Reblogged from Nicholas Rossis:

*** Read Infinite Waters for free on Kindle Unlimited ***

In April 2018, I posted my thousandth post on this blog. To celebrate, I started sharing here all my short stories. Every couple of weeks, I’ll be posting one story from my celebrated Exciting Destinies series for you to enjoy. With over 30 stories so far, I hope you’ll have lots of fun in the coming months!

This week, it’s “What’s in a Name?,” a story from Infinite Waters. Click here to read some more free stories.

What’s in a Name?

“That’s an unusual name for a ship.”

The man facing me across the table pulled the fat cigar from his lips, leaving it to simmer inside a round ashtray. Smoking is strictly prohibited on a spaceship, but if you are the ship’s owner I guess normal rules do not apply. His thick brows met in the middle, as if pondering my words. Why, I could not fathom —surely, this was the single most usual comment he heard? His jowls quivered as he pushed his chair away to stand up. Hoisting his trousers up, he adjusted his lifejacket and grimaced, as if in pain.

“It was a bet.” With a dismissive wave of his hand, he motioned me to follow him. “A stupid bet.” He sighed as he ran his fingers through thinning hair. “I lost.”

That much is obvious. “Are we going somewhere?” I asked politely and stood up. My recorder floated from the table to hover above us.

“I just want to show you around. I assume your viewers will want to know about the ship?”

I nodded my thanks. We weaved our way out of the smoke room and into the promenade deck. Reserved for the first-class passengers, this was not my usual kind of accommodations. My initial enthusiasm at finding out I had been sent on an assignment that allowed me to spend a week on a cruise around the moon had waned as soon as I heard the details. The lush accommodations, however, made me rethink my initial apprehension.

Continue reading at Nicholas C. Rossis.