Showing results by author "Joe Vasicek" in All Categories

They called him a lone wolf. Now, he has to lead them across the stars. Five years have passed since the Hameji conquered James McCoy's homeworld. The yoke of occupation has grown unbearable, and unless he can help his people throw it off, everything that he fought for will be destroyed. Light-years away, in the heart of the Good Hope Nebula, there is a place where they can start over. But the dangers are many, and the way is unclear. Only a strong leader can take them there. James once gave all that he had to save the ones he loved. To do so again, he must become the leader that his people...

The only hope for the last free stars now lies on the path of blood and glory. The princess of Shinihon could not have picked a worse time to run away. The largest Hameji battle fleet ever gathered threatens to overrun the last of the free stars. To make matters worse, a rogue assassin from an unknown faction has killed the high admiral of the Federation. Without clear leadership, the war may be lost before she can be found. But Danica Nova and her band of Tajji mercenaries are no strangers to lost causes. They've fought the Hameji before, and they'll fight them again—not for honor, or ...

Synopsis: A retelling of Adam and Eve’s fall from grace, with a cosmic twist. After Dinner Conversation is a growing series of short stories across genres to draw out deeper discussions with friends and family. Each story is an accessible example of an abstract ethical or philosophical idea and is accompanied by suggested discussion questions. Podcast discussions of this short story, and others, is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Youtube. ★★★ If you enjoy this story, subscribe via our website to "After Dinner Conversation Magazine" and get this, and other, similar ...

Only he can unlock the power—if they don’t overpower him first. After dropping out of the King’s Fleet, Samuel didn’t think he would amount to much. Though he possesses the gift of magic, he will lose it if he ever cuts his hair, giving him a disheveled appearance that makes him a social outcast. But when an ancient and secretive cult comes after him, he learns that his particular kind of magic sets him apart. An ancient lost artifact known as the tidecaller’s amulet is the key to unlocking a great evil, and Samuel is one of only a few people who can use it—or destroy it. As the...

They say that going into cryo is the closest thing to death short of actually dying. I believe it. When Michael Anderson woke from cryo at a distant alien star, he had no idea how isolated he would feel—no idea, that is, until his sole mission partner nearly dies in the thawing process. Twenty light-years from the nearest human being, without anyone else to help him, Michael must act quickly to save her life. A 3,000 word excerpt from Genesis Earth. Won first place in the 2009 Mayhew short story contest at Brigham Young University.

To boldly go where no Earthfleet Academy Xenolinguistics major has gone before. Jane Carter never thought she'd be the first human in the galaxy to be sold at an alien slave auction. As a xenolinguics major, she always wanted to explore new frontiers, but not like this. As the bid price rockets to staggering heights, it becomes increasingly clear that only one man can rescue her: the one who sold her out. Thankfully, there are alternatives to being rescued.

Is this the hill on which you want to die? That is the question on Garak-Nur's mind every time he draws his blade. A battle-hardened mountain orc, he knows when to turn from an unwinnable fight—and when to face death head-on, weapon in hand. Garak-Nur is ready to meet his fate, but the rest of his clan is not. A Witch King has risen to power in the north, enticing the mountain orcs to join his army. To preserve his clan’s freedom, Garak must lead his followers into the wilderness. But the challenges they face are great, and the lands they must cross are teeming with peril. Dwarves, ...

"After Dinner Conversation" Magazine - July 2022 Acceptance: A man sinking in mud refuses help. I Never: A man of diminished mental capacity is accused of murder when he's found holding a bloody knife. Sort of Polarity: A new disease hits the earth that causes very selective blindness in humanity. Reginald's Party: A female interloper crashes an "emotions" wine tasting. Left To Lose: A young woman is tricked to trade important pieces of her life to help a rebel group. In The Beginning: A retelling of Adam and Eve's fall from grace, with a cosmic twist. Farewell, Odysseus: A genetically ...

Ten brutally honest and politically incorrect stories for times such as these! This is the second volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It contains: The Paradox of Choice If post-birth abortions are legal, when does life actually begin? Payday A near future sci-fi thriller about the perils of a universal basic income. Utahraptors at Dawn When the meme wars are fought on the digital field of honor, no weapon is too ridiculous to be awesome. Sex, Life, and Love Under the Algorithms In a world bound by algorithms and AI, the greatest liability is the human spirit. Welcome to ...

Ten optimistic and forward-looking space stories that show how we journey to the stars! This is the third volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: The Scales of the Space Whale The most dangerous creatures in the universe will kill you before they know you exist! In the Beginning Paradise is not what—or where—it seems. (After Dinner Conversation, August 2020) From the Ice Incarnate They say that going into cryo is the closest thing to death short of actually dying. I believe it. (1st place, 2009 Vera Hinckley Mayhew Contest BYU) When She Awakes To pay her ...

Ten more stories to heal the divide between man and machine. This is the sixth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: Quantum Worlds Will AI herald the death of human creativity, or its startling rebirth? Bloody Justice (by J.M. Wight) The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed… A Mother's Last Goodbye When the living and the dead collide, a single act of selflessness ripples across generations. The Princess and the Professor When a kingdom is terrorized by a dragon, only Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life stand between chaos and salvation. The ...

Only those who rise to their calling discover why they were chosen. A thousand years ago, an order of twelve magic swords kept the world at peace. Each sword had a personality, a mind, and a memory. Through the bonds they shared with their bearers, the wisdom and skill of generations was preserved. But the swords became corrupted. They turned on each other, shattering the order and plunging the world into war. The twelfth sword went into hiding until the day of prophecy, when the last sword bearer would free the world of men. That day has come, and the sword bearer of prophecy is a mere ...

When all he wanted was a cause to die for, he found one to live for instead. In a broken world where money is cursed and men care for nothing but coin, one man seeks to restore his name and sacred honor by facing the sorcerous powers that seek to enslave the world. In the heart of the forbidden desert, the ancient ruins of the city of Xulthar harbor the source of this great evil. No adventurer has ever returned from Xulthar alive. But Roderick cares little for such things. Honor means more to him than life, and freedom more than riches. He fully expects to die in the course of his quest, ...

From captive slave to star queen. Zlata always yearned to see the stars, but when a raiding party of starfaring nomads carries her off captive, she can't help but wonder if this is more than she bargained for. When their captain, Lord Khasan Valdamar, shows an unusual interest in her, Zlata quickly finds that she can leverage that to her advantage. But the more time she spends among his people, the less she wants to escape. Determined to save herself and her friend Sonya from being sold as slaves, Zlata must rely on her wits, her resourcefulness, and her Machiavellian ruthlessness to rise ...

The ultimate truth requires you to sacrifice your innocence. Sixteen years ago, Estee's parents abandoned their scientific mission to the planet Icaria and made the new world their home. They thought it would be decades before anyone else came to this rugged, edenic paradise. They were wrong. Young, fearless, and free, the only other people Estee has ever known are her own immediate family. So when a military expedition arrives from Earth, she is innocently drawn to all the interesting new people, their large, noisy vehicles, and their strange weapons. But her parents have a secret. There ...

Ten stories that show why the freedom of truth is worth the price of loneliness. This is the fifth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: Love and Truth at Universe End Where have all the aliens gone? Calling Scam Likely An auto warranty scam he was sure to never forget! Prison of Dreams A boy, a girl, and a starship gone mad. Blight of Empire A dying world. A decadent empire. A discovery that can save them both. The Library of Fate He rewrote his past in the library of fate. Now, his kingdom is falling. In the Wake of Zedekiah Wight (J.M. Wight) Woe unto them ...

Tradition decrees that he must leave his homeworld forever, but destiny has other plans. From the moment Isaiah Edeni was born, the course of his life was sealed. As the firstborn son of a star wanderer, tradition decrees that he must leave his beloved homeworld aboard his father's starship, never to return. As the time for his departure draws closer, Isaiah grapples with the overwhelming weight of leaving behind all that he has ever known: the breathtaking natural beauty of his homeworld, the familiar faces he has grown up with, and his longtime childhood crush who only sees him as a ...

Only those who stand united can bring peace from the chaos of war. The Outworld Confederacy has shattered—but the Gaian Empire is shattering faster. Treasonous elements in both seek to reshape the galaxy in their own image. With Isaac and Reva's telepathic abilities, only Mara is in a position to thwart the usurpers. But Reva opposes the weaponization of the collective, and Mara refuses to be open about the darkest parts of her past. Unless they can unite, the collective will shatter just as surely as the Outworlds and the Empire. In war as in peace, all things rise or fall on leadership ...

To wake a lost girl from the ice, two brothers must face an empire. Deep in the Far Outworlds, a derelict space station holds the bones of a long-dead people—and a beautiful young woman locked in cryofreeze. When the star-wandering brothers Isaac and Aaron Deltana find the sleeping girl, they soon realize that they are her only hope for rescue. If they don't take her, then slavers certainly will. With no way to revive her, they set a course for the New Pleiades in hopes of finding someone who can help. But a storm is brewing over that region of space. After a series of brutal civil wars, ...

When all else is lost, the bonds of war become a cause all their own. It is the Outworld's darkest hour. Gulchina's betrayal has eliminated the Outworld Confederacy's only strategic advantage in their war for independence. As the full force of the Gaian Imperial Navy bears down on them, defeat is all but inevitable. Mara Soladze fully expected to lose the war. It is not her own life that she fears for, however, but the lives of her men. As world after world falls before the Imperial onslaught, those fears may soon be realized. No commander is ever fully prepared to watch their men make the ...