Snug Harbor

Copyright 2017, Steven M. Moore

                Not all the colonists awoke. Cryosleep had a risk that compounded over time, and almost two centuries is a long time. Adriana Cisternino-Cho had to decide whether to eliminate her husband’s name. James Cho had died in transit.

The exobiologist threw herself into her work as soon as she recovered in the huge ship that was in orbit. She didn’t want to think of the bodies that were spaced and sent to burn up in the new planet’s atmosphere. Others needed to visit the psychologists. She’d stopped going after two sessions. Nothing was going to bring Jimmy back.

The starship Vasco da Gama, the sixth colony ship a dying Earth had launched, had been assembled in LEO. It used standard technology developed over two centuries of exploring Earth’s solar system augmented in scale to match the size of the ship. The AI had kept watch over its cargo of a fifty-member landing crew and thousands of frozen embryos. They had parked the ship in orbit around the fifth planet of another system.

Only thirty-three of the skeleton crew had survived. Tests showed all the embryos were probably OK.

Dyads and triads had formed among the survivors who had lost their significant others. Adriana wasn’t interested. It seemed that only yesterday Jimmy and she said their goodbyes and entered their cryochambers. You knew the risks, girl. That doesn’t make it any more bearable!

Although the tests showed all the embryos were probably OK, she wondered about their future. If the planet wasn’t a feasible home for a colony, everyone would die, unless there was some possibility of reprovisioning the starship. Hundreds of more years in cryo? I’d rather die!

***

Two exobiologists were in the first shuttle party to zoom in on the planet, more of a survey crew that checked out five possible sites in more detail. They had done all the surveying and probing they could do from orbit.

“More land area than Earth confirmed. Mild climates are commensurate with axis tilt, but polar regions are stable. Oxygen levels in agreement with normal photosynthesis of local vegetation, which is abundant. Omnivore herds are plentiful in interior plains of continents.”

The AI summarized their findings ad infinitum. Adriana almost dozed. After it finished, Scot Cobb, their temporary leader, said, “Any comments? Adriana? Don?”

“We saw herds but no predators,” said Don Chang.

“That’s an oddity,” Adriana said in agreement. “There has to be some mechanism to control their numbers.”

“Food shortages?” said Scot. “When those strange grasslands are wasted, maybe the herds die off.”

“A possibility,” said Adriana. Why am I so agreeable? She didn’t buy Scot’s conjecture. I must be tired.

“There might be some lemming phenomenon,” said Don. “It will be interesting to study.”

“Will we be able to eat anything on the planet’s surface?” said Roberto McLane, an exogeologist.

“Let’s hear the AI’s ranking of the landing sites and see if we agree with it.,” said Scot.

(more…)

2035

Copyright 2017, Steven M. Moore

Regional Governor Ricardo Sandoval kept one eye on the protests in the NADA capital of Atlanta as he answered his videophone, the red one he generally kept under lock and key. It needed a thumbprint and voiced password.

His counterpart, Regional Governor Desmonda Bailey, appeared on the screen.

“Yeah, I’m watching. NADA’s propaganda machine is whipping them into a frenzy. I’m more worried about the massing of troops on our borders. Our only recourse might be the battlefield nukes.”

“A last recourse, but I agree,” said Bailey. “Our small forces would be run over by those fanatics.”

“At least NADA’s generals have two fronts to divide their forces, but you’re at a geographical disadvantage, Desmonda. They can roll across the Adirondack chain a lot easier than the Sierras and our other western mountains. Maybe the sanctions weren’t such a good idea.”

“Nonsense. Their Great Leader started paying attention when we voted them in. They were a logical first step for trying to make him come to his senses. I don’t know what our next steps should be, but I’m not about to let him and his hordes overrun our Region.”

“I’m with you on that. But my security team warns that they might take out our satcom. We have to be prepared to act unilaterally unless we can agree on something now.”

“Let’s define some plans, old friend. My people warn me this could escalate fast.”

***

The two leaders worked for an hour and a half, coming up with plans that both the Eastern and Western legislatures would pass given the emergency. They worked from scenarios already prepared and studied, originating in the collaborative defense departments.

When they finished, Sandoval told his aid to call for his limo. The trip to the capital was walkable, but the limo was used to keep his security detail happy.

During the trip, which took more time loading and unloading of security personnel on each end than travel time, he went through some historical antecedents he might include in his speech.

Things had gone to hell fast beginning in 2017. That contentious election for president had unleashed pent-up hatreds that had smoldered for years, even decades. Perhaps inevitable, he thought. Reasoned discourse went the way of the dinosaurs.

(more…)

The Interview

Copyright 2017, Steven M. Moore

                From his screened-in porch, Adam Hart heard the grinding gears. Someone wasn’t skilled in driving stick, but the driver was coming along the windy, gravel road leading to his cabin. He went inside, unlocked his gun case, and took the shotgun back to the porch and propped it up by the chair he had been sitting in. Nothing like disturbing my peace and quiet!

He’d been enjoying the bird calls, the sound of a woodpecker off in the distance, and an intimate dialogue with the rushing waters from a nearby brook. His sanctuary from the Upper West Side had allowed him to produce thirty-two books, most featuring his irascible detective Leo Goretti and his cop partner, Emily Durnin. Adam’s laptop sat beside him on the table, open and ready for action. It wasn’t connected to wi-fi—there was no internet service within miles. He liked it that way.

He soon saw the jeep was a rental with New York plates. The muddy entrance road had done its job of making the vehicle’s color indeterminate. A woman was driving. She stopped in front of the porch and stepped down, a tall, angular figure, and a younger version of his agent who had spent many years badgering him about publishing deadlines. He never met them. Never intended to do so.

Nowadays he’d prefer a comfortable small press or going indie where he’d represent more than substantial paychecks for editorial support staff and his agent. The big traditional publishers milked their big names all they could. He could still make money writing, but he knew a lot of new or less established writers couldn’t hope for that. When he used to give lectures to newbies, he’d always recommend never to leave their day-jobs until they won the lottery of having a bestseller.

“Adam Hart?” said the woman.

“Wrong cabin,” said Hart. “The roads are confusing in these parts. Bet you were using GPS. They regrade the road differently after every winter because the spring runoff does a number on them.”

The woman eyed the shotgun. “I just want to talk. Can I come up on the porch?”

“I’m telling you you’re wasting your time, but come on up. Door’s on the side there. Clean the mud off your boots and watch your step.”

(more…)

Anna Utkin

Copyright 2017, Steven M. Moore

            Anna Utkin shut the library’s main door, locked it, and headed for her car. Her little Honda Civic awaited to take her to her one-bedroom apartment in the complex three miles from the Oakwood Public Library where she had worked the last ten years of her life. She smoothed her blouse after getting into the car and thought about dinner. Tonight maybe I’ll have a glass of red wine because today’s dinner will be a Salisbury steak meal. She always bought her TV dinners on sale, so the glass of wine would be the most expensive item, a full-bodied cabernet sauvignon from California.

As usual, when she pulled into her parking space, she remembered nothing about the trip. She’d made that trip twice a day for years—the drive was always the same. The only day she remembered was when she was hit about halfway home by the stranger who ran the only red light along the route. The burly man had blamed her, but there were witnesses, one of them a cop who was parked and enjoying his coffee and donut. That accident was the most excitement she’d ever had in Oakwood.

People still frequented the library—some readers looking for big city newspapers, some looking for NY Times bestsellers they couldn’t afford to buy, and some who wanted to read older books they’d missed and couldn’t find anywhere else. There were few kids. Students wrote their “research projects” using the internet these days—some of them even got away with cutting and pasting, and many homework assignments for common texts had answers posted on the internet too. The millennials were more into their smart phones and laptops than books, preferring a summary of To Kill a Mockingbird found on the internet to actually reading the book.

She worried about the future of public libraries.  She didn’t know if the modern world really needed librarians or libraries anymore, but she loved her library and its books. She was also a voracious reader and donated the books she purchased and read to the library so others could read them. They were print versions, so she didn’t have room to store them in her apartment anyway.

She ate her TV dinner while watching the ten o’clock news.  She then placed her own laptop on the tray after wiping up a few spatters. I wonder if my profile is ready.  She’d always been curious about her ancestry and ordered a DNA report in order to find out something about it. As an orphan, she had no family tree available, so that DNA report would be a good starting place for finding one.

***

            Anna had been waiting seven weeks for the DNA results. She logged onto her personal page and smiled. She had her report online. She opened the file. The smile turned to a frown.
(more…)

[Dickens wrote the story “A Christmas Carol.” This is mine, and it’s dedicated to author Scott Dyson, who is mastering the horror genre quite well….]

Toy Story

Copyright 2016, Steven M. Moore

Curt Boggs’ coffee mug spilled its contents onto the Plainville Herald’s classified section. As he mopped up the spill, an ad caught his attention: “Hartley Mansion up for Sale.” He smiled as memories flooded into his mind.

He had left Plainville, Kansas for college long ago and never returned. His subscription to the newspaper followed him everywhere, though, even to the small Queens flat he now rented. The memories were mostly about Carol Hartley. She’d been a cheerleader; he’d been a fullback. A major knee energy in his freshman year at college had ended his playing days. The newspaper subscription allowed him to confirm every year that his football records in high school were never broken.

He wasn’t interested in buying the Hartley Mansion, of course. Even after Carol married Tom Rice and they moved into the family home—her parents were dead, weren’t they?—it was still called the Hartley Mansion. In high school, a lot of kids thought the old, rambling house at the end of Main Street was haunted. He knew better. Carol and he had made love in almost every room of that house, including her parents’. He couldn’t even remember what the father did. He was somehow rich and never home and mommy was always out shopping, often visiting the chic stores in Kansas City.

Would Carol be involved in the sale of the house? What had happened to her and Tom? He seemed to remember something in the Herald’s society page about ten years ago about their moving to Chicago. The classified ad had made him a bit curious this time, though. Time to revisit your roots, old boy?
(more…)

[In my blog posts on writing, I’ve encouraged wannabe novelists to choose journalism over an MFA if they believe they need some formal education on how to write (the key word is “formal”—they don’t). Considering this story, though, maybe an MFA is safer?]

Ride-Along

Copyright 2016, Steven M. Moore

                “Have you decided on a project yet?”

Danny Reid eyed Bert McAdams over his coffee mug. He didn’t like the burnt-toast flavor of Starbucks coffee, but the store’s location attracted students—several of his fellow journalism students had gathered around the table.

“Working on it,” Danny said, wiping latté froth from his upper lip—that was the only way he could drink the strong stuff. “What about you?”

“The UN is in session, so I’m heading over there to see if I can get a few interviews.”

“You’ll only get second- or third-tier diplomats,” said Connie Kingsley.

Bert winked at her. “I’ve got some leverage. My uncle is a security guard at a consulate and knows a few people.”

“It’s all about who you know,” said Danny with a grimace. “I’m at a loss.”

Connie, her dark brown skin glowing in the late April sun, smiled at him. Their eyes locked for a moment. “You could cover my aunt’s wedding with me. Maybe that will give you some ideas.”

Does that have a double meaning? Danny liked Connie but always figured she was out of his league. Her family was rich. His was poor enough that he wouldn’t even be in school if it weren’t for the low tuition and fees in the CUNY system.

“What about your dad?” said Ben Speyer. He was a sloppy, overweight, but brilliant Jewish kid and probably Danny’s best friend—Danny didn’t have that many white friends growing up in spite of New York’s touted diversity. “The NYPD must have lots of great journalistic stories.”

Danny’s father ran a precinct. Danny had only visited it a few times. He wasn’t close to his father because an early marriage had ended in a bitter divorce with his mother getting custody. “Mom wouldn’t like that.”

“You don’t have to hug or kiss the old man,” said Bert. “Just watch, observe, and write about it. That’s our term paper assignment in a nutshell.”

Danny thought for a moment. “Maybe. It’s about all I have right now.” He winked at Connie. “Besides a wedding. I hope you catch the bouquet.”

She smiled.

***

“Absolutely not!” Captain Carl Reid had been surprised to see his son’s face in the tiny screen on his phone. What he had proposed was even more surprising. “Our patrols can be dangerous. I might not be in your life that much—that’s your choice as much as your mother’s—but I still want to protect you.”

“I’m twenty-one. Three years ago I voted in the primaries and I just had my first legal drinks. I’m not interested in being a cop, but I want to be a journalist. Maybe a journalist specializing in crime stories.”

“Yeah, those guys get it all wrong most of the time. And you only voted in the primaries, not the general election.”

“My man didn’t win the nomination.”

“I still voted for the old woman. You slackers who didn’t vote are now stuck with the new guy.”

“It wouldn’t have made any difference in New York State, Dad.”

Carl sighed. They’d had that conversation many times. Some cops thought the new guy was good for law enforcement. Carl had his reservations.

“Back to your project. Can’t you choose something different, something safer?”

“Nothing will happen, Dad. You told Mom that many times when you were on patrol.”

“It usually doesn’t. But then you could have a nutcase who thinks killing cops is a great high and his civic duty. You never know when something will happen. Domestic disputes, weirdos high on some drug, bank robberies—it can happen anywhere in the five boroughs, you know.”

“Consider it job security,” said Danny.

“You mocking me?” said Carl.

“No, sir, I’m talking about my future job security. There’s plenty to write about.”
(more…)

[I just found another early short story…and it contains a poem! I won’t say when the story was written, but it has current relevance. It can be classified as shorts that are almost a speedo…but get rid of that image right now! Enjoy…]

A Singing Sadness

Copyright 2016, Steven M. Moore

                Mila Park walked slowly to the lectern. She preferred to be out on a dig, but her sponsors thought this find was important. As the South American Combine prepared for war with the North African Union, tensions everywhere on Earth were high. At the cocktail hour, some Combine and Union scientists had been exchanging angry words. How peaceful it is on an archaeological site light-years away!

“The title of my lecture is boring. ‘Insights on the Archaeological Excavations in the 82 Eridani System’ is simply the title of a recent paper I wrote. I’ll now give it a subtitle: ‘How a Civilization Can Destroy Itself.’” There were some stirrings in the audience. Several conference attendees looked at each other. “The finds offer a lesson for humanity in these troubled times.”

She put up her first slide. There were several gasps from the audience now. “What you see is a temple littered with skeletons. We didn’t have to dig much to find them, of course, but the entrance to the temple was covered by rubble. A nuclear warhead hit only half a kilometer away. Most of the city’s inhabitants on the surface were vaporized, of course, but we believe that those in the temple died from starvation or radiation poisoning—it’s hard to tell which ailment would get them first because we don’t yet know enough about their physiology.”

She took a sip of water and put up another slide. “Here you see one of the many documents we found inside the temple. As you may already know, these were a sensitive people who left great works of art—paintings and sculptures and beautiful architecture—but they also had a literary tradition. It is sad that this search for beauty couldn’t stop the descent into the madness of self-annihilation. The many documents in the temple provided much more than a Rosetta stone for our time. The ideograms are complicated, so a massive effort using a lot of computer power was needed to translate them. But once we translated them, we developed a pretty good idea about this people’s culture and what went wrong.”

She began a long summary of their findings, including the history of greedy groups vying for control of the planet. “Are there any questions?”

“Could you go back to that first document?” said a woman in the first row. “I know nothing about their language, but it looks awfully short. What is it?”

“A poem by one of that people’s greatest poets. It’s hard to translate poetry well, but here’s what she says:

My soul awakens.

All about me the stars,

Like signposts up ahead,

Marching into the distant past

And even more distant future…

I see them strangely.

And yet the Universe is me

And I am one with it;

And my soul feels the thunder of a thousand suns

While I am the seeker and finder.

Could it be otherwise?

Not until a singing sadness

Erases it all

And I and my Universe are no more.

That’s it.”

Mila saw the tears glistening on the woman’s cheeks. The rest of the audience was silent.

“It says enough,” said the woman.

In the following weeks, a popular singer/songwriter used the poem as lyrics for a song that blew up the pop music charts around the world.  Peace talks began between the South American Combine and the North African Union.

***

Aristocrats and Assassins. Detective Castilblanco and his wife go on vacation. They both see a wee bit too much of Europe, including a few royals who are kidnapped. Written before the Paris, Brussels, and Nice attacks, I don’t think anyone would say now that this is impossible. Maybe European security agencies should consider it a warning?

In libris libertas!

[Encounters with ETs don’t need to happen in space…and they could be a bit racy…For those of you traveling during this busiest travel time of the year, have a safe and easy trip!]

Emma5

Copyright 2016, Steven M. Moore

Chapter One

Mari fought to control starship Odysseus as it bit into the atmosphere. Alarms were sounding. The calm but irritating voice of Jason, their AI, still came through on her com implant, so she killed his alarms.

“Dip and dive!” said Hana. “We have to keep it from breaking up.” That suggestion was vocal, not via the embedded comset.

Gee, thanks, Hana, why didn’t I think of that!

“These damn things were never meant for planet-fall,” said Loku.

Yeah, someone else thinking I don’t know what to do.

“We don’t exactly have time for the escape pods,” said Mari, deciding not to waste time with biting rejoinders.

“Bring her down anywhere. Practically the whole damn planet’s ocean. We’ll worry about finding land later.” Loku checked skin temp. “If you have enough control, we’ll just make a big splash.”

They did. The ten-thousand ton starship created a small tsunami and then sank.

What the hell?

“Jason, why are the cargo hold’s doors opening?” Loku tried to counter the AI’s command.

“Damn AI thinks we want to abandon ship for some reason,” said Mari. “Some embedded protocol. It probably doesn’t understand water. Software glitch!”

“We’re sinking and filling with water,” said Hana, just before the control room’s sliding door buckled and the wave of saltwater hit her.

This is not the time to learn to swim, thought Mari as she fought to keep her head above water. Her next and last conscious thought was that they should all have been in their spacesuits. Three could be found in closets beside an airlock right beneath them. That might have saved them.

***

Mari awoke on a beach and felt something crawling on her face. She screamed and brushed off a small animal with eight legs. She sat upright and squinted at the planet’s sun.  Not a cloud in the sky. She studied the horizon. Where’s the ship? Did we somehow escape and swim ashore?

                She realized she was completely naked. The light clothes she had worn on ship were gone. She sat up, hugged herself, and noticed the curious welts on her torso. Did another sea creature save us? She was surprised at the thought. The planet was supposed to be devoid of any large life forms. Maybe her subconscious was telling her something.

She felt a rawness in her genitals, as if the Union’s portodocs had just given her a flight-check physical. She put that out of her mind, writing it off to the traumatic experience of somehow getting out of the ship and saving herself.
(more…)

[This one is just for fun: this bawdy of evidence suggests that time-travel is impossible. But who knows what happens in a parallel universe?]

The Apprentice

Copyright 2016, Steven M. Moore

            “You’re late.  I’ll buzz you in.”

Late?  I know that!

Jeff Langley’s car had broken down…again!  He’d had to call a cab, a trip that had cost him nearly all his cash.  He also expected the cops to tow the car—that charge would bankrupt him.  He wasn’t happy with the prospect of asking dear old Dad for money.  The I-told-you-you-needed-an-advanced-degree sermons were becoming tiresome.

The voice on the intercom had been garbled and hard to understand, but the buzzer sounded.  He walked into the old lab building, one of the oldest on campus.  Why the security?  He pulled out the slip of paper.  It had gone through one wash of his jeans. “Technical assistant wanted.  Must have experience writing code to connect and control different electronic equipment installations.  Inquire with Prof. G. Hoff, Brook’s Lab, Room 5H.”  He found stairs at the end of a dark corridor and began to climb.  Guess elevators didn’t exist when they made this building!

He knocked at 5H.

“Wait a moment!”  The voice was muffled.  There was a pause.  “Come on in. Take a seat. Not literally, of course.”

He looked around, but saw no one.  Rows of workbenches were covered with equipment and parts, tools, and takeout cartons.  “Professor Hoff?”

(more…)

[Fate sometimes brings people together in strange ways…]

Broken Lives

Copyright 2016, Steven M. Moore

                Max Phillips put his cellphone back in his pocket. Judy can be really annoying!

He knew his younger sister meant well, but the invitation to join him for a sail was for her and her husband, Mark. Now she was playing matchmaker and bringing along a female friend of hers!

He glanced around the sailboat. He’d have to clean up Wave Rider now. It was good enough for Judy and Mark, but he didn’t know how Judy’s friend would react. Is Judy setting me up with a blind date? He decided he should have said no and save himself a lot of trouble.

After returning from Afghanistan and to his divorce, he had bought Wave Rider. Weekends on the water seemed therapeutic, and his shrink encouraged them. His job had always been stressful, but at least it had waited for him when his National Guard unit went overseas. His wife hadn’t. There had been trouble before he left, though. He knew it wasn’t easy to be married to a cop.

He decided he needed to get some more food and drinks along with tidying up the boat. Sailing with a complete stranger with unknown expectations didn’t appeal to him, but he supposed that Eileen Barrows was OK if she was a friend of Judy.  It would still be awkward.

Curly greeted him at the little convenience store in the strip mall not far from the docks.

“Heading out for another day on the water?”

“You’ve got it. I need to replenish the supplies a bit. I’ll need an extra lifejacket. Judy’s bringing a friend.”

“Moe will have that next door.  Is the friend male or female?”

“Female.” He saw Curly’s raised eyebrows. “Yeah, she might be setting me up. She has this idea that I need a woman in my life. Been there, done that.”

“What about that partner of yours?”

“Helen? She’s happily married to a great guy. One of our MEs.”

“Didn’t know that. You went sailing alone with her the other day.”

Max frowned. “You’re looking for a scandal, aren’t you? I ride alone with her in a squad car too. I’m good friends with her husband. You’re like the media, man, looking to dredge up dirt.”

Curly raised his hands in protest. “Not me, man. Just sayin’. Some people might think it was strange.”

“Yeah, some people. Are you all out of those sea-salt potato chips?”

“I’m due for a shipment today. I’ll order more. They sell well.”

“I get them for Judy. She seems to think NaCl from sea salt is better than table salt. Buys water in bottles too. I’ve stopped arguing about it.”

“I’m not going to argue about it either. I make more money off both.”

***

Max just had time to store the supplies and clean up the boat before Judy, Mark, and Judy’s friend, Eileen Barrows came onboard.

“Mark and I will get us out of the harbor while you two organize some refreshments,” Max said.

“Hey, I thought I was going to practice my sailing skills,” said Eileen.

“Mark and I will organize the refreshments,” said Judy with a smile.

Gee, thanks. Max nodded at Eileen. “OK, sailor. Let’s get to it.”

She hauled up the anchor and Max started the tiny engine that would take them out to the bay. Once past the entrance to the harbor, they raised the sails.

“You can take the helm,” he said, taking one of the deck chairs.

She took over and seemed to enjoy the sun and stiff breeze ruffling her short reddish brown hair. Max eyed her. She didn’t have potential as a pinup or model, but she had that clean, all-American look that would turn heads in the city. And, even better, she didn’t have that come-hither look and swinging hips that characterized his ex.

OK, that’s the physical part. Do we have anything in common? “How did you meet Judy?”

“We’re both RNs. She took me under her wing when I started at the hospital. I’d been a housewife for a while, so it was good to have someone do that.”

“And your husband?”

She frowned. “Three tours. I lost him on the last one.”

Oh, shit! A military wife. Just what I need. “I was over there too. It was hell.”    (more…)