Verden Dotnet made an easy living mixing drinks for the creator of all sentient tech in the galaxy—until he decided to kill the creator. Now this man is dead, really dead, no cloud back-ups, and V-Dot is on the run, carrying a galaxy-shattering secret in his pocket. When he misses the last ship back to Ganymede, he convinces an old, outdated but still sentient ship, TR-8901, to give him a lift.But TR suspects that something is up—it is hearing rumours about his creator’s death, and ...

Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction, articles, interviews and art. Our December 2025 issue (#231) contains:Fiction* "Tomorrow. Today." by R.T. Ester* "Imperfect Simulations" by Michelle Z. Jin* "The Cold Burns" by Anne Wilkins* "The Hole" by Ferenc Samsa* "Between Here and Everywhere" by Robert Reed* "This Sepulchral Aegis" by Rob Gillham...

Verden Dotnet made an easy living mixing drinks for the creator of all sentient tech in the galaxy—until he decided to kill the creator. Now this man is dead, really dead, no cloud back-ups, and V-Dot is on the run, carrying a galaxy-shattering secret in his pocket. When he misses the last ship back to Ganymede, he convinces an old, outdated but still sentient ship, TR-8901, to give him a lift.But TR suspects that something is up—it is hearing rumors about his creator's death, and ...