‘Verse: Skipping Stones
Length/Rating: 150 words, PG, Gen
Pairings/Warnings: None
Summary: She had skipped a hundred times before, bouncing back and forth on the colonial cargo runs.

She had skipped a hundred times before, bouncing back and forth on the colonial cargo runs. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but the slow orbital slingshots between skips gave her a good bit of time to herself. In the cramped living space she was free to tinker without the annoying interruption of roommates, family, and the social chaos they brought with them.

There was a contest, held every year by one of the larger robotic corporations, for a new generation of pets. Space travel had not gone over well with man’s companion animals, and there was a booming market for artificial fur.

Last year’s winner had been a floating hamster-like rodent that carried a belly-full of music, the year before it had been a color-changing mini-dragon. This year it was her turn, after one last skip and burn she’d be home with her carefully crafted prize in hand.

Skip.