Outlier Short Stories: Volume One

Outlier Short Stories A collection of original science fiction short stories set in the unforgiving environments of our solar system. Each story explores the thin line between who we are and what we must become.Ten Day Window Deep within ancient Martian lava tubes, the cosmic silence has finally broken. The signal is confirmed, the countdown is live, and humanity has exactly ten days until arrival. Instead of bringing hope, the news sparks a panic that threatens to tear the secure outpost apart from the inside.Colony of Two An atmospheric breach on the moon leaves a lone technician stranded with a dying power grid and a half-charged suit.Staying put is a death sentence. Staying alive requires partnering with an unthinkable being, stepping out into the brutal gray desert to secure the last remaining life support. But venturing deeper into the silent dust reveals the fractured base was only the beginning of the struggle.Far From Impostors On a terraformed Venus, a lone apprentice survives by the absolute letter of Nana's wayfinder rules. But when basecamp is compromised and a stranger arrives with a different path, survival means doing the unthinkable: breaking the very code keeping danger at bay.Placeholder Cabin Aboard the Simetria, the first faster-than-light test flight is underway. The pilot treats life as a temporary assignment; a manufactured companion exists simply to be present, never to be seen. When the countdown hits zero and the drive fires, the telemetry goes dark, and their signal home is met with absolute silence.