RejectionBy Torn MacAlester Photo by Life Of Pix from Pexels “Deputy Miller, a serious situation has risen.” Alex said, cleaning a lunar beer mug as he spoke. “Like what?” Miller answered, clearly disinterested in the Conrad Station barkeep’s current crisis. She checked her watch. Miller knew Nils Carmike’s schedule like the back of her hand. He would soon […]
Category: Short Fiction
Lunadyne Incident: A Short Story by Torn MacAlester
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 […]
Directors and Malcontents: A New Vignette 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 malcontents that have no desire […]
Morgan’s Road: A Short Story by Torn MacAlester
Morgan’s Road a short story by Torn MacAlesterMorgan’s Road, a short story by Torn MacAlester Graphic by Shannan Albright Making a living on the Moon is not for everyone, but Nelson Carmike actually preferred the airless basalt plains over Earth’s windy prairies. Unfortunately, three years of Moon prospecting left him penniless, and without funds for […]
Clash of Titans: a Vignette 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 […]
874: A New Vignette by Torn MacAlester
I headed along the beach. It had been at least ten hours since we had run aground. We had agreed that going into the interior of the island was unlikely to be useful. The jungle would hide things too well for us to find. The beach, however, would eventually reveal signs of civilization somewhere on […]
Decisions: A Vignette by Torn MacAlester
Another Plot: A New Vignette by Torn MacAlester
“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 […]
Commander: A Vignette 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 […]
Golf and Outgassing: a short story 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 […]