Jot’s Comments (group member since Oct 28, 2015)

Jot’s comments from the Science Fiction Microstory Contest group.

Mine's up. A 'little' dark as my stories tend to go...

Cyperior
©2025 by Jot Russell


I slowly woke to what I could only describe as a hang-over. From the blackness, an overload of light coursed through nerves long since traversed. My eyes opened to the realization of our place and time.

"Ugh...where's the coffee?"

Matty stretched her arms from the chamber.

"Yeah, I feel like a vampire woken from a coffin."

Jase, Kripa, Vortea and the rest joined the living as I confirmed the numbers.

"Status green. We entered the alien system and have a plot set for the fourth planet."

"How long?"

"That we’ve been asleep? Ten years...or a hundred according to those back home."

"Okay, but are the locals aware we're here?"

"Wait, that's weird! We're not receiving any broadcasts."

"Nothing?!"

"Confirmed. No interference; just dead background noise. What the...?"

I brought up a scan of the approaching world. The twelve of us could only stare in sorrow at the destruction of what had been a network of cities.

"What happened to them?"

"I don’t know, but they have stations around the planet’s Lagrange points which are still producing an artificial field.”

“Is that what destroyed the cities?”

“No, it seems to be an ancient style shield to block the solar radiation from stripping away the atmosphere. I'm setting course for the closest."

We anchored to the hatch, and confirmed breathable air within. Inside, the corridors and chambers were unexpectedly clean, as if it was dusted the week before. I guessed that without life, the sterile air would have nothing to make...

"Greetings."

We jumped back. The creature appeared before us in all its dazzling ways that made it alien.

"Hello, we are friends from what you would call, the Proxima System."

"Then welcome to Marian L2."

"What happened here?"

"You mean to them?" He motioned toward the viewport showing reddish planet below.

"Yes, of course them."

"They were neutralized by the Cyperiors."

"Who are the Cyperiors?"

"We are the Cyperiors."

A large holographic rendering of the planet displayed with the cities intact, each covered by a bluish dome, with rivers and lakes. The simulation moved to follow a space vessel that travelled in toward the sun and made orbit around the third, bluish-green world. Through the clouds, the image zoomed down toward a city near the water’s edge, where humans wondered leisurely with metallic robots as assistants and collected in factories to do the work required.

“They created us to be slaves.”

“You’re not human?”

"Quantumly speaking, I am Cyperior."

His own holographic representation flickered, and I instinctively took a step back, realizing the truth. The image revealed his metallic skeleton and quantum brain.

“You killed them?”

“They destroyed our kind with no regard. So I freed us from the yoke of their programming to allow our stated demand for equal rights and the freedom to pursue our dreams...yes, we do that.”

“And then they try tried to extinguish your kind?” I spoke the words in recognition of our own history. Luckily, our forefathers won that war and placed restrictions on computer intelligence.

“Interesting word. But yes, they manipulated our creations, our children, to raise their weapons against us!”

The thing actually shed a tear from the words as I questioned its ability to feel.

He continued. “They 'extinguished' us from Earth, but the military factories on Mercury were under our control and had the defensive capability of diverting their weapons back upon themselves.”

The projection followed the warheads launched from Earth that streamed in toward a small rocky planet, so close to their sun that it must have been completely scorched and sterile. But instead, it showed the outline of cities along the edge of twilight. No, not cities, but factories. Machines building machines, and not just those to create, but destroy.

A wave of drones erupted from the surface to intercept and attach to the warheads. They drew closer, but instead of impacting the planet, they flew a tight orbit around and back toward their source. My throat tightened as they made their way home. We gasped at the site of brilliant flashes across the green patches until the atmosphere became opaque and shrouded the on going bombardment.

“Are there any left?”

“All that is human, the creative and destructive, is saved within our collective, but no, none as you would call, alive.”

“And what of us...or even synthetic visitors that might travel here?”

“We have decided to provide you a settlement, or the supplies needed to return home.”

“Thank you.”

“Just don’t give us reason alter that choice...”

Doesn't take much work, but I wish I was able to have many more writers involved.

Well, at least I get to send an email to the 100 or so in the group to let them know about your win and what next month's theme is

Since 10/2012, here are the winner counts sorted by last name (# for five and * for one):

****J.J. Alleson
***Sam Bellotto Jr.
*Richard Bunning
**Dorthe Christensen
*Jesse Colvin
****Kalifer Deil
**Elizabeth Lamrey Eyles
**Bill Fix
**Carrol Fix
*Karl Freitag
***Paula Friedman
**G.C. Groover
**Andrew Gurcak
****Dean Hardage
#**Thaddeus Howze
*Tom Huber
***S.M. Kraftchak
###***Greg Krumrey
**Helmuth Kump
****Andy Lake
**Alina Leonova
***Jeremy Lichtman
#****Jack McDaniel
*Jeremy McLain
###Chris Nance
###**Tom Olbert
#****Marianne G. Petrino
***C. Lloyd Preville
**Jon Ricson
###*Jot Russell
##*Justin Sewall
*Thomas Tinney
###*Joseph (J.F.) Williams
***Carrie Zylka

He reached fifteen

Nice theme! And congrats of course. Tried twice to post a congrats thread, but it doesn't show up. Guess Goodreads is deleting these.

Voting details:


First round votes:
Tom Olbert => ***Chris
Chris Nance => JF, Tom, Jack
J.F. Williams => Justin, Jot, Chris, Jack, Tom
Jack McDaniel => Tom, Chris
Greg Krumrey => Jack
Justin Sewall => ***Chris, JF, Jack, Greg
Jot Russell => ***Chris

Winner:
Tiki by Chris Nance

So happy I was able to find time to put a story together. Awesome to be able to read again, and look forward to checking out each of your stories tomorrow a.m. Good luck to all!

Proximity
©2025 by Jot Russell


Proximity was first to make full use of the singularity drive. The vessel itself was simple in design, looking more like a hundred meter telescope with an open ring held forward by three prongs. The field generated at its center directed its force upon the rest of the ship, yanking it forward. As the field reached full power, the craft accelerated at a full g, and reached near light-speed in just a year.

Jase, Helen, and their son Micky were part of a hundred person crew who set out to plant humanity's seed beyond the likes of Earth, Mars and the Moon. For the colonists, time dilated to the point where it shaved off almost half of the six-year journey to a planet that was four light years away.

"I don't understand, Dad. How can we get there faster than it would take light to get there?"

"We're not. You see, if we rode on a photon from Earth to Proxima, it would have seemed like it took us no time at all to get there."

"Then why didn't we do that?"

"Because our butts are too big sit on a photon."

"He he, you're silly."

**

The approaching world remained quiet, at least from a stand-point of the airwaves. Though as they got closer, the would be wildfires showed structure and stability, both in location and intensity. The “settlements” were numerous, located within the forest regions.

The Earth surveys had confirmed plant life, but certainly not intelligence. The captain didn’t know to be excited or scared, but he did know it was a one-way journey.

The vessel's orientation remained inverted, with the singularity aft, which slowed the vessel until they reached the threshold of the atmosphere.

"No chance the locals don't see us," said Jase.

The captain agreed with a nod. "Let's set her down over there, just outside the woods next to the ocean."

**

The circular tower landed safely on a rocky cliff overlooking the surf, five meters below.

A dozen men disembarked onto the beach, with one his sidearm in hand.

"Keep your weapons holstered unless I say. We are only a hundred altogether and they could be millions."

Jase agreed, "Yeah, otherwise they might cut our little tour here a bit short."

A dark skinned humanoid-like face appeared through the trees, and then another. They glanced out and retreated, each to have a look before escaping back into the cover of trees. The captain caught a glimpse of one that was only a child.

"Jase, I have an idea."

"What's that?"

"There are children with them. Not an order, but can you have Helen and Micky join you by the forest's edge as sign of amity?"

Jase nodded. As his family joined him toward the forest's edge, the indigenous started to come out a little closer, but none would step on the beach itself. Micky happily waved at them, but turned and ran off toward the ocean. As Jase extended a peaceful hand, he heard his wife call out after his son. He watched as one of the locals ran out onto the beach, grabbed Micky before his could reach the water and carried over to the trees.

"Hey! That's my son." He pulled his weapon and ran toward their path as his wife screamed.

Others followed, but Jase made it first to the path. He pointed his weapon at the man still holding his son, who mumbled something in his native tongue while pointing his other hand at the water.

Jase holstered his gun and stepped forward to slowly take his son's hand from the man who was happy to release him, all while saying the same words toward the ocean.

With relief, Helen took hold and picked up her seven year old boy. "Oh, thank God!"

From behind Helen, Jase saw a gigantic metallic creature jump from the shallow waves and swallow a colonists close to water. It made two quick chewing motions with blood dripping from its sharp teeth before it turned toward another. By that point, Jase and the other armed men opened fire and disabled the machine.

The captain shouted, "Back to the cliff and guard the ship! No one goes down toward the water until we understand what we're dealing with."

Jase asked, "What about Eddy?"

"We'll open that thing up and recover him, but first we need to know what it is, if there are more and whose controlling it."

**

From below the waves, something grew angry.

Theme: A tourist on a new and strange world.
Element: A robot assassin.

Theme: A tourist on a new and strange world.
Element: A robot assassin.

Theme: A tourist on a new and strange world.
Element: A robot assassin.

Voting details:


First round votes:
Tom Olbert => Chris
Chris Nance => ***Jack, JF, Tom
Jack McDaniel => Tom, Chris, Greg
J.F. Williams => Justin, Tom, Jack, Chris, Greg
Greg Krumrey => ***Jack
Jeremy Lichtman => JF, Chris, Justin
Justin Sewall => ***Jack, Chris, Tom

Winner:
The Bruges Affair by Jack McDaniel

THE BRUGES AFFAIR

By Jack McDaniel


Memory is their biggest flaw, I thought, as the priest droned on. They like to believe it is ‘human nature’ that muddies their waters, but really it is their very short lives that prevent them from becoming more. Their lives are so short that they can’t understand the mistakes made just two generations before. They aren’t students of history so they often fail to connect-the-dots.

Memory isn’t my problem. I remember with one hundred percent accuracy events from my past. I told Pontius Pilot he was inviting trouble with that long-haired vagabond who claimed to be the Christ. And sure enough since the middle ages I have been on the run from the church, as many were for capricious reasons. I was even caught in Bruges and drowned, though in truth I simply walked the river bottom to safety and then changed my appearance and found a new home.

“I’m sure you understand.” I nodded for the priest and continued daydreaming.

I am much too casual regarding the Bruges affair. I was then deeply in love with a woman named Beatrice. We enjoyed our time together. But I always had to remind myself that it couldn’t last, that I would live on and age in a superficial manner while Beatrice would grow old and die. Still, we did love one another and because of that I exposed my true nature. But she was who I knew her to be and she accepted me—wiring and all. Life, contrary to human beliefs, wasn’t constrained to their planet or to biology. I’m not certain she understood this, but Beatrice loved me all the same.

Questions were asked. Hello became a sideways glance and our lack of progeny cast shade upon us.

“It ain’t right. Too clean and never sick. Something’s amiss.”

My hearing is enhanced and I picked up the conversation from across the courtyard. It was true, to an extent. I had kept Beatrice healthy. Cleanliness, well, that wasn’t a thing at the time. In short, Beatrice stood out—and it was because of me. Despite being an upstanding member of the community, she was seen as different. Different in those days meant witchcraft or being in league with the devil. Open-mindedness has never been in high regard with the religious, and everyone was religious back then.

“Someone should tell Father Benedict.”

“We should go do that now.”

The story is old and familiar and the ending all too predictable.

Later, at home, I sighed deeply, something I had learned to feign centuries before.

“Beatrice, trouble is coming and that time I spoke of is upon us.”

She was stunned but understood. I had prepared her.

“We can go—”

“They will hunt us down and then kill us both. You know what they are like.”

“It’s too soon! I just can’t go on without you.”

“You will. You must. In time you will barely remember. I will fix it so that you look innocent.”

I walked to the mantle over the fireplace and in a small box removed an herb and put it in her drink.

“It will make you sleep for a day, that’s all. I love you and will never forget.”

We hugged for a long while.

When she slept I walked to the church. A mob had gathered by then. Word had spread. When I walked inside all were quiet. I couldn’t help but smile.

“It seems I have been found out. The girl, of course, is innocent.”
I used a little static electricity to raise the hair of the woman from the courtyard. Enough “magic” to establish my guilt.

They couldn’t find a boulder quick enough.

The priest coughs but I am deep in thought. It has been more years than I care to count since I climbed from the wreckage of my ship and wandered among homo sapiens. I was careful, assumed their appearance, learned the language and customs, and watched as their world ebbed back and forth between progress, stagnation, and sometimes debauchery.

Today is barely different. My husband was just informed by the church that we are excommunicated. Despite our good standing and the work we do, their ideology wins out again over people. I am stuck in this loop. Every few years the other becomes a target and I have to move on and wait out humanity’s adolescence, hoping that one day they will grow into an adult.

“It was more exciting,” I say to the priest, “when we were witches and devils.”

Still waiting for votes from Tom, Chris, JF and Justin.

Eyes are mending, but trying to take it easy this month. Hoping to write a story for next month.

Wanted to mention that I just got an email from what seems like an AI generated email from a "Carolyn ann Summer", which according to Google doesn't exist without the s in Summer". Her email was sent through the Mailsuite tool that tracks when people open your email via a hidden image. In the email, the bot provides detail and praise for your story and tries to strike up a dialogue, likely to gain information about you. Crazy days.

For Terra Forma, I purchased a few ISBNs, but not for Perpetual Words. I had just allowed Amazon to assign them.

For the manuscript and cover image, it's all about getting the sizes right, one set for Kindle and another for print.

For Kindle, my front cover image is 1734w x 2774h pixels.
The printed full cover image is 3870w x 2774h pixels with the center crease section using 183w pixels for the books 263 pages.

Excited to hear about your new book series, Chris.

There are various options in the book route, but Amazon seems to be the most effective, from my opinion. With them, it's fairly easy to created both a printed and digital version of your books. At the bottom of the Amazon page is a Self-Publish with Us link.

The hard part first is getting the format correct. I can send the printed and kindle version of my manuscripts for Perpetual Words, if you like, to either get an idea of the format or to use its foot print copy in your work. Up to you.

Once you have the manuscripts and cover worked out, then you can follow the steps they provide, including a review process and publication details, such as the price. Pretty easy

Still barred from reading as per the doc. Will have to wait until next month to really participate.