Taking The Blame
Sergeant Ullis had been the bane of my time as a commissar: too competent to demote but too crass and full of demerits to actually advance. Ullis knew it too,…
Gilith
‘My beloved Gilith, there is no safety hiding in the depths of your mind, for you will only find there exquisite pain and excruciating pleasure. Surrender your mind to me,…
Out of Fear
'Don’t go.'Elam froze in the doorway of their meagre hab-apartment. He looked back at the wreckage of his wife. Her skin was grey, her hair lank and unwashed, her cheeks…
Conflicting Duties
It hurt to wear her smile.She wore it every second of every day. It was like a mask she could not remove, bolted permanently into place. Yet sometimes – right…
Oi Dat’s My Hand
‘Oi! Dat’s my hand! Give it back.’ Ugnug barely felt the pain when the choppa took off his hand. He was mostly just annoyed at losing his new shoota, which…
A Guide to Transactional Leadership
‘I must say, Lord-Chairman, I’m very impressed.' Solana smiled, sitting as he gestured to the chair opposite his desk. It was soft and smelled of rich, smoky leather.'I aim to…
Mine
It was a long way down from the spires of the hive. Alena shifted her skirt over the curve of her hip: not an enticement but a warning, a declaration…
Is Someone There?
Norvan Taram had a problem.This was not an uncommon position for a scholam headmaster. Familiar roads that led here, though they usually had more to do with budget, turnover of…
Red Lines
Now:To serve in a squadron is to live an entire life in miniature. You join like a child, with all life open and waiting for you. You start out, and…
Betrayal
The rain came down hard, mixing the blood and the mud together into something wholly worse than either. I stood there panting from exertion. We just barely beat back the…