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The Aphelion Daily Comics Page Don't miss a single hillarious issue of Bruno the Bandit, Freefall, or The Melonpool Chronicles! Check back every day for laughs from Aphelion's featured cartoonists!

The only constant is change.

All you can do is try to make things better than they were before.

Hard work, but very rewarding when you can pull it off. I think that the hard work is paying off now- none of the changes killed us, so we have become stronger! (Anyone know how to spell Nietchie? I don't, LOL) I find my mind going back to the everyday upheavals I've seen lately- big changes have come to everyone and left us all scrambling to cope. That's what I think that life is all about- the constant scramble to cope. When the first fish crawled out of the sea and onto a beach somewhere, somewhen- it was trying to cope with changes in its life at sea. Then it had to cope with learning to live on land. This air stuff is a whole lot thinner than water- got to learn a new way to breathe! When our early ancestors climbed out of the trees and began to walk erect they had to cope with new problems- the need for shelter, to feed their young, to communicate with each other, flat feet, fallen arches, and backaches from standing on their own two feet, preditors that couldn't reach them before... all the joys of modern life. But they adapted, they grew, they prospered against incredible odds- and the changes kept coming. Evolution is change, enlightenment is change- the very fabric of life in all its forms is the fact that nothing stays the same for long. You and I don't even expect things to stay the same any more- we've grown up (somewhat), knowing that what we see today may not be here tomorrow. And we know that's a good thing- 'cause something that doesn't change, soon gets left behind. Growth- of any kind -is change... You either cope, or get left behind.
Aphelion has grown into being like some kind of flower bed. It was a little rough-looking at first, but hard work and a little weeding have allowed it to blossom. Not to mention the fertilizer, LOL. I'm just proud to see that Aphelion has become an annual, rather than drying up and blowing away. I can only hope that it continues to be a perennial favorite! LOL!

OK, enough of the gardening puns. Back to the party! We're going to have a couple of special birthday treats in this issue; the announcement of a writing contest, a list of the stories that I've enjoyed reading most since Aphelion's first issue, and more fun stuff! Everyone grab a party hat, the punchbowl is over there- We have Champagne for those of legal age and sparkling cider for the younger set. Help yourself to cake, icecream, and all the other treats. When you're ready, grab a story and enjoy!

Dan

When the stories are published, we will pick what we feel to be the three best pieces submitted (ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of course). Winners will receive a prized featured space in the special issue and will also receive a graphic for their webpage or desktop wallpaper. The graphic will be provided by esteemed publisher Dan Hollifield and by notorious webmaven Robert Wynne.

Submissions for this special issue should be sent to shorts@aphelion-webzine.com and should be clearly labeled as entries for the Space Opera Contest. (DO NOT submit serials as they will not be affected by the contest.) Stories should be no less than 2500 words and no more than 10,000 words in length. All submissions for the contest must be received by May 20, 1999. Multiple entries will be accepted. Editorial review will be limited to technical issues only (format, length, spelling, punctuation, etc.).

The theme issue itself will be published in July 1999.

This contest is not open to the staff of Aphelion though their stories may appear in the issue if they choose to write one and if space is available.

So charge up those disrupter banks, let loose the dogs of intergalatic war, look out for the Grey Lensmen, and may the best beings win!

Selling a House of Evil on a Buyer's Market By C. Adam Scott Written by an atheist who thought that comments made while watching "Salem's Lot" would make a good basis for a story.	The Truth Will Set You Free By McCamy Taylor An old secret, an old ghost, and new technology.
The Ameribahn By Gregory Thompson Only the bravest and only the best can conquer "The Ameribahn."	If We Shadows Have Offended By Liz Martin From "down under," an homage to Shakespeare's "The Tempest."
Games People Play By Tony Ruggiero To the gods, we are as frogs to evil boys; they kill us for their sport...	Stick Boys By Jeff Miller It was a cruel, merciless existence. But it was the only life the boys had known.
Boots By John Gilmore A tale of a luckless astronaut and his malfunctioning mechanical cat.	Anatomy Lesson By Dennis Tallent Sometimes its what you don't know that can get you. A Mare Inebrium story.
Survivors from the Strippings By Frederick Rustam Inspired by the Daniel Hanequand painting "The Survivors."	The Bluesman By Jim Peters The Bluesman had the gift of touching souls with his music. A powerful weapon, indeed! A Mare Inebrium story.
Loose By Vasilis Adams A. Lucifer investigates a mysterious decline in business.

Waiting in a Stony Place By W. Fraser Sandercombe Fraser has a way of bringing characters to life on the page so that you actually care about what happens to them when the story is over.	A Man Shoots His Own Dogs By Bob Blacketer Bob's work seems to grab you by the throat and shake you. Strong emotions and convincing backgrounds are his specality.
Calling All Stars By Frederick Rustam Its always a delight to recieve a submission from Frederick- his stories are well thought-out, surprising, and wonderful.	Over the Hill By Jim Parnell A gritty little tale of cyberspace, detectives, and future crime- Jim proves that he's not just a top-flight musician any more.
Yesterdays Glory By Robert Wynne Rob's only Mare Inebrium story to date and the best example of how to add background characters to a Mare story. He even taught me a few things.	Language Barrier By Kate Thornton Kate's shuttle pilots come across as living, breathing people. They're as real as you or I and just as vital.

Dan's told you his picks. Which was your favourite? Let us know in the
Aphelion Survey!

Features

The Mare Inebrium shared universe project
I open up my own Spaceport Bar to other writers!

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