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Short story, man kills everyone on board spaceship, Earth won't let him land

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10

1

I was rereading George R R Martin and thought this was by him, but didn't see it. I probably read it between 5 and 15 years ago. The man is one of the crew. He killed various other crewmembers in different ways. I think he killed one or two of the others by flooding the ship with something poisonous while he wore a suit and clung to the outside. The ship is in an orbit around the earth where every year or so he talks to home base. I can't remember if they just ignore him, or are polite and noncommital for some reason. The story ends with him rationalizing/hoping that one year they'll let him come home.

I might be mixing up this part, but I kind of think they are polite, and it's because the crew had just done something heroic. And they didn't have life support enough for everyone to get home, or something like that. So that's why he killed them.

I'm almost thinking their heroic action took hundreds of years on Earth, while they might've gone FTL or something. Otr maybe he's just out of gas. Either way, they no longer have a way for him to land. And they were going to build something, or send a rescue ship, but then they found out he was a murderer. So they are polite like "We won't kill you, but you aren't worth saving either."

story-identification short-stories

share|improve this question

edited Jul 8 '16 at 0:25

user14111

105k6410528

asked Jul 8 '16 at 0:12

Daphne BDaphne B

1,348516

bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 10 mins ago

This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  It sounds similar to one of Heinlein's stories, called "Orphans of the Sky," but slightly altered.
  
  – Durakken
  Jul 8 '16 at 9:54
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I'm quite sure it isn't Orphans of the Sky. In that book, the "killing everyone" part is the backstory, but in my story, it's the main part of the plot.
  
  – Daphne B
  Jul 8 '16 at 23:58
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

10

1

I was rereading George R R Martin and thought this was by him, but didn't see it. I probably read it between 5 and 15 years ago. The man is one of the crew. He killed various other crewmembers in different ways. I think he killed one or two of the others by flooding the ship with something poisonous while he wore a suit and clung to the outside. The ship is in an orbit around the earth where every year or so he talks to home base. I can't remember if they just ignore him, or are polite and noncommital for some reason. The story ends with him rationalizing/hoping that one year they'll let him come home.

I might be mixing up this part, but I kind of think they are polite, and it's because the crew had just done something heroic. And they didn't have life support enough for everyone to get home, or something like that. So that's why he killed them.

I'm almost thinking their heroic action took hundreds of years on Earth, while they might've gone FTL or something. Otr maybe he's just out of gas. Either way, they no longer have a way for him to land. And they were going to build something, or send a rescue ship, but then they found out he was a murderer. So they are polite like "We won't kill you, but you aren't worth saving either."

story-identification short-stories

share|improve this question

edited Jul 8 '16 at 0:25

user14111

105k6410528

asked Jul 8 '16 at 0:12

Daphne BDaphne B

1,348516

bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 10 mins ago

This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  It sounds similar to one of Heinlein's stories, called "Orphans of the Sky," but slightly altered.
  
  – Durakken
  Jul 8 '16 at 9:54
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I'm quite sure it isn't Orphans of the Sky. In that book, the "killing everyone" part is the backstory, but in my story, it's the main part of the plot.
  
  – Daphne B
  Jul 8 '16 at 23:58
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

I was rereading George R R Martin and thought this was by him, but didn't see it. I probably read it between 5 and 15 years ago. The man is one of the crew. He killed various other crewmembers in different ways. I think he killed one or two of the others by flooding the ship with something poisonous while he wore a suit and clung to the outside. The ship is in an orbit around the earth where every year or so he talks to home base. I can't remember if they just ignore him, or are polite and noncommital for some reason. The story ends with him rationalizing/hoping that one year they'll let him come home.

I might be mixing up this part, but I kind of think they are polite, and it's because the crew had just done something heroic. And they didn't have life support enough for everyone to get home, or something like that. So that's why he killed them.

I'm almost thinking their heroic action took hundreds of years on Earth, while they might've gone FTL or something. Otr maybe he's just out of gas. Either way, they no longer have a way for him to land. And they were going to build something, or send a rescue ship, but then they found out he was a murderer. So they are polite like "We won't kill you, but you aren't worth saving either."

story-identification short-stories

share|improve this question

edited Jul 8 '16 at 0:25

user14111

105k6410528

asked Jul 8 '16 at 0:12

Daphne BDaphne B

1,348516

share|improve this question

edited Jul 8 '16 at 0:25

user14111

105k6410528

asked Jul 8 '16 at 0:12

Daphne BDaphne B

1,348516

share|improve this question

edited Jul 8 '16 at 0:25

user14111

105k6410528

asked Jul 8 '16 at 0:12

Daphne BDaphne B

1,348516

edited Jul 8 '16 at 0:25

user14111

105k6410528

edited Jul 8 '16 at 0:25

user14111

105k6410528

asked Jul 8 '16 at 0:12

Daphne BDaphne B

1,348516

asked Jul 8 '16 at 0:12

Daphne BDaphne B

1,348516

1 Answer
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0

This could be The Second Kind of Loneliness by George R R Martin.

From Goodreads:

Isolated millions of miles from Pluto for the last 4 years, a lonely man stations a lonely outpost in space to open vorteces for interstellar travel. When his 4 years is up, however, our lonely stationer gets a little shook up.

...

In this story, he presents the reader with a single nameless protagonist, whose problem, his loneliness and isolation on a distant outpost beyond Pluto is about to come to an end.

GRRM promises, in a way, that there is a happy resolution to the story, but this promise is only something his protagonist believes. This early story sets a trend for Martin as a writer who writes stories that don't have pat, "happy" endings.

As a reader, I wanted to feel for Martin's protagonist. Martin doesn't allow us that. He shows us instead that this individual is only worthy of our pity. His loneliness and isolation are things entirely of his own making.

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 26 '16 at 9:19

Rand al'Thor♦

98.7k44470657

answered Jul 26 '16 at 4:42

GiantPandesalGiantPandesal

112

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Can you elaborate on why this could be the story? What points match the OP's requirements?
  
  – Möoz
  Jul 26 '16 at 5:00
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Please add some details: quotations, plot description, even the name of the collection or magazine in which the story appeared.
  
  – Adamant
  Jul 26 '16 at 5:27
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Adamant Googol is not your friend but the ISFDB is.
  
  – user14111
  Jul 26 '16 at 10:17
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Seems like a completely different story. In the OP's story the protagonist is in earth orbit, not manning an outpost out beyond Pluto.
  
  – user14111
  Jul 26 '16 at 10:33
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The commenters are right. This is not the story I was thinking of. It is a similar theme for sure (which is probably why I misremembered the actual story as being by George R R Martin). But I have read this story before and know that its plot is quite different. Thanks.
  
  – Daphne B
  Jul 27 '16 at 15:16
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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0

This could be The Second Kind of Loneliness by George R R Martin.

From Goodreads:

Isolated millions of miles from Pluto for the last 4 years, a lonely man stations a lonely outpost in space to open vorteces for interstellar travel. When his 4 years is up, however, our lonely stationer gets a little shook up.

...

In this story, he presents the reader with a single nameless protagonist, whose problem, his loneliness and isolation on a distant outpost beyond Pluto is about to come to an end.

GRRM promises, in a way, that there is a happy resolution to the story, but this promise is only something his protagonist believes. This early story sets a trend for Martin as a writer who writes stories that don't have pat, "happy" endings.

As a reader, I wanted to feel for Martin's protagonist. Martin doesn't allow us that. He shows us instead that this individual is only worthy of our pity. His loneliness and isolation are things entirely of his own making.

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 26 '16 at 9:19

Rand al'Thor♦

98.7k44470657

answered Jul 26 '16 at 4:42

GiantPandesalGiantPandesal

112

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Can you elaborate on why this could be the story? What points match the OP's requirements?
  
  – Möoz
  Jul 26 '16 at 5:00
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Please add some details: quotations, plot description, even the name of the collection or magazine in which the story appeared.
  
  – Adamant
  Jul 26 '16 at 5:27
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Adamant Googol is not your friend but the ISFDB is.
  
  – user14111
  Jul 26 '16 at 10:17
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Seems like a completely different story. In the OP's story the protagonist is in earth orbit, not manning an outpost out beyond Pluto.
  
  – user14111
  Jul 26 '16 at 10:33
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The commenters are right. This is not the story I was thinking of. It is a similar theme for sure (which is probably why I misremembered the actual story as being by George R R Martin). But I have read this story before and know that its plot is quite different. Thanks.
  
  – Daphne B
  Jul 27 '16 at 15:16
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

0

This could be The Second Kind of Loneliness by George R R Martin.

From Goodreads:

Isolated millions of miles from Pluto for the last 4 years, a lonely man stations a lonely outpost in space to open vorteces for interstellar travel. When his 4 years is up, however, our lonely stationer gets a little shook up.

...

In this story, he presents the reader with a single nameless protagonist, whose problem, his loneliness and isolation on a distant outpost beyond Pluto is about to come to an end.

GRRM promises, in a way, that there is a happy resolution to the story, but this promise is only something his protagonist believes. This early story sets a trend for Martin as a writer who writes stories that don't have pat, "happy" endings.

As a reader, I wanted to feel for Martin's protagonist. Martin doesn't allow us that. He shows us instead that this individual is only worthy of our pity. His loneliness and isolation are things entirely of his own making.

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 26 '16 at 9:19

Rand al'Thor♦

98.7k44470657

answered Jul 26 '16 at 4:42

GiantPandesalGiantPandesal

112

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Can you elaborate on why this could be the story? What points match the OP's requirements?
  
  – Möoz
  Jul 26 '16 at 5:00
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Please add some details: quotations, plot description, even the name of the collection or magazine in which the story appeared.
  
  – Adamant
  Jul 26 '16 at 5:27
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Adamant Googol is not your friend but the ISFDB is.
  
  – user14111
  Jul 26 '16 at 10:17
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Seems like a completely different story. In the OP's story the protagonist is in earth orbit, not manning an outpost out beyond Pluto.
  
  – user14111
  Jul 26 '16 at 10:33
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The commenters are right. This is not the story I was thinking of. It is a similar theme for sure (which is probably why I misremembered the actual story as being by George R R Martin). But I have read this story before and know that its plot is quite different. Thanks.
  
  – Daphne B
  Jul 27 '16 at 15:16
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

This could be The Second Kind of Loneliness by George R R Martin.

From Goodreads:

Isolated millions of miles from Pluto for the last 4 years, a lonely man stations a lonely outpost in space to open vorteces for interstellar travel. When his 4 years is up, however, our lonely stationer gets a little shook up.

...

In this story, he presents the reader with a single nameless protagonist, whose problem, his loneliness and isolation on a distant outpost beyond Pluto is about to come to an end.

GRRM promises, in a way, that there is a happy resolution to the story, but this promise is only something his protagonist believes. This early story sets a trend for Martin as a writer who writes stories that don't have pat, "happy" endings.

As a reader, I wanted to feel for Martin's protagonist. Martin doesn't allow us that. He shows us instead that this individual is only worthy of our pity. His loneliness and isolation are things entirely of his own making.

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 26 '16 at 9:19

Rand al'Thor♦

98.7k44470657

answered Jul 26 '16 at 4:42

GiantPandesalGiantPandesal

112

share|improve this answer

edited Jul 26 '16 at 9:19

Rand al'Thor♦

98.7k44470657

answered Jul 26 '16 at 4:42

GiantPandesalGiantPandesal

112

edited Jul 26 '16 at 9:19

Rand al'Thor♦

98.7k44470657

edited Jul 26 '16 at 9:19

Rand al'Thor♦

98.7k44470657

answered Jul 26 '16 at 4:42

GiantPandesalGiantPandesal

112

answered Jul 26 '16 at 4:42

GiantPandesalGiantPandesal

112