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Write a space adventure story that features a visit to an alien marketplace.

Posted in Science Fiction on May 29, 2021

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✍️ 123 stories

To market to market to buy a fat Gnorph

Submitted to Contest #67

Marc held on tight to his father’s hand. This was to be his first trip to Octavia in Sector Three and he had heard from his older brothers just how big the Octavian markets were, how easy it would be for a little Forian like Marc to become lost forever. ‘You can let go for now, son,’ Marc’s father Yon sent, butterfly like antenna wiggling and waggling as the mental message was sent. Marc’s shorter detectors vibrated as the message was received and the youngster released his deathlike grasp. Marc fidgeted then, jostled about by the flight pat...

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The Venusian Marketplace

Submitted to Contest #67

It was only Phil’s second trip to Venus. His first such voyage had been during the early days of interplanetary exploration. The ship he had skippered had been the first to land and make contact with the inhabitants of the planet. He figured they found him and his crew just as strange to look at, as he and his crew viewed them. The Venusians were similar to humans in that they had one head, four limbs, and a body. They were different in that they had what could be called soft scales over much of their body, a large h...

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In the Market for Some Lovin'

Submitted to Contest #67

Arndt stepped off the Huroukian hover bus back into the dry, shiftless air of the desert planet and paused to stare at the marketplace before him. He’d been on-planet for two days already, either barricaded in his hotel room, blinds drawn with the AC blasting him full in the face, or lying like a thawing chicken cutlet beneath a beach umbrella, staring out at a placid ocean the same pink color as a digestive aid, and now he’d grown bored enough to venture out to see what else this seaside town might offer. He was unimpressed. The market was ...

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The Genesis Emporium

Submitted to Contest #67

Night fell. Tiny stars scattered upon the dark expanse like playful lights, outshined by the bustling metropolis underneath.Skyscrapers covered the surface, glowing in hues of neon. This planet was finely terraformed. There were no mountains or ravines.People continued on with their busy routines, zipping across the cities with hovering vehicles. Colorful holographic signs lined the streets, enticing passersby with promises of exotic goods and services.A flash of incandescence tore into the sky.Dawn broke. As the dust settled, there were onl...

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The Stowaway

Submitted to Contest #67

Iyami dashed along the bustling street, her dreadlocks swaying behind her as she ran. Both suns hung high in the sky; her eye slits squinted reflexively, giving her an advantage. Looking behind her, she saw him. He still had eyes on her, and he was still running. She weaved between walkers before ducking into an alleyway, concealed by shadows from tall buildings. Her boot splashed through a puddle, coating her boot in city grime. The data drive fit snugly in her palm: thin and lightweight. But the implications of drive’s files weighed her ...

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The Secret Ingredient

Submitted to Contest #67

Author’s Note  Some may recognise the reluctant astronaut Tabitha Delaney from my earlier stories “Mission Improbable” and “A Second Sleep”. But I hope this story also works as a stand-alone! Tabitha had learnt to be adaptable. She’d had little choice in the matter. When the mission to the moon that she’d never wanted to go in had turned into a mission to Saturn, she had found wells of stoicism that took her by surprise, and when it turned out that the so-called mission to Saturn was a trick to use her as a breedin...

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The Market

Submitted to Contest #67

     They have me strapped in, but this car is weird.   Imagine a car where my back is parallel to the ground, but I’ve seen and been through lots of stuff and this car can’t be worse than the last car, can it?   The last car had me in a small cage under Daddy’s seat.   Daddy’s not here this time, which is unusual.  He’s always here, unless this is a kennel, but kennels have other dogs.   Then, I hear someone speaking in English (I don’t know Itali...

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A New World

Submitted to Contest #67

“It is a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one’s safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.” ~ Alan Shepard (Apollo 14)            It was the year 2035 and the last rocket to launch from Earth before its destruction, was a six-person team of highly skilled astronauts from three different countries. The pilot of the mission was a former American Navy pilot, Commander Calvin Anderson, a twenty-nine-year-old with multiple commendatio...

18 likes 2 comments 2
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My Alien

Submitted to Contest #67

Zooculoo hissed as his friend shoved down the baseball hat further onto his head. “Watch it!” He snapped, as his friend shushed him.  Tarren looked around the corner of the grocery store. “Okay, we’re clear,” He whispered, before grabbing Zooculoo by the shirt and pulling him forward.  “Why are we here so late?” Zooculoo asked, his iridescent eyes blinking his third eyelid, the same one that he came to find out many birds and reptiles on Earth shared.  Tarren huffed and turned around towards his friend. “Because people won’t n...

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Helix

Submitted to Contest #67

“You’re from Terra? You’re a human? Really?” The alien at the stall said looking at Helix in both horror and awe. Helix couldn't tell. “Man, I’ve heard real scary things about you guys. Is it true you named your moon ‘Moon’?”“Yeah,” Helix said looking through the objects on the stall table. “But I don’t know much about Terra, just the things the pod said. How much for this?” She held up a tattered notebook like object with a red ribbon binding it together.“Just three globs,” The alien said holding out one of his four arms while another held ...

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Do They Have Organic Kale in Space?

Submitted to Contest #67

The hull of the ship was so vast, that Violet was amazed at how quiet it was. Only the hum of an engine could faintly be heard from her quarters. The darkness through the window gave her a headache as she tried to see anything through the emptiness. Some stars in the distance? But there was nothing. She thought diving at sea looked empty but space was worse. At least in the ocean, the water would take on different colors as it refracted the sunlight and there was a chance she might see fish or a sea turtle or even a whale. Space had nothing....

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Treasure and Scrap

Submitted to Contest #67

From the vast void of space, we arrived upon planet Farental. It was a goldmine for junkies or bounty hunters like us. With the market place of a lifetime in crowded streets. People called it the city of treasure and trash since there was just about anything one could find. Our ship was a crew of four, Peter, Riza, and captain Uzon. Then there was me, Val Lonel. I had one mission and one mission only. To find my brother. When I was young, there was a great war on my planet that separated us. I spent nearly 15 years looking for him,...

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The Bottle of Chaos 2.0

Submitted to Contest #67

“Why are we at the arms market at Frenoiby?” “Because you have been manipulated, Monsieur Zac Efron.” The sarcastic comment hit Zac like a rude slap. He was calm, collected and rational, virtues prized in the 28th century. His partner Doreen looked apparently the same to untrained eyes. Centuries of selective genetics have tempered the emotional traits, but Doreen’s ardent temperament bubbled dangerously close to the surface. Anyone spending a reasonable amount of time with her would certainly get a whiff of it, and Zac wasn’t the one to mis...

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A Pint of Moonberry

Submitted to Contest #67

“Moonberry, please, babe. I know it’s late but I am dying for that ice cream. Or at least baby is.” Rigel moaned as quietly as possible. Ice cream cravings past star-rise was a common request. Halley tried to keep her requests planetside but moonberry was her favorite. “Alright, darlin. It’ll be a while. Think baby will let you remain alive while I’m gone?” “Oh! Thank you, sweetheart. Just barely alive,” said Halley. Walking to the kitchen, Rigel filled a small mug from the jug of cold Coriolis coffee in the deepfridge. A bit of a ...

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Lucky Day

Submitted to Contest #67

"We should stop for fuel, Maddox." "We have plenty of fuel, Boom." The fuel needle reverberates close to E. Maddox Forge, intrepid space smuggler, looks to his anxious co-pilot Boomer. "I know that look, Maddox. I don't like it. What are you thinking?" "Quasar Six is up ahead. We'll fuel up, eat and sleep for the night there." "Are you crazy, Mad? Quasar Six is nuts, dirty, and I'll need a shower just from showering there. It's a seedy planet and I don't trust our cargo's not gonna get stolen. Besides, it's bad enough we're deflecting from t...

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