Flash Fiction Challenge #7 Results

by Author Lisa Marie

Likes: 4
Words: 200

Only 10 million miles left. Cree could see a hint of blue-green as the spaceship drew closer to Earth. Forty-eight hours without interference. After five years, it was so close he could taste it. He couldn’t help but be a little emotional.

“Something’s wrong,” Mateo said. Cree’s heart dropped.

“What do you see?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen it before, but it isn’t good.”

Cree’s grip tightened on the wheel. “Describe it.”

Mateo leaned forward, squinting at the scanner’s flickering display. “It’s not on the scanners, but I can see it. A shadow, twisting through the void. Dark tendrils reaching out, pulling at the fabric of space. I see twisted ships, floating dead and something ancient, hungry. Waiting. It’s not natural. It’s between us and Earth.”

Ruth, silent until now, spoke. “That vision of yours… the shadow with tendrils, I’ve seen it before.”

“What is it?” Cree asked.

“No time. It’s a long story. Follow my cue.” Ruth pulled up her console, fingers flying. “Reroute auxiliary to the modulators. Emit a low frequency pulse, then kill the engines. Quick, before it latches on!”

Cree followed her directions, the ship going dark. He looked at Mateo, eyebrows raised.

“We’re through.”

by Jesse R Traynham - Author

Likes: 4
Words: 200

"I gotta go, Dad."

"Me, too."

"I told y'all to go at the last galaxy. Why don't you listen?"

"We did, but drank too much."

"I swear. Let me find a place. Oh. Ain't no way I'm stopping in the Milky Way."

"Dad!"

"Fine, but don't come running to me when some local has you for dinner!" I adjusted course for a pit stop. "We'll never make it to grandma's house at this rate."

I switched to manual and coasted to one of Earth's crude "truck stops." I hovered for a few minutes, but never found the saucer section. Finally, I parked out by the trucks.

"Ok, kids, put on your projection collars. Be sure you're projecting as "human."

They did so and ran off to the potty rooms. I browsed the store while my wife tended to the kids.

Found the drinks section. "PERFECT!" They were fully stocked on Mountain Dew. I grabbed ten bottles. This should provide enough fuel to get us to Mother's. Found beef jerky. Better than protein packets.

I dropped my items on the counter. ~I'm getting all of this for free~

The cashier blinked rapidly. "It's on the house, enjoy!"

Earthlings are so dumb.

by Kathy Goddard writer

Likes: 3
Words: 200

We’re a million light years from Earth, the planet we wrecked with our greed. Now we select few are on our way to a new home where we’ll live a subterranean lifestyle. The surface is much hotter than we’re used to but that’s okay - there’s water and the air, though thin, is breathable.

It’s hard to know how long we’ve been travelling. Time loses meaning when there’s no difference between night and day.

What’s this? A break in the monotony.

‘There’ll be a short delay - we’ve discovered a stowaway. Once apprehended, they will be transferred to our partner ship and returned. Only those people who passed the strict medical criteria are allowed to land, and no animals can be introduced. No exceptions.’

We all cringe in our seats as guards patrol, glaring at us. It can’t be one of us - we’ve been sitting here for months. At last a woman is dragged out of the engine rooms.

‘I couldn’t bear to be parted from daughter,’ she sobs. She touches a weeping young woman’s shoulder before she’s pulled away.

I’m sorry for them of course, but I’m grateful my tiny dog remains undetected, sedated and snuggled deep within my hand luggage.

by JDonovanStrong

Likes: 2
Words: 200

“God damnit, Keelix!” barked the Chief from the speaker, Exactly right when gravity got weaker; I grabbed an empty fuel cell to capture my leaking beaker, But I was too late, grey fluid stained my six sneakers.

I guess this would need a trip to Alpha Sigma, two compounds indeed to solve this enigma; We came down rough but to my greatest surprise, Was a helpful Sigmian dude with three tubes that seemed wise.

He instructed I take, tube A and tube B, And enough tube C to turn yellow then green; Then after such time that the mixture turned black, I take tube A, add 1/2 of 1/3 of that back.

He went over and over but I was distracted, I played back the sequence while he did a fact check; I took down his comms number in case I had questions, But I remembered it mostly, well the general essence.

Back on the ship I mixed and I mixed, but slipped, And mixed 1/5 instead of 1/6; I watch the fuel mixture now turning to violet, “Don’t ever take blue and mix red tube inside it!” “You’ll know you messed up if it becomes bright lit.”

“Oh… sh—“

by J.E. Smith Kid Tales Studio 

Likes: 2
Words: 200

Beside me, Jay kicked the seat in front of him. “Why couldn’t we just teleport?” The Stargate Amusement Colony was going to be amazing. Getting there? Hyperspace detention.

Three hours later the ship lurched. Beep-beep-beep filled the cabin. “Uh... minor issue,” the speaker crackled. “Time for a rest stop.”

We dropped out of hyperspace behind a lonely transport site. Planet signs drifted everywhere. Jay grinned. “Great. The universe’s worst pit stop.”

“Stretch your legs, people.” Mr. Hanley threw us each a moonsuit.

I stepped into space and my suit-to-ship magnet died. I smacked it to life and went to find Jay. He was sneaking a cigarette with a helmet full of smoke. “Seriously? Hanley’s going to know.”

“So? What’s he going to do, leave me here?”

The engines roared. “Back on board everyone!”

In the jostling to get in I lost track of Jay. But when I glanced outside, there he was, spinning slowly, neatly anchored to a floating EARTH sign. Striding past, Mr. Hanley looked over his glasses and winked. “Let that be a lesson. No shenanigans during school outings.”

The ship lept forward and a galaxy behind us, Jay was learning that lesson. But knowing Jay, probably not.

by Mary Zuelke Author

Likes: 2
Words: 200

What’s happening? Why’ve we stopped?” Hivor slammed his fist onto Bijor’s monitor, glaring.

Bijor kept working, eyes fixed on the console.

“Well?” Hivor persisted.

“It’s Xcel, he—“

“I’ve already recalibrated the flight path twice. We’re behind schedule!”

“It’s his mom. Said he needed to see her.”

“We’re on a 10-trillion-dollar mission and he wants to talk to mommy? What is the ITA coming to?”

“Xcel is the captain.”

“We have a schedule to uphold. I for one—"

“Concerns, Lieutenant?”

Hivor turned sharply. Xcel stood behind him.

He exhaled, then glanced at Bijor who never stopped working.

“What’s the reason we stopped?” His voice calmer.

Xcel tapped the COM, the blue screen set his eyes aglow.

“I didn’t realize I owed you an explanation,” he said evenly. “But I’m happy to share.”

He finished keying the command and looked up.

“We’re being equipped with the newest Inter-Space-Time-Travel-Unit, ISTTU.” Xcel’s smile grew. “Yesterday, Admiral Mines requested our presence at Tuenston Station. Work will be completed at nineteen hundred hours.”

Hivor’s mouth fell open.

“Be ready for training.” He tapped the COM again. “The unit’s integrated into the core system and you’ll be managing it…. Did I mention Admiral Mines is my mother?”

by John Cox

Likes: 1
Words: 200

"You don't need it. It will be ok. You can make a Intergalactic trip without it."

Dad's hands were clammy with sweat as they hovered over the navigation controls. His will was slipping away from him like a new balloon in an open sky.

"Hey Dad! Can we stop at Junc-ee's? I need some Junc-ee's nuggets," Brother pleaded.

"Yeah Dad, I need something gummy!" Sister chimed in.

Sweat was now forming on Dad's brow. He closed his eyes tight and forced his hands into his lap. His inner voice continued chanting, "You don't need it. It will be ok. Just make it to Proxima Centauri and it will be too far to turn around." His eyebrows raised optimistically but his eyes stayed closed in concentration.

"Honey! We won't spend that much money and I could really use some fudge." Mother leaned near and whispered slowly, hot breath in his ear, "And I know you like that chopped brisket sandwich."

Dad's eyes popped open and his hands flew across the console before him.

Course laid in.

Everyone cheered as they saw the new destination. A collective "Yay!"

Junc-ee's it is. Dad's tight posture relaxed. "Chopped brisket sandwich, it will be ok."

by V.D. Miron

Likes: 1
Words: 200

Captain Zara Flint called it a road trip. The rest of the crew called it reckless wandering.

The pirate ship Laughing Comet drifted happily between stars; cargo hold full of questionable treasure and stolen fuel cells. Everything was perfect. Until the chewing started.

Navigator Bo lifted a panel and froze.

“Captain… we have a situation.”

A rodent squeaked, and ten answered. These were glowing, six-eyed, space-adapted furry breeders apparently capable of producing twelve babies before breakfast. Within minutes they were everywhere.

Rodents chewing the wiring, in the engines. Even rodents chewing the captain’s boot.

“Emergency pit stop!” Zara shouted.

The ship screeched down onto the nearest asteroid outpost while squeaking chaos erupted through the corridors.

As they landed, hatches opened, and crew members ran out. Behind them rodents poured out like fuzzy lava.

Dockworkers watched silently as hundreds, then thousands, bounced across the landing pad.

One mechanic sighed loudly.

“Not space rodents again!”

Zara stepped out, brushing orange glowing fur from her coat.

“Fuel. Fumigation. And whatever stops these things reproducing.”

Behind her another wave of rodents exploded from the ship’s ramp.

The mechanic sighed and scratched his bald blue head.

“Catching them critters gonna cost extra.”

by Eolas Pellor

Likes: 1
Words: 200

We dropped out of translight somewhere between the orbits of a couple of gas giants, where there was plenty of space to make it safe. The navigation computer had picked a good spot, but it always takes a moment to get your bearings.

“There’s it is.” Number One pointed out a beacon flashing brightly, about 50 million kilometres to our right. The light blinked out its identity sequence: red-white-red.

“Is that MarsCo?” I asked. “I hope I have enough credits to pay.”

“No, that's the wrong red,” Number One replied. “I think it’s Antares Fuels.” The impulse engine hummed, bringing us closer to the space station.

“Damn,” I replied. “Their stations are always such pigsties.”

“Can I get some fries?” the teenager whined.

“No! This is strictly a stop so your little brother can pee. We’ll eat when we get to our destination.”

“Fine!” she pouted. “Why don’t I just starve? That’ll make you happy.” I tightened my knuckles on the thrust control.

“So help me God, if you keep complaining, l’ll turn this ship around and we won’t even go.” The youngest started crying and Number One shot me a withering look. I hate going home for the holidays.