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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of science fiction short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

7310+ Science fiction Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Whether you’re looking for daring space battles or chilling “what if” glimpses of the future, you’ll find what you’re looking for in our collection of free science fiction short stories.

Science fiction Short Stories – Page 486 of 488

The First Man Stuck on Mars

Submitted to Contest #8

One decision can really change it all. The name’s Michael Morrow. The Michael Morrow. I am currently 28 years old, a single dad, and I’m currently working as an astronaut for NASA. I’ve been working with them for a while now. Tomorrow, I have a mission directed to the planet Mars. I’ve done several missions before however, I’ve never been to Mars. It’s going to be new. A brand new environment. A brand new place to explore. I’ve been assigned to report anything at all. Any suspicious behavior, new substances, new organisms, anything. They’ve ...

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The Last Five Minutes

Submitted to Contest #8

    Most spaceships are designed to give their crew members several flashing warning lights or perhaps a blaring alarm before dropping out of the sky, but my lucky streak just so happens to land me in the only one that isn’t. Here I am, hurtling towards a planet at speeds that will crush me and my crew on impact, and not a single red light to speak of. Even the little "check engine" light next to the gas valve remains stoic and dark. Insurance is never going to cover this damage.    Calypso, our wonderful comman...

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Cat to the Chase

Submitted to Contest #8

Thirteen moons glittered down from the smog-packed sky.  Their silvery light cast ethereal glows across the glass sidewalks and streets.  The purple gas trapped below their feet danced and spun like living creatures. As polluted as Neptune was, still beauty could be found.  Of course, Ace Lowell was too busy to seek out the beauty of his home planet.  He had a job to do. His nineteenth birthday.  This had been the day he had tossed and turned over each night.  This was the day his dream was finally supposed to c...

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Accident on the Waterloo

Submitted to Contest #8

The alarm klaxon in this section of the ship was abnormally loud. It made Zander's head feel like someone was peeling it open. Doing her best to ignore it she pushed off from the hatch and floated weightless down the corridor. Before she got to the other side the ship unexpectedly lurched, probably under maneuvering thrusters. She was slammed into the wall and pinned against it by the momentary acceleration. Pushing off again she struggled to make it to the next hatch. The engine coolant was slowly moving closer and the living quarters would...

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Space Camp

Submitted to Contest #8

“What time is it? “No time in space, mate”Kian rolled his eyes and turned from the cockpit to face Cassius. “I know that,” he said with exasperation. I mean on Earth. I want to see if I can get a last radio transmission out to the kids before they get to sleep. We’ll be out of range by the time they get up for school.” Kian yanked on the bar above him and floated out of his seat in the rear of the cabin. He floated forward, as though swimming, to a console between the cockpit and cabin, the electronics glowing blue and orange. “Looks...

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Nebula in the Deep

Submitted to Contest #8

Her muscles seemed to tense with every chime of the warning alerts; proximity, fire, and power failure alarms each ringing in their own distinct tone and pattern. As the captain called out for a report on every station the voices went from stern and confident, to shouting and chaotic. Venturing into the cerulean and fuchsia mixed cloud, the crew of the ISS Condor had no idea what to expect. The observation windows were useless as the clouds covered the ship like thick cream. The current of plasma that comprised the beautiful anomaly clung t...

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Space Desert 101

Submitted to Contest #8

We crash landed about eight months ago. It’s only an approximation because I’ve lost count of the days. The crew split up the first time someone mentioned cannibalism casually as if were an option. None of wanted to become the next textbook Donner Party.  Now I spend most days discovering new species to observe their main form of sustenance, and then I typically mimic them by eating whatever they couldn’t finish. The lizards know where all the good stuff is. There are a couple of mammal-looking creatures that are covered in hair and te...

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Astro Naught

Winner of Contest #8 🏆

“It’s okay, Ground Control. I know you did everything you could.” Charles sat at his desk, staring at the blank screen. Nobody said a word. There was a slight hissing of static. He swallowed hard, and there was an audible click in his throat. His mouth was dry. His heart was thudding intensely in his chest. Charles felt as if someone had fastened a belt around his torso and was gradually pulling it tighter and tighter. After what seemed like an eternity, Stan broke the silence. “Come in, Pete.” The static hissed. “Pete. Come in.” Hhhhhhhh. “...

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A Woman's World

Submitted to Contest #8

Robert remembered the sensation of falling. He remembered the feeling of cold dread as the engine stuttered and died and his stomach dropped through the floor. He could never forget the look on his colleague’s face as the colour drained from him and his skin turned paper white.            He didn’t remember plummeting through space, searing through the planet’s atmosphere, or the deafening landing. His colleague, Martin, hadn’t been knocked unconscious and had managed to pull him from th...

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Hazy New World

Submitted to Contest #8

The darkness was so different in space, when I opened my eyes all I could see was the blinking red light that reminded me it was time to get up. I rolled back and forth, with the sun being millions of miles away it was harder for my body to wake itself up even though this one was the day my entire life was going to change. I pushed the red button and the dark rectangle that looked like any other wall with nothing on it phased away and Saturn appeared. The button was now green, and I yet again got to wake up to see Saturn instead of the Sun. ...

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Nothingness.

Submitted to Contest #8

Her hands ghost against the Paine of thick glass separating her from the void, infinite nothingness as far as one could look in the pitch black reach of death's gaze. the only thing stopping her from being scooped out into its frigid embrace was metal. Metal  and wires, a rib cage made out of nuts and bolts, with nothing but cold surfaces and sharp edges welded together that encapsulated her and the rest of her crew.She almost forgets to breathe, her lungs twisted up and tangled with a combination of unfiltered elation and deep sea...

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Finding love in space

Submitted to Contest #8

It’s year 2155 and I’m living on Venus. We travel with space ships from one planet to another. Woman live on Venus and man on Mars, so in order to meet each other we go once a week on Jupiter. The purpose in my life is to find the love of my life. What a cliché, right? But I can’t help it if I’m a hopeless romantic. Sometimes I think that I would never find him and I will live alone till I die. The day to go on Jupiter came and I was ready to meet the love I was waiting for the past 50 years. All the girls took a seat in a spaceship and we w...

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Gisoo, the last-born human in the New Dark Ages

Submitted to Contest #8

Please sit and bear with me as you read this. In an immense amount of time from now. Not millions of years or billions of years from now. But two times ten to the power 36 amount of years. That's a two undecillion years or 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years. A point when the stars will shine no more. The new dark ages of the universe. During the new dark ages, the final black holes evaporate, the last of the iron stars float in the void, the galaxies have all fallen apart, and proton decay threatens to dissolve the univ...

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Pondview, East Carolina

Submitted to Contest #8

adventure, noun an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous experience or activity I never expected anything exciting to happen to me in the small town of Pondview, East Carolina, but with my luck, it was inevitable. Well, I guess my luck isn’t all bad, considering I didn’t die. An adventure seemed like something anyone would want when they were bored, but this kind of adventure was something nobody wanted. July 4, 3020 was supposed to be a day to celebrate our country. Instead,...

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space fire

Submitted to Contest #8

Chapter 1How to become a rich man after being stuck in prison for seven long, excruciating years.  As Peter blankly sat on his bed inside of his incommodious five-foot-by-five-foot maximum security jail cell, complete with sparking electric fences and menacing guards surrounding the whole cell, he began to throw random objects at the electric fence, watching them slowly burst into miniscule flames and leave trails of smoke until finally fizzling out.  Out of boredom and an act of defiance against the orders of guards and the king, ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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