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Kristine Kathryn Rusch

12 free-to-read stories indexed on Quasar

Inhuman Garbage

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2015 Novella 25,300 words

A young woman is murdered in Armstrong City, Luna, and both the police and organized crime want to understand why. Captivating.

Death Benefits

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2024 Novella Science Fiction 21,945 words

"You see them, the shadows, everywhere. They look like the person you knew, maybe someone you were related to, maybe someone you loved. Always someone you lost. But they aren’t that someone. That’s the infuriating and the comforting part. They can’t be...

Joyride

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2018 Novella Space Opera 18,409 words

A Fleet training ship passes close to a “scrapheap” of abandoned ships, and Teenage Nadim, leads a group of his friends to “borrow” a scout ship and check it out.

Lieutenant Tightass

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2018 Novelette Space Opera 12,872 words

Coop is eager to make a difference in his first mission as a new lieutenant on a search-and-rescue ship, but the rest of the crew doesn’t seem to work very hard or care very much, and they definitely don’t appreciate his meddling.

Proof of Concept

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2024 Novella Science Fiction 19,820 words

"Orli staggered out of the door of her suite, her workbag over her shoulder, her hands shaking. The back of her right shoe had crumpled under her heel after she’d slid her foot into the supposedly comfortable loafer (lies, all the claims about comfort here...

The Nameless Dead

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2023 Novelette Science Fiction 12,813 words

"I like to think I was kidnapped. I like to think that some thugs grabbed me, and tossed me into their ship, and I ended up here six months later, through no fault of my own. I like to think that, but the records show something else entirely, and my memory...

The Break-in

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2023 Novella Science Fiction 27,579 words

"Olina preached respect. Respect for the culture, respect for the people, respect for the problems that might lie ahead. She had headed dozens of recovery teams, successful and unsuccessful. The successful ones succeeded because they practiced respect. She...

Rocket Girls

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2022 Novelette Science Fiction 8,888 words

"Serious spacers don’t parade around their starships half dressed. Or wearing tight clothing and heels so high they could puncture a floor. Serious spacers wear no make-up, don’t dress their hair, and never ever ever wear jewelry. Serious spacers hate girl...

Alien Ball

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2021 ShortStory Science Fiction 6,459 words

"They have three arms, one of which, when they play against us, they tie behind their backs. They’re short and squat and look more like the basketball writ large than any kind of basketball player. They can’t dunk or even run very well. But when they play...

Maelstrom

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2020 Novella Science Fiction 21,373 words

"One hundred and fifty years ago, before plans for the star port on Ius Prime were finalized, ships launched out of Ciudad Orilla on the northern-most edge of Yaguni. One of those ships, the Maria Segunda, took off on a Monday to explore the rim of the...

The Rescue of the Renegat

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's 2018 Novella SF Adventure 22,034 words

A badly-damaged Fleet ship of long-obsolete design appears out of foldspace. There seem to be 200 people on board, but they’re not trying to communicate. Captain Dauber has to try to rescue them, even though it may be a trap.

The Test of Time

Kristine Kathryn Rusch Lightspeed 2026

Jacey Watkins’s fingers were shaking as she stared at the five remaining questions on her Advanced Temporal Disruption Midterm. She was already exhausted from responding to ten “short” essay questions. Now she hit the “long” essay questions and as she read...

Near FutureMentorshipMidwest USA