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    But their attempts to ostracise him merely show up some very ugly shortcomings of their own . . .Part of the Storycuts series, this story was previously published in the collection Ford County.

    Never before published stories about monsters, deadly combat tech, treachery, and honor:Big Plush by Aaron Allston—The Dollgangers, artificial people made in mankind's image, take up arms in a desperate bid to win their freedom.Comrades in Arms by Kevin J. Anderson—A damaged cyborg soldier and an enemy alien fighter turn their backs on the war and try to escape. But the human and alien governments can't tolerate the two deserters working together, so they join forces to hunt them down.Shores of the Infinite by Loren L. Coleman—Separated from command & control, Combat Assault Suit troopers force a beachhead to liberate a new planet from the cyborg threat.The Black Ship by B.V. Larson—A human settlement on the deadliest planet ever colonized clings to life … but today new invaders are coming down from the stars.Out There by Michael A. Stackpole—The Qian have discovered humanity and welcomed them into their star-spanning empire. The benefits they offer humanity are many, and they don't want much in return: just the best human pilots available to take apart a most diabolical enemy.

    Their only hope remains with a Librarian on the edge of sanity, a potentially tainted Astartes who they are forced to trust. His psychic abilities can lead them to the daemon, where Estabann and Cordoba can avenge their brothers’ deaths. But is the greatest threat a foul denizen of the warp, or the power contained within a psyker’s mind?

    In “Vortex,” by Gregory Benford, astronauts find a once thriving microbial lifeform that carpets the caves of Mars dying off. A code monkey tracks down the vain creator of a pernicious software virus that people jack cerebrally in “RedKing,” by Craig DeLancey. In “Number Nine Moon,” by Alex Irvine, illicit scavengers on Mars are on a rescue mission to save themselves after one of their team members dies. A young girl’s thirst for vengeance becomes a struggle for survival when she is swallowed by a gigantic sea creature on an alien planet in “Of the Beast in the Belly,” by C.W. Johnson. In “The Seventh Gamer,” by Gwyneth Jones, a writer immerses herself into a MMORPG community to search for characters being played by real aliens from other worlds. A woman armed with a rifle stalks a herd of cloned wooly mammoths in British Columbia in “Chasing Ivory,” by Ted Kosmatka. In “Fieldwork,” by Shariann Lewitt, a volcanologist struggles with her research on Europa where both her mother and grandmother suffered dire consequences. A daughter pays homage to her mother with mega-engineering projects to deal with climate change over eons in “Seven Birthdays,” by Ken Liu. In “The Visitor from Taured,” by Ian R. MacLeod, a cosmologist in the near future is obsessed with proving his theory of multiverses. The citizens of a small town on a “Jackaroo” planet object to a corporation placing a radio telescope near local alien artifacts in “Something Happened Here, But We’re Not Quite Sure What It Was,” by Paul McAuley. And finally, in “Sixteen Questions for Kamala Chatterjee,” by Alastair Reynolds, a graduate student defends her dissertation on a solar anomaly that threatens humanity.

    All that stood in their way was a man on Deald's World named Benno Tallant, about as lousy a candidate for hero as one could imagine: junkie, looter, coward, betrayer. So the retreating Earth forces made him the last man on Deald's World. They surgically implanted a cataclysmic bomb in his body, turned him loose, and let the Kyben hunt him down. SEE BENNO RUN. RUN, BENNO, RUN LIKE HELL.

    When they are waylaid they end up in a quiet courtyard being told a mesmerising story by a strange young man. It is an unforgettable tale that begins with the persecution of a young nun in the turbulent days of the sixteenth century and culminates in the bitter German retreat from Italy. Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection The Veteran.

    This is a little story about a fateful confrontation of a very feisty rooster vs. Bert the Shirt and his chihuahua. Which side will back down? Who will come away with the neighborhood crowing rights? Who's the chicken, after all?

    BloodCast, Season 2 contains the following short stories: Kissyman & Screamin' Jesse Dupre- A different kind of illegal alien story, from a time gone by in America.Passenger, Part 1 of 3-Another story set in "The Rookie" universe, but a couple of centuries before Quentin Barnes and the Krakens.Passenger, Part 2 of 3-Another story set in "The Rookie" universe, but a couple of centuries before Quentin Barnes and the Krakens.Passenger, Part 3 of 3- Another story set in "The Rookie" universe, but a couple of centuries before Quentin Barnes and the Krakens.Bag Man- The phone rings. Why would an unstoppable child vigilante call me?Hero- The perfect weapon finally tracks down his target and things will finally be settled, one way or another.Chuckles Mulrooney, Attorney for the Damned- Everyone needs representation, especially those who sell their eternal souls.You're a Damned Fool, Charlie Brown- Charlie and the gang in WWII after they're all grown up.Perry's Podcast #1- Perry Dawsey is the main character in Scott's novel Infected. Perry has a bit of difficulty in dealing with his rage. These podcasts helped him manage that anger somewhat. Unfortunately, outside events limited him to three 'casts which we were able to recPerry's Podcast #2- Perry Dawsey is the main character in Scott's novel Infected. Perry has a bit of difficulty in dealing with his rage. These podcasts helped him manage that anger somewhat. Unfortunately, outside events limited him to three 'casts which we were able to recPerry's Podcast #3- Perry Dawsey is the main character in Scott's novel Infected. Perry has a bit of difficulty in dealing with his rage. These podcasts helped him manage that anger somewhat. Unfortunately, outside events limited him to three 'casts which we were able to recEusocial Networking- Scott's contribution to the 7th Son: Obsidian anthology shows just how far wrong things can go when you combine genetic engineering, environmentalism, and corporate greed.

    ‘Come on! Move it!’ Pilcher, though considerably older than the others, ran with surprising speed from the base of the Needle to the helicopter. Reynolds…brought up the rear, his M16 swinging left and right in case any targets popped up. ‘Evans,’ Reynolds said, “ETA on Pam.’ ‘She’s about a minute away.’ ‘And the abbies?’ ‘They’re right behind her.’” The genius architect of Wayward Pines, David Pilcher, decides to lead a scouting party out of his secluded mountain fortress to make sure the dying world he once knew has disappeared. It has…mostly. But the abbies are out there, too—millions of monstrous reminders of what humanity has involved into. And every one of them wants to tear Pilcher and his crew apart.Brett Battles’s Alone is another wildly inventive, hair-raising chapter in the Wayward Pines series.

    But amid a glamorous South Beach nightclub opening, their key informant is found dead, leaving Jacob and Jasmine the dangerous job of infiltrating the ring. With desire igniting between them, can they set aside their distrust and work together to bring down the brutal mobsters?Double EntendreBret McAllistair’s determination to always get the scoop built his career but destroyed his marriage. So when Bret revives his connection with his estranged wife, Colleen, she thinks he’s after her big story. Being together again stirs up old passions, but Colleen can’t decide if she can trust him…or her own heart.

    

    

    Working as a carriage man for a Count, Ivan accidentally causes the death of a monk, which leads to his being ostracized by the local peasantry . . . until the dead monk returns as a ghost to guide him through trouble upon trouble.

    One man's rebellion against the sensory overload brought on by ubiquitous electronics.