to investigate an unusual problem, however, she uncovers a danger that could threaten the entire Array. The celebration will have to wait. - I originally started this story as a submission to the @ScienceFiction #scifiholiday contest. I didn't finish it it time to qualify, but it seemed promising enough to finish. I hope you enjoy the read!

Observe the kid, protect the kid. Tiffany took on bodyguard duty, thinking that the job would help her profile potential criminals better, a great aid in her career as an Apprehender. But her misunderstanding of the job's actual scope brings her on a ride filled with startling truths - The society, the government, the gears behind the backdrop of the stage of a city, and the true purpose of her 'job'. ______________________________ What happens when Science takes a step into the domain of God? What happens when science becomes so powerful, that you can do literally anything you want with it? We don't mean frenzied robots, or apocalyptic viruses, or aliens. We don't mean laser rifles that can vaporize people, or magical teleportation devices that send people into black holes, or mutated powers from radiation. Project N.A.N.E. Neurological Amplification Nanorobotic Experiment. This, is Man's first step, into the domain of God. ______________________________ I'm planning to write this shoddy draft out first, and then edit it, give a complete overhaul and perfect it. Feel free to read it if you please - I'm writing this for the story's sake, not for myself, nor for others.

Astronomers meeting with bad accidents all around the globe had a secret they wanted you to know... Teams of hired assassins are on the loose, governments go into lockdown, and along with a global economic collapse a third world war is about to erupt. On top of the manmade disasters, there are terrifying changes in the climate and the weather, and some of it may not be natural. The warning signs from Earth and outer space are everywhere, but because many people are distracted and disrupted they fail to notice. Into this bad dream steps Storm, an 18-year-old bored farmhand living in a small Australian town beside a really big telescope. Storm has a gift that he considers his curse. He's able to memorize anything and everything. When Penny introduces her boyfriend to her father, the director of Australia's most famous observatory, Michael Boulos sees the opportunity to smuggle his startling data to a colleague in the capital. Storm is intercepted, and in an office, deep below Parliament House, he meets Martyn Boas, a giant with a terrifying revelation. _______ - Praise for this novel - * Plenty of gritty action throughout, with some engaging and well-rounded characters... - Andy Lloyd, author of Ezekiel One * A character driven story that is a roller coaster from beginning to end - Brian's Book Blog * Even being over 400 pages I read it in one day - Ronovan Writes, Lit World Interviews *Of all that I have read over the past 2 years, this futuristic novel is far and away the most compelling and profound of any! - 2018 Amazon Reviewer _______ This is an extended sample of my novel. You can read the whole epic right now. It is available on Google Play, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Amazon. Here's a link to the reviews on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013ANZ508/ Copyright © 2015 by Gerard O'Neill. All rights reserved.