The Guardian: Eleven Short Science Fiction Stories

Just in time for Christmas:

Good news! “Stowaway,” one of my Starship Fairfax prequel stories, has been included in another of Alasdair Shaw’s short sci-fi story anthologies. The Guardian is available as an ebook for just 99cents from multiple retailers, with an affordable paperback option as well. Could be the perfect Christmas gift for the sci-fi reader in your life! Check it out here.

Stowaway: a Starship Fairfax prequel short story

“Stowaway”

A Starship Fairfax Prequel Short Story

By Benjamin Douglas

Copyright 2017 Benjamin Douglas, all rights reserved. No portion of this story may be duplicated or distributed without the author’s permission.

 

Ada Xander woke up cold, stiff, and standing up in pitch darkness. She tried thrusting her hands out in front of her, but they were stopped by a wall of metal. Her mind raced. She tried to slow her breathing, remembering where she was. Oxygen was limited. If she hyperventilated she might pass out and never wake up.

Slowly, cautiously, she ran her fingertips down the right side of the wall until her hand met the small perturbance. There you are, she thought. The latch wasn’t meant to be opened from the inside. It had been installed as a redundancy, no doubt, in case the ship operators had ever needed to smuggle persons, but most of the time small cabinets like the one into which Ada had stuffed herself were probably crammed full of ill-gotten goods or illicit compounds. Her fingers locked around the latch. She pulled, it clicked, and the wall swung outward.