Patricia Stewart's "An Ounce of Prevention" (flash fiction, diplomacy, free)

It begins as a variation on the main scene in J Francis McComas' "Brave New World", but then moves in the opposite direction.

Story summary.

Humans are at war with aliens called Torellians. Then, during a routine meeting between the two sides, human ambassador Dorn plays a game that really puts the fear of humans into alien hearts...

Fact sheet.

First published: 365tomorrows, 7 December 2009.
Download full text from publisher's site.
Rating: B.
Related: Stories of Patricia Stewart; stories about diplomacy.

Patricia Stewart's "Mission Earth" (flash fiction, first contact, free)

Yet another variation of Damon Knight's "To Serve Man". And mostly a good read.

Story summary.

A tiny community of human survivors (post apocalypse) in South Africa is helped back towards civilization by helpful hominid aliens called "Leonians". Of course, aliens do have an unstated agenda of their own...

Fact sheet.

First published: 365tomorrows, 30 November 2009.
Download full text from publisher's site.
Rating: B.
Related: Stories of Patricia Stewart.

Patricia Stewart & J S Kachelries' "Phosphorousdimethylbenzaldpotassiumdicholoroethane" (flash fiction, global warming, free)

Fancy title is the name of a fictitious substance that when released in mesosphere helps breaking up much larger quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide into component carbon & breathable oxygen.

Now, years since this program was initiated, a man has found a dangerous side effect of this reaction...

Fact sheet.

First published: 365tomorrows, 2 August 2009.
Rating: B.
Download full text from publisher's site.
Related: Stories of Patricia Stewart.

Patricia Stewart's "Circle of Life" (flash fiction, grandfather paradox, free)

A lot of lives in a group are saved ... by 86 year old, but yet to be born!, son of the leader of the group!

Fact sheet.

First published: 365tomorrows, 9 June 2009.
Rating: A.
Download full text from publisher's site.
Related: Stories of Patricia Stewart; time travel fiction.

Patricia Stewart's "Triton" (flash fiction, first contact, free): How earthmen learnt of the impending doomsday...

This fast moving piece is about human first contact with small crab-like intelligent alien elder race from Triton, one of the moons of Neptune. They've been attempting to warn us about a major comet-impact disaster almost already upon earth.

Fact sheet.

First published: 365tomorrows, 4 January 2009.
Rating: B.
Download full text from publisher's site.

Related.

1. Stories of Patricia Stewart.
2. First contact stories (incomplete annotated list).
3. Doomsday stories.

Patricia Stewart's "The Votex of Youth" (flash fiction, time travel, humor, free)

There is at least one key parameter you must set correctly when you go time traveling on that shiny new machine...

Fact sheet.

First published: 365tomorrows, 17 December 2008.
Rating: B.
Download full text.

Patricia Stewart's "The Terraforming Equation" (flash fiction, business, free): There are opportunities even in a failure!

A bit heartless, but very interesting story.

Story summary.

The world "Chacopa" is being terraformed by Nu-Worlds, Inc. Now the project is about to be canceled because it has resulted in creation of some creatures that are reproducing exponentially. "They’ll fill the entire troposphere in under a year."

This makes the world unfit for humans, so company cannot make money selling homesteads; it's an investment that will have to be written off. But the smart accountant sees opportunity in failure...

Fact sheet.

First published: 365tomorrows, 8 September 2008.
Download full text.
Rating: B