Lunadyne IncidentY+28, Day 1: “You, in the jail,” the voice said over the intercom. Sheriff Del Anderson stood and switched on the voice channel. Del watched the warped video of the shady figure in the hallway outside the Sheriff’s office. The facial recognition software failed to place the individual. Either the man wasn’t in the […]
Category: Short Fiction
Diamonds: A New Vignette by Torn MacAlester
Nils departed Conrad Lunar Station, driving his pressurized crawler. He imagined the station would become the hub of lunar activity associated with the Lunadyne Corporation. His hab wasn’t far off, allowing him to be away from the center of activity and on his own. The whole point of his being here had been to build […]
Vignette: Clash of Titans by Torn MacAlester
Clash of TitansPhoto by Valeria Boltneva from Pexels Clash of Titans by Torn MacAlester . “I see you’ve bought K‑Systems,” said Morris Mason to his son Mark as he raised a glass in a mocking toast. “I thought this was a casual dinner, not a business meeting.” Mark growled, wiping his scarred chin with a […]
Antares: A New Vignette by Torn MacAlester
After examining his offices in the L5 station, Mark Mason ultimately determined that he was pleased. The O’Neil cylinder was years away, so the tiny space made sense. At first zero G disagreed with him and he feared he would need to abandon his quest. He built Selene Corp for the quest, but the Moon […]
Cycle 3: A New Story by Torn MacAlester
From his Texas Office, Nils fell into the routine since they landed the remote-control crawler on the lunar surface. For about two weeks, he’d work nearly fourteen-hour days. Then once the sun had set on the landing site, he’d spend the next two weeks relaxing and working only a couple of hours a day. He’d […]
Vignette: Directors and Malcontents by Torn MacAlester
Directors and Malcontents by Torn MacAlester“I’ll say it one more time. Johnson and Carmike are not coming back!” the Director said. “They left the space agency. It’s over. Why are we even having this conversation about them? I can’t believe I will spend my Saturday making a case for us to try luring back two […]
Vignette: Another Plot by Torn MacAlester
Another Plot“Milt,” said Mary, tired of the conversation. “You didn’t really want to be an astronaut?” “No, it was a means to an end. Nothing more.” “I wish you wouldn’t antagonize our brother. He scares me.” “Morris is a fool,” Milt said. “A dangerous one. “True, we cannot underestimate him.” “Then why all this messing around […]
Vignette: Decisions by Torn MacAlester
DecisionsDecisions Y+13 Nils heard Katie enter the room as he finished typing the letter and sent it to the printer. He’d been using the back bedroom as an office ever since they had moved to Houston. He’d set up a communications center in the room so that Katie could keep in communication with him whenever […]
Vignette: Commander by Torn MacAlester
CommanderImage by Torn MacAlester using OpenSim By Torn MacAlester The events in the crater weighed heavily on Nils Carmike. He nearly killed his commander, Mose. It was an accident. Though, he felt defeated as he stared out the Moon-ship window, looking at the crater where it occurred. “I need to put you on this […]
Short Story: Golf and Outgassing by Torn MacAlester
Golf and OutgassingGraphic By Shannan Albright A sixty-year-old Moon mystery prompts Colonel Annie Macturner to make a risky decision. Intrigued by an interview designed to manipulate, Milton Johnson, a candidate that conflicts with her highly distinguished military background, is selected as her crew-mate. Can Annie solve the landing site mystery and unravel Milton’s enigma before […]