The prank call


Sontam surveyed the desolation around her.She was responsible and she knew she would have to answer for it. It had all started with a conversation on her communicator. She was quick to answer it. The caller had been peculiar....oddly sexless, or she couldn't tell if it was a man or woman. There was no inflection of the voice on the line. The caller said "We wanted to ask you to inform the authorities to set up a welcoming committee". She said "Who's speaking?". The caller had continued as if she hadn't spoken "It is of vital importance. Life and death of many people hang in the balance". 

She asked them to repeat the message.... no reply. She asked "Where should the welcoming committee meet you?". The voice had said "In your house". She blanched. Who was this? What did the caller want?. She said clearing her throat "I need to know more, or I can't keep speaking to you". The voice said "We got your message -the authorities will know. It included your location". Sontam had to keep from screaming "What message?. You are not being clear!". The voice seemed to be disembodied "The one you people sent out. What did you expect?". 

She decided since it was close to April 1, this was probably a prank call. She said "I'm sorry I can't help you. Please call the authorities yourself". She shut her communicator with a bang, angry with herself for being drawn into this prank conversation in the first place.

Huey, her husband, had called her some time later..... There had been some UFO which had blasted the police headquarters and administration buildings downtown. The UFO had moved closer to the outskirts and blasted buildings systematically. There had been no attempt at communication. She knew then, she should have said something. It was all her fault. She shivered as she called the President's office, her hands trembling .......

The Circle - Flash Fiction
The first night on Certys was something Kelso was not looking forward to. He was already sick of this planet, and he had barely been here for 20 hours. The long day made it seem even longer as he fiddled with his backpack, it was time to set up camp at last.


The trip from the Hygens system had taken longer than expected. Running into a ship which was clearly alien in construction had been unexpected and caused him quite a headache. Besides a busted fuel line, his ship had careened off while moving at FTL. The results were dramatic. The ship unpeeled like a ripe fruit.


Certys was a haven on the way back home. He had expected better facilities. But he had got none. People seemed completely uninterested. Then there was the Circle - the alien ship which had attacked him without warning. It was composed almost entirely of gravity waves - exotic stuff which he could only have detected on the sensors. The alien ship was responsible for all the damage to the fuel line and the compounding effect due to travelling at FTL.


He would have been dead if not for his high density carbon body. It needed no suit or repair or comfort. He giggled inanely as he thought of the advertisement "Resistant to death and destruction". It had been a close call.


But the scenery in Certys could have been better!

Dinner on Cassitos - A Flash Fiction story

Three days into the invasion, humans were exhausted and repelled from what they had seen. After they had annihilated most of aliens on Cassitos, it was relatively easy mopping up the balance civilian population. What they did not realize was that the aliens were very unlike humans.

It all started when they had sent a peaceful mission planetside. The aliens had been very welcoming and friendly. Things had progressed rapidly after that until some of their customs became apparent to the visiting human delegation.

Xenophobia had spread on Earth; the aliens had actually eaten the ambassador and his entourage. It was their custom on Cassitos to make sacrificial offerings of tribesmen from another clan, and they had just assumed...

The response by the humans had surprised and shocked the aliens. It had repelled them. Things had taken a nasty turn after the first wave of attacks. The aliens were intelligent enough to realize it was a cultural mistake. They had apologized. It was already too late....

Sands of Time

Opening the blisters of his ship Jester looked at the landscape around him. He was in a time machine. Or more accurately in a faster-than-light ship. Bending spacetime made it such an amazing journey that it made his head spin.

He jumped off his ship and wondered if he could think of a time when he was born. He remembered this life as far back as he could. He adjusted his dark suit, built for the incredible accelerations and the cold vacuum of space.

He was the last of his kind. Humans. When the solar system had got annihilated by another wayward star, he and his ilk had ridden out of the black hole - a convoluted sense of history enveloped them all. Of those who would survive, they would have to figure out a way to breed. Any other outcome was unthinkable.

He waited for Sera. She was in a similar ship. He had no way to communicate with her, but she was his only hope. He looked at the center of the Galaxy spinning wildly. The moonlet he was on provided an incredible vista. Spacetime was running out. Praying that his journey was not wasted, he sat on the rock and stared blindly at the cold beauty of the universe.

My Flash Fiction Story (Nine Lives)

The path turned treacherous as Kat flew along it in her stolen Druux freighter. It was strewn with stars. Billions and billions of stars. And in the center was the angry supermassive black hole Vartax. It seemed to glare out at her, the only clue to spoil it's perfect disguise were the steams of matter pulsing out of the center which pushed away other stars like so much confetti.

At the center of the whiteworld galaxy Vartax seemed to call to her. The Druux freighter seemed to urge her onwards, accelerating rapidly as it swept along the path, using the gravity wells of stars on their path, eating greedily from their bounty. Sweat beaded her forehead as the ship moved into the most crowded part of the galaxy. Here stars jostled for space, often cannibalizing one another as they fought for dominance.

She held the joystick for dear life as she noticed the stars spinning close to her, their orbits around Vartax were rapid - too rapid. At some stage she would be annihilated. Her options were limited, she couldn't turn back, a Druux squadron was close on her heels. 

She pressed on, drawing ever closer to her death.

Orange Rock

After over 4 months, my next book "Orange Rock" is out. It is an adventure - and you will find amazing plot twists and turns even though its set in the near future. I truly believe that this is a book which will resonate with my readers . Do take a look and let me know how you like it!

Comments recieved on my book

Recieved your comments on my book 'The Final Colony'. Thank you for your comments. Nothing gives an author more pleasure than to know that readers have enjoyed the book written for them. Look forward to hearing more!..... LP

The Power of Google +

As a first-time author I've been looking at creating a strong social network. I happened upon Google + and was astonished at the response I got. The people I have added to my circle have been extremely supportive and amazingly fun to correspond with. A big thank you to all! ..... LP

Writing my next short story

My next short story is in progress. I'm still working on the title and cover art. Since I've already handed it to my Editor, I'm hoping to be out with it soon!

If you haven't read 'The Final Colony' as yet....

It's a short story about the PXY whose interstellar travels carry them to the far-off Yezz star system. The Synopsis is included for you...."From the pen of brand-new author Lacerant Plainer, a science-fiction enthusiast and connoisseur, this is a story that is an homage to the finest traditions of science fiction writing. At first glance, the story is about intrepid and gallant space travelers, scary and incomprehensible aliens, and the challenge of navigating successfully in an unimaginably vast universe. At its heart, though, it is about the romance of space, the arrogance of ‘intelligent’ species, and the mystery of life. But over and above all this, it is a crackling good read". Do let me know what you think of it!..... link enclosed... LP.http://www.amazon.com/Final-Colony-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B006JVK888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324016772&sr=8-1

The Final Colony

Was fun writing this short story. Thank you everyone who made it possible. Special thanks to my family and my Editor!