Showing results by author "Joe Vasicek" in All Categories

Not long from now, in our own Milky Way… The name's Sam Kletchka. Perhaps you've heard of me: captain of the Star Runner, military contractor for Earthfleet, and interstellar privateer. But before all that, I was a hired gun, freelancing across the galaxy one gunslinging job at a time. This, my friends, is how I went from being stranded in the armpit of the galaxy to becoming the luckiest human being in the universe. Not that it was easy, of course. I've looked death in the face so often, he's practically an old buddy of mine. But when all your worst enemies are immortal, that's a buddy ...

Honor, love, and destiny clash in an interstellar empire that has forgotten its holiest legend: the story of Earth. He is sheikh’s sole heir, a young man raised by desert tribesmen after falling from the stars. She is the sheikh’s most beautiful daughter, promised his hand in marriage—but only if she can convince him to stay. Together, they must travel to a land where glass covers the sky and men traverse the stars as easily as tribesmen cross the desert. At the ancient temple dedicated to the memory of Earth, they hope to find the answers that will lead them home. But the call of the...

My name is Jane Kletchka, and I'm here to set the record straight. Jane Kletchka here. By now, I'm sure you've heard how my dear husband Sam saved the Gorinal star cluster and stopped the Immortals from throwing the galaxy into chaos. Unfortunately, he didn't thwart their plans; he only accelerated them. As the galaxy fell into chaos, Earthfleet commissioned us to find out what was happening before Earth became the next planet to fall. Little did we know, it wasn't just the Immortals we had to contend with, but an enemy from beyond the Milky Way. I never expected to be out there on my own. ...

Where were you on the day the Earth disappeared? So there I was, on an awkward first date with my secret crush, when the colonies went into revolt. They nuked the moon and hijacked half of Earthfleet—and that was just the opening salvo. Then I learned that my date was one of the terrorists (or patriots, depending on your political beliefs), and I had to make a choice: join her, or spend the next few days stuffed in an EVA suit locker. I chose the former, and that's the only reason I'm still here. The name's Rex Carter. On the day the Earth disappeared, the civil war had just broken out, ...

The ultimate redemption can only be gained after you confront the past. When the scientists at Heinlein Station punched a wormhole through the stars, they created a temporal paradox with dire ramifications for the future of humanity. Now, Estee and Khalil are trapped in the product of that paradox: an ancient, alien ghost ship that has wandered the stars for millions of years, biding its time for the final day of reckoning. Her family broken and her homeworld shattered, Estee struggles to care for her younger sisters as they search for a way back home. But Khalil carries wounds of his own. ...

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 ...

The ultimate voyage of discovery ends with the truth about yourself. Michael Anderson never thought he would set foot on an Earthlike world. Born on the farthest edge of the solar system, he studies planets from afar. But when his parents open a wormhole and discover signs of intelligent life on the other side, Michael is the only planetologist young enough to voyage to the alien star. He is not alone, but Terra, his sole mission partner, is no more of an adult than he is. Soon after their arrival, she begins keeping secrets from him. But she doesn't realize that her darkest secret is one ...

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, ...

Without redemption, there is no peace. Without forgiveness, there is no redemption. Reva never asked to be the queen of an alien-human hive mind, but she never shirked from it, either. Now, she and the survivors of Star's End share a telepathic bond that allows them to think and feel as one. But unity will not come easy. Isaac fears her growing power, and Tomas fears that if the others awake from cryo, their murderous natures will drag everyone down to their level of depravity. The only path back to civilization is held by the very same pirates who want them all dead. Gulchina commands them...

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 ...

War brought them together, but only hope can unite them. War has come to the Outworlds. An Imperial expeditionary force has taken the frontier systems and threatens to strike at the heart of the New Pleiades. The only thing standing in their way is a ragtag flotilla of starfarers and merchanters, their motives as varied as the stars from which they hail. Aaron Deltana can barely speak the same language as his Outworld comrades, but he isn't about to let that stop him. Though he has no military training or combat experience, he's determined to prove his valor. Besides, the Imperials have ...

The future of the Outworlds now lies in uncertain hands. The war for the Outworlds is on. The Imperials may have lost the first round, but they're back—and this time, a ragtag flotilla isn't going to stop them. When Aaron recieves a captain's commission in the new Outworld Confederacy, Mara is his natural choice for second in command. But Mara never expected to live past the first few battles. She only joined the resistance to avenge her father, and fears the monster she's starting to become. The only thing she has left to live for now is her friends. The Imperials aren't the only enemy ...

One last battle before the Outworlds are free. Edenia is under attack. The pirate queen Gulchina, together with all her forces, now threaten the main planet with utter destruction. Trapped on the surface, Reva knows they will stop at nothing to see her dead. Mara Soladze's frigate group is the only Outworld task force able to come to the planet's aid. But Gulchina's flagship, the Chinghis Khan, outguns all of their ships put together. Their only advantage lies in the telepathic bond of the collective and the rugged resourcefulness of the Deltana brothers. Reva is not powerless either. When ...

Fate has brought them across time and space, but war will drive them farther. For countless ages, Reva Starchild has slept in perfect cryostasis. Frozen in secret to escape a catastrophic death, she awakens only to find herself the sole survivor of a people whom history never remembered. Light-years from her homeworld, among a culture she finds both perverse and obscene, she must somehow build a new life for herself where misplacing her trust could be fatal. With nowhere safe to run, she finds refuge on a small starship with a mysterious young man who seems to be fleeing something as well. ...

There is no escape beyond star's end. The deadliest pirates in the galaxy have stolen the technology that will transform it. Now, on the edge of known space, they are poised to start an empire of their own. Isaac and Reva are running out of time. Neither of them knows the extent of Gulchina's plans, or whether the madwoman will keep them both alive after she achieves them. But an unexplored planet beyond the Far Outworlds holds an ancient alien secret that not even Gulchina has uncovered. That secret will tip the balance in SONS OF THE STARFARERS BOOK V: CAPTIVES IN OBSCURITY

"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 ...

Delight in intriguing, thought-provoking conversations about ethics, philosophy, and social issues! After Dinner Conversation is a monthly literary magazine publishing short fiction. Each issue features both established writers and up-and-coming authors who contribute fascinating philosophical insights on controversial topics like marriage equality, assisted suicide, the meaning of death, animal rights and defining your "purpose." It's time to go deep in search of truth! If you love reading imaginative short stories on hot topics that make your brain think deeply but also have you laughing ...

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 ...