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Meet the nice guys: Exilian
Tradition demands to start the New Year withs some fancy vows. “Resume going to the gym”. Or “replace the kitchen faucet” . That kind of thing. Familiar with the exercise? Aware of the futility? Thought you would be. Probably a shared trait, among sapients, across solar systems. Three weekly runs at the gym are fun.…
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Blockchained
That was a stupid idea. No. Wrong. His most stupid idea ever. By far. If only he could recant. Or at least kick his own posterior, to keep his mind off those three bullet points. Instead of getting ready to comply. What the hell got into him, back in 2018? Jackson vaguely recalls a lot…
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Issue Red
„Another one?! You lost one more sub?! How the hell are you doing it?! This whole mess is just impossible, plain impossible.” Annie’s forehead is gleaming. Her white shirt stained by dark sweat marks. Despite the air conditioning. Not easy, for a leader, to accept this kind of defeat. Tonia would be compassionate, if she…
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Civilup II
An actual monitor. Not even embedded. Fixed to the wall like some antique on display in a museum. Which in a way it is. Minuscule, too. Two square meters, at best. How is anyone supposed to learn anything, with obsolete equipment? This is such a farce. Garnalag is pissed off. They forced her to attend.…
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A Hero’s Welcome
“It’s going to be gorgeous” his coach said. “You’ll love it” he said. “Just imagine their admiration, Fronzo. Mere admiration? Too weak. Your kind of feat, that calls for more. Much more. You will be one of the giants, Fronzo. An idol. Common mortals will barely dare glance at you. You’ll get worshipped, Fronzo. And…
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Writer’s amnesia
Today, it happened again. This is scary. First time I was subjected to the phenomenon, my inner hypochondriac suspected early stage Alzheimer. He insisted on doing the usual tests. Results just fine. So what the hell is this? The admin alerts me to a new comment on Inside the box. Vaguely remember the plot. Wonder how long…
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Low Score
Low Score Three hundred and eighty five. 385. Thirty five soccer teams. A train full of adults. How much time would it have taken them? Assuming an average of five hours, it adds up to 1790 hours. Eighty person days. Wasted. Plus her own contribution. Another 10 hours. Synat shakes her head in disgust. She’s…
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Ephemerals
Ephemerals “But there aren’t any. Not one ephemeral. No ephemerals, no non-sapient mobiles, no nothing. Not even non-sapient immobiles. This is just a stupid, empty rock. Homework done, empty rock result duly recorded. I’ll be playing multiverses now, OK?” Norendrum performs the dark energy entity equivalent of holding its breath. If instructor Schwarzberlem doesn’t react,…
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Obsession
One more question for the experts on LinkedIn: How bad a sign is it, if you get obsessed with your characters? This is very much like real life falling in love, only worse. In real life, past a certain age, you’re familiar with the phenomenon, and know the acute phase won’t last. Either the subject…
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Truck Stop
„What do you mean, exactly, by ‘Not available’? What kind of joke is this supposed to be? Now just let me tell you one thing: Not funny. Just do look at this shelf. How many ‘Not available’ stickers are there? Fifty? Sixty? Seventy? One hundred and twenty? I mean, last week, there was the odd…