Astin feels lucky to have gotten a job on the moon. The company that runs the mining operation may not give a damn about the people making it work, and living conditions may be spartan, but it beats dying of starvation, which was where Astin and most other people on Earth were headed. Astin's nickname among his coworkers is “Tinman.” It's a play on his name as well as a mild jibe at the perception that the man doesn't show his emotions. Astin's experiences on Earth taught him not to let people get too close or know what he is thinking. For a long time, Astin's only real friend is the AI that runs the base's defense system. One day, Astin meets Davis, a much younger man who is drawn to the older man despite his closed-off demeanor. The two become friends and then lovers. They also become friends with Ezra, an even younger man with no family.
When the political situation on Earth makes the lunar base no longer viable, Astin, Davis, and Ezra emigrate to the Mars colony, where Davis has family. Life on Mars is much better than on the moon, and both Astin and Ezra become part of Davis' family. When it becomes known that the same shortsighted, soulless corporation that ruined things on the moon is taking an interest in Mars, Astin proposes a daredevil plan to help ensure the Mars colony's independence.
“Tinman” is set in a future that doesn't seem all that far away, or at all unlikely. The science seems well-founded and doesn't require too much of a stretch of the imagination. It doesn't take any imagination at all to picture an Earth where the gap between rich and poor has become untenable, and the burden of too many people trying to survive on dwindling resources leads to waves of pandemics and deaths.
The story is related from Astin's point of view, although there's the occasional paragraph or two that appear to be from Davis' viewpoint. Astin is quite a sympathetic character. Despite the way other people see him, he's not at all cold or emotionless. He has feelings. He's just learned not to show them. He's actually learned a lot, and he puts that knowledge to good use to help his friends and family.
Davis is a bit of an opposite to Astin. Together, the two make a cute couple. With the friends the two pick up along the way, you could definitely say this is a story about “found family.” You could also take away a lesson about the pitfals of leaving space exploration up to private companies.
“Tinman” is available from Smashwords or Amazon (commissionable link).
