Author: markswritingcorner

Mark Ahern was born in 1979 and is from Ireland. He attained a Degree in Commerce from UCD in 2000 and a Masters in European Studies in 2001. He has written three novels to date encompassing science fiction and thrillers. At times Mark has used his experiences as an individual with a disability to write from a truly unique perspective. "Chronicles of Martan" which is his sole science fiction work to date, is an epic space odyssey inspired by his love of Star Wars. This was followed by "Not the Usual Suspect" and "Paradigm". His current project is called "The Irish Ripper" and should be available late 2019.

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (19)

The days passed and Timothy and his troops grew to know what was a new world. Timothy was continually impressed. It had progressed beyond anything that he had expected. The only thing that bothered him was most of the progress was made after the Emperor’s grip on the planet had been loosened. This was not the way it way it should be. It was thought that the Emperor was the savior of humanity.

It was something of a shock that women were now treated on a par with men. In the latest wheelchair wars, they tried to reduce the bloodletting as much as possible. The poor’s health needs were met almost as much as those of the rich.

The Emperor’s ship had never left orbit. He sensed the nervousness of the people. They feared his return only slightly less than that of the impending Tyranid invasion. On a trip to the surface, he saw people pointing to its proximate location in the now blue sky.

He wondered if one of the Gods of Chaos was at work in the World but they were far from the Warp and the telepaths among his troops sensed nothing. A terrible truth dawned on him. They were doing better due to the Emperor’s absence.

He decided to rid his mind of such thoughts by focusing on the planet’s defense. After learning more, he was now quietly feeling more confident.

The planet had multiple lines of defense. The first was its multiple-battery orbit guns dotted around the planet. They were the best Timothy had ever seen. Almost too good. Who were they to be originally used against?

Then there was the planet’s federal army, which consisted of a land force, a navy, and a space force. The best troops in the land forces were modeled on the Space Marines and had undergone body augmentation and were fitted with the best lasers and blasters that money could buy.

The navy consisted of hundreds of battleships, aircraft carriers, and corvettes. The space force had nearly a thousand advanced fighters but no large ships.

There was also a territorial army, a large reserve force containing millions of men, albeit much more lightly armed with mostly machine guns and rocket launchers.

Finally, there were the militia. These had the poorest equipment and consisted of the young and old who were able to fight.

Now, it was a matter of finalizing exactly how the planet’s defenses would be used with the planet’s President.

Galway Girls (Part 28)

“Just be careful,” Bianca said quietly, “I wouldn’t like to see you getting hurt.”

The conversation was getting all too serious now so I mischievously brought up her Garda guy. He was older and usually only met her late at night..

“So, what about your Garda fella? Still on the radar?”

“Oh, the less said about that, the better.”

Tony couldn’t help but chip in.

“No booty call so?”

“Would you fuck off?” she replied to our laughter.

With our cappuccinos and scones finished it was time to make the short trip back to the office.

It did give me pause for thought. Was I just setting up myself for a world of pain?

What sort of life could I offer her anyway?

I need not have worried, I still had a few hours of scrolling through spreadsheets to look forward to.

Later that evening as I relaxed in front of the television I texted Lizzie.

  • So what are you up to?
  • L: Working late. Hope you are good x
  • Yeah, I’m grand. What do you work as anyway?
  • L: Trainee solicitor.
  • What a clever girl. Better try to keep hold of you. Lots of dosh lol
  • L: I will probably be replaced by AI any day now lol
  • Thinking of you a lot xx
  • L: Coming to see you next Sat. Arrive at 2 pm. Meet at your house. That ok?
  • Excellent xxx

My heart throbbed. She was coming.

Pegasus (Part 52)

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen such a shoddy ship before. How is it still even functioning?” I replied dryly.

Tabitha looked at me wide-eyed and then replied, “It must be a scavenger ship. I’ve heard about them. They bring goods of all types from one habitat to another for the lowest possible price. Many of the first-generation ships ended up getting purchased for this purpose and it was said that some of them are still out there. Scavengers have a very bad reputation for violence and I was told never to let my guard around them. There was one story about a group of rebels who asked to let them hide in their ship. The Scavengers said yes but they were not heard of or seen again. You ever hear about them?”

“No nothing. But the media and everything else were tightly controlled in my habitat so that might not mean much.”

A siren went off in the ceiling corner. We both froze. There was a scurrying sound coming from outside and instinctively we rushed behind some of the metal containers. The scurrying noise grew louder before receding away. Then the siren stopped.

I glanced at Tabitha knowingly.

“The siren is a summoning device. Come on, let’s see where they went.”

But she gripped my arm tightly.

“We have to see what’s going on. We’re not on the right ship.”

She let my arm go and nodded in agreement.

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (18)

The name caught him off guard and he merely nodded in agreement. He looked around and could not see the face of his enemy. And anyway, the Tyranids had to be stopped. Surely, this would be the will of the Emperor

Their leader spoke once more.

“Perhaps you would like to rest? There has been much for you to take in.”

Timothy looked over at his loyal troops who were waiting patiently at the rear of the large cavernous chamber. His mind was made up in an instant.

“Yes, please show me and my men to our quarters. There will be enough time for war.”

“As you wish.”

Timothy thought that was the end of the surprises but he was wrong. Even the residential units were splendid with ample space, and marble floorings, and the furniture was of the finest wood. He instructed his carebot to lay him on the bed. It was made of the finest cotton. And this wasn’t an exceptional quarter. An ordinary family had lived here. They had been moved to make way for him. And each of his men had something similar.

After a few minutes, he realized there would be no offering of women and drink. How times had changed? He slowly drifted off asleep.

Galway Girls (Part 27)

I had a little routine that I religiously, albeit subconsciously followed at work and the first thing was to check my email on Outlook. The good news, there were only ten new ones. I loved my job as an accountant technician. Always a new challenge to face.

Then I remembered to check my text messages. As I had hoped, it was from her.

  • Sorry about last night. My Grandma really was unwell. I’ll be down to see just you soon xx
  • I can’t wait xx

It immediately put me in good form.

“What are you so happy about?”

It was Bianca, my fellow co-worker and good friend.

“I’ll tell you at tea,” was my quick response.

That was another part of my daily routine. Going to meet Bianca and Tony who worked upstairs for the elevenses. Everything was always up for discussion, especially our sex lives.

Time flew and before I knew it was break time. We always went to the same spot. A place, not too close that we would be bumping into clients but also not so far away that we wouldn’t have time to actually chat.

“So, she was late and barely met you at all because of her sick Grandma,” Bianca said as she sat down beside me with our order.

“Yes.”

“Are you in love?” Tony asked me cheekily.

“Are you serious? I only just met her!”

But, inside I thought yes I am.

Pegasus (Part 51)

There was an anxious wait though before they came to a halt. I gripped Tabitha’s hand. It was sweaty. Then they waited in the silence.

A few minutes later, they heard the first rustling of sound. Then it grew louder. Amidst the sound of a girder lifting the boxes out, there was also what sounded like children talking and screeching.

The boxed crate they were in soon started to shake. They were on the move but didn’t know where. Minutes passed. This wasn’t part of the plan. They were supposed to remain in the same spot and board an adjoining ship.

They felt a large bang as they hit the floor. The machine operator obviously didn’t think there was anything valuable inside. That, or he just didn’t care. After a few moments, things fell silent once more.

It felt like the time to act.

“Come on Tabitha, it’s time to act.”

“Yes, yes let’s go.”

We pushed the top off of the metallic box. Our eyes winced closed from the light but gradually opened to reveal a cramped room full of containers and different parts of machines. The air was stale and smelled of oil.

“Where are we?”

Tabitha’s mouth opened but nothing came out. We both looked around in astonishment. Wires were hanging out everywhere – from the ceiling to the door control.

Wheelchair Wars Part 3 (17)

When the train stopped, they were led out into a large cavern. Timothy struggled to believe his eyes. The walls were covered in live video streams of strategic positions throughout the planet. Then in the distance after an array of desks and computers was what was the main console.

Timothy powered his wheelchair forward not quite sure if he could believe his eyes and then whispered.

“You have a planetary defense system?”

The tall, muscular man walked up alongside as the clattering of shoes against the floor, and the sound of computer keys getting pressed fell silent.

“Yes, we do. After my election..”

“Election!”

Timothy immediately activated the armaments on his wheelchair and prepared to fire. Never before had he heard such heresy. Only the Emperor or his ambassadors can appoint leaders.

“Before you fire, there are certain things you should know. Firstly, we are of the same blood. I am one of your many descendants. Secondly, we only began elections after the Emperor gave up on this world. The ambassador on this planet left once he saw the Tyranid fleet head in this direction.

This world was on the precipice of disaster but then we thought of Wheelchair Wars and that our heroes would never just give up.”

Timothy’s finger was almost on the button to fire but it never went further. The wheelchair returned to its normal state.

“My name is Timothy The Younger by the way.”

Review of “The Missing Ones” by Patricia Gibney

This was published way back in 2017. It is the author’s debut and also the first in the renowned Lottie Parker series. The author is from the same town as myself. The story is set in Ragmullin, a clever anagram of the real town.

Make no mistake, she is picturing Mullingar at every stage. It made reading the novel quite an intimate experience, immediately recognizing where the different scenes fictionally occurred. The scenes of bitter cold and snow brought my memory back to a particularly harsh few winters from nearly a decade ago.

The central character is Detective Lottie Parker. A deeply flawed hard-nosed detective trying to juggle a demanding job with a complicated family life. Her husband died a few years previous leaving her a single parent.

There are numerous complex relationships like Lottie’s relationship with fellow detective Boyd, with her Sergeant, and then each of her children.

The case she is investigating is a series in a presumably normally quiet Ragmullin. The first occurs at the town’s Cathedral and it all revolves around what happened many years beforehand. What follows is a grotesque and excellently written tale of child abuse, corruption, and murder.

It is beautifully crafted and you’re never quite sure where it will go next or who is responsible for the grizzly killings. The author has stated that she just likes writing but this was excellently planned and thought out.

The scenes of child abuse may be too much for many and for those with a weak disposition, I’d give it a wide berth. But if you’re looking for a good crime thriller, look no further. My rating is five stars out of five.

Remember to subscribe if you enjoy my writing.

Galway Girls (Part 26)

I woke up the next day with a hangover. That wouldn’t have bothered me if it hadn’t been a work day. It took some self-talk to convince myself to leave my comfortable soft pillow and bed. My head was pounding and my throat almost painfully dry.

I made a mental note to myself to have greater discipline next time, hoping I hadn’t let myself down the night before. Even though, I knew there wasn’t much point. I went out to my kitchen and prepared myself some toast and tea. My stomach wasn’t in a mood to tolerate much else.

I ordered Alexa to turn on Midlands Radio 3. Music immediately blared out but it was throbbing through my skull,

Alexa – Volume 6.

That was much better. As the song ended, the presenter said that a scorcher had been forecast for that.

I slowly ate my breakfast and headed out the door.

My apartment was only two streets away from where I worked. It was a simple journey on mostly wide footpaths along commercial streets of terraced shops and restaurants with overhead apartments.

I felt the buzz of my phone as I passed the smell of burgers from a fast food outlet. I decided to keep going and look at it work as I was nearly.

A few moments later I had arrived and turned on the computer.

Pegasus (Part 50)

I went over and tried to help her. It was jammed closed so I gave it a thud. It clamored open. I suddenly froze and Tabitha gripped my arm tightly. My eyes frantically scanned my surroundings but nothing stirred. Tabitha slowly released her grip.

We got inside the holding bay of the spaceship. Our instructions were clear. We needed to open one of the steel containers, which was never locked. One of them would be empty. And that is what we did, although it took a few minutes to find one. We had been told that this was a ship for perishable and sensitive freight so we would only have to deal with slow acceleration and deceleration. Our destination was called Decon XXV. I knew not what to expect. So I squeezed into the container with Tabitha and pulled it closed. We held hands in the dark and waited.

After a few minutes, we could hear the roar of the engines. She gripped my hand more firmly. Then we felt the ship begin to move. After a few minutes, I began to feel sick from the motion and tried to concentrate my mind on the day’s events.

Hours passed. Then almost imperceptibly it began to decelerate.