First contact is one of the mainstay themes of science fiction. In fact, it would not surprise me if it was the most common theme in all science fiction. To the scientist in me, I’d like to understand many of the aspects of first contact and figure out what the most likely case of contact […]
The Boardroom: A New Vignette by Torn Macalester
Mark Mason glanced at his phone. The messages were still in the positive despite the board taking their time. The dragging of feet favored his father, Morris Mason. If Mark was going to wrest control of the company from him, now was the time. Morris had out maneuvered him several times before, but this time […]
The 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 […]
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 […]