Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
Congrats to Kalifer Deil, the First and Latest Champion of the Science Fiction Microstory Contest
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Wow! didn't expect it. Thanks all!Now I'll have to think of a theme.
Hmm. Tried to post a new discussion without success. Jot, help!for November.
This Month's Theme:
Discovery of an alien probe in the Solar System
Required Element:
Something totally unexpected in or about the probe
This was a fine story, Kalifer.As for your November theme--ya sure it's science *fiction*? (Yes, lol--so far, anyhow.)
@Paula According to von Neumann a self replicating probes should be scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy. Perhaps we caught a glimpse of one a few months ago. For the sake of Science Fiction I hope we all come up with some lulus.
Well, of course we shall, then, Kalifer! Necessarily.(Yes, Plato quote intended.)
Congratulations, Kalifer. We'll do our best.
On rereading I noticed a mistake in the first line "an" should have been an "a". I really need an editor. Anyone willing to work for peanuts?
Terrific story, Kalifer. The dust reminded me of the "cure" in the HG Wells book, also related to Mars and just as bio-logical, in that the immunities are involved, tho in opposite directions!
Kalifer,I might be willing to work for Cashews, but only if whole, not pieces.
And lightly salted.
-C
Only honey-roasted for me. Good job Kalifer! I really liked the different format of your story.
Cash, Kalifer. And for editing, not proofreading, lol.By the way, which was your story that won the first sf microstories contest? Must have been excellent but it's been awhile.
Paula, I'm not sure but I think it was Manna a story about some ancient Jewish tablets with a design for a machine to make manna when it actually was a con job to get an American egocentric polymath to get financially and technically involved and help build a machine to make a manna-like product. I don't remember when this was uploaded on LinkedIn.
I don't see "Manna" in TFIS vol 1; maybe it was later? I do find "Arctic Freeze," though, which was terrific. So many good stories in these volumes--there must be many indeed in the sequence of sf microstories over these several years now!
Kalifer wrote: "Paula, I'm not sure but I think it was Manna a story about some ancient Jewish tablets with a design for a machine to make manna when it actually was a con job to get an American egocentric polymat..."
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Got it, was quite puzzled at first. Got a good chuckle reading it again. Also wondering if I'm climbing or sliding down. Need an altimeter.
NY Times 8/20/2047 Kevin Robishar on Mars:
First pictures included of Olympus Mons caldera, an seemingly bottomless gorge, twenty kilometers deep! That's where primitive life was just discovered! It been thirteen years since first settlement. More than half have come and left. The harsh realities of Mars, the confinement, the boring diet, the continuous struggle to keep everything operational and the fear of catastrophic equipment failure is always on everyone's mind. Some welcome the challenge, most just grind away hoping for improvement. People here are highly educated, twenty percent with PhDs representing more than twenty nations and five religions. None of those differences seemed to make any difference, until now.
An illness struck that we couldn't identify; we labelled it Martian fever. There was no measurable fever, just people doing senseless things. Examples are numerous, a guy flaming his coworkers with racist comments in the mess hall, a woman banging her fist on a table until it was bleeding, our medical officer staring at himself in a hallway mirror. They had to cover the mirror to break the spell. Earth has quarantined us to Mars until they can figure this out. My fear is, this may only be solvable using Earth experts.
NY Times 8/27/2047 Kevin Robishar on Mars:
This illness has become far worse. People doing bizarre things has increased. It appears to be contagious. The medical team have been infected. We need help. One of our oxygen generators, Oxy1, has been sabotaged. Earth has refused to send any more people to Mars, not even a medical team. We are still getting supplies via automated transports. People are scared and angry. Fights are breaking out. Differences that made no difference are now glaring. Religious, ethnic, gender, political differences are all welling to the surface. I'm getting panic attacks that are difficult to control. We are still no closer to solving this Martian fever problem.
NY Times 9/03/2047 Kevin Robishar on Mars:
Three people have died. Blunt force trauma. Murder! Elgin Hooker is being held in a makeshift jail for murder. He claims, raves, that they were spies. They were all Indians originally from Mumbai that reported that Elgin was the only suspect in the oxygen generator sabotage case. They were a gentle police force and also environmental systems technicians. More than half of us are infected with MF. I found myself in a fetal position under the blankets when my phone was ring-toning. When I answered they said they'd been trying to reach me for over an hour. Usually the slightest sound wakes me up. I don't feel sick, but then, neither did the others.
NY Times 9/10/2047 Kevin Robishar on Mars:
Since the last communication I've done some odd things that convince me that I'm also infected. Everyone is instructed to put on their space suit when visiting anyone else. Maybe only ten percent are not infected. Shipments have arrived and no one is unpacking them. So much for us becoming a multi-planet species. I think everyone here has given up. Two more deaths of unknown causes. One, I think, was a heart attack.
NY Times 9/10/2047 Kevin Robishar on Mars:
I'm having trouble putting this into words. Into words, yes. Trouble, yes. Lots of trouble. Death, yes, many, death and destruction. Destruction, yes. Oxy2 down, only one left. Shit, shit, shit! Having trouble with words. Damn! Mind is cloudy all day. Yes, very cloudy.
NY Times 9/17/2047 Kevin Robishar on Mars:
Can't! Try, … can't … words.
NY Times 9/18/2047 Kevin Robishar on Mars:
(No report) We have been unable to reach Kevin and fear the worst. Earth space agencies have also tried to reach Mars without success. However, satellites do report movement of materials. - Editor
NY Times 10/08/2047 Kevin Robishar on Mars:
We have been enveloped in a dust storm. In a dazed fit I went into the storm to get supplies, coffee in particular, from the transport. Through some miracle I made it back, but in the process tracked the dust everywhere. Something in the dust kills off the Martian Fever bug. The two-thirds of us still alive seem to be getting well quickly. With the Electron Microscope, Jacques has found spores of Marsicillin in dust samples which he believes kills Olimons-neurosapsis, his naming of course.
The dust storm has stopped and we've been cleaning up the mess and repairing equipment. Please send medics, none survived. Earth, don't forget about us!
(Jesus! What's that growing in my coffee?)