Hardsf Stories

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.

***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."

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.

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

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!

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

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

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.

A deep-sea experimental probe transmits only fragments of sensation: pressure, texture, isolation. At the receiving terminal, engineers treat the signals as data-until they discover what is truly aboard. Told through transmission logs and quiet conversations, this short science fiction story explores consciousness, ethics, and the boundary between human perception and machine instrumentation.

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.

In 3084, death is nothing more than a technical variable. Humanity has conquered disease, hunger, and war. We live forever-flawless and eternal. But paradise comes with a price. Every 30 years, a billion human beings are recycled. For the Elite to shine, the rest must burn. To the Deus Imperator, it is a necessary sacrifice. To X, it is an abominable crime. The OXI-KRISIS is coming. And no one is safe.

***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.

***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!

***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.

Tevun Krus goes Hard Sci-Fi for once! What does this mean? Hard science fiction emphasises on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. Stories in this sub genre try to be accurate, logical and credible in their use of current scientific and technical knowledge. Of course there is a degree of flexibility in how far from "real science" a story can stray before it leaves the realm of hard SF. And we definitely don't want to get nitpicking here. So, enjoy what the authors of the mothership have to offer!

***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.

[WATTYS 2018 Longlist] For fans of The Atlantis Gene, The Hunger Games, and Red Rising, this high-suspense, action-filled, sci-fi novel continues the story of a teenager from the outback who finds himself fighting for his survival. In a race against time, now he learns it's not only his life but the existence of planet Earth that's at stake. Storm has discovered a shocking secret hidden in plain sight. One the world can never be told about! The tiny sister star to the Sun is their ultimate weapon... so long as it remains a secret. Storm Elliot and corporal Sean Cameron are on a mission to warn Sydney of an unthinkable natural disaster that's about to strike. To survive the earthquakes, tsunamis, and the sun flares the people must travel inland. But, the two men find the city a fortress under the control of brutal government forces. Meanwhile, a nuclear submarine crosses the Pacific with a very special cargo. A bizarre experiment is about to target the rising unrest that is a result of the global economic collapse. Storm and his companions have their work cut out for them... Ancient forces far stronger than any government are playing a multilayered and deadly game. As the Dark Star wreaks havoc on the solar system, the hidden players position themselves to call checkmate on planet Earth... To survive and save those he cares about, Storm must understand the players and the game, but he has very little time left. While this full-length novel is Book II of The Erelong Trilogy, it can also be enjoyed as a standalone. _________ Amazon Reviewers Say: This book has some serious suspense... Great apocalyptic read!! Very descriptive text and suspenseful. So many elements of truth that it is terrifying to think of the possibility. The characters are very endearing. I liked them from the get go and they really got me invested in the story. _________ May Day is Book 2 in The Erelong Trilogy, but it can be enjoyed as a standalone.

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)