Transformation Protocol
Page 32
I kissed her back. "I'm sure I'll find a way of rising to the occasion."
"Someone's been trying to get a hold of you. They finally sent you an eFlimsy." She reached into a bag and pulled out the transparent sheet.
It had no markings on it other than the red circle for my thumbprint. "I'm surprised you didn't unlock it yourself."
Dollie laughed "I did consider it."
I pressed my thumb against the circle, which pulsed as it not only read the print but took a minute trace of my DNA. After several seconds, the plastic sheet flickered then filled with information. At the top of the page was a large heading that said "Nakaji-Wei Consortium" next to a bold red logo. I skimmed through the text, scrolling past several pages bristling with technical project details. I wanted to get an idea of the main message rather than the nitty-gritty.
"Are you going to tell me what it is?"
My excitement grew the more I read, but my heart fell. I knew how Dollie felt about me working in space. "I've been offered a job. Head of engineering for the Taikong Gaogu project."
"We're moving to the PAC? Fantastic—I need to go shopping."
I didn't answer. Dollie stopped bubbling in excitement, and her shoulders fell. "It's in space, not in the PAC?"
I nodded. "It's their new giant habitat project. I'd have to live there while the infrastructure is built, make sure everything's working, and keep a whole team of engineers busy."
"How long?"
"It doesn't matter. Something like that will take years."
"But you want it." It was a statement, not a question.
"Not if it means leaving you behind." I swallowed hard. "I lost you once. I can't go through that again."
When Dollie finally spoke again, her words were soft. "What if you didn't have to?"
"What do you mean?"
She took my hand in hers and looked me in the eyes. "They'll accommodate a married couple."
I didn't know if that was an option, but Dollie's tone said they'd have no choice in the matter, much like me. Maybe I was wrong, and sometimes things did get better. I pulled her close and kissed her passionately, only breaking away when I felt I might lose consciousness again.
"I better message Logan."
Dollie snuggled against me. "How come?"
"I think I'm going to need that steam-powered arm after all."
Acknowledgements
I hope you enjoyed reading this novel. This book would not have been possible without the help and support of my family, friends, and other members of the writing community. I’d like to thank them all. I would especially like to thank my wife, Hilary, for her constant love, support, and patience. Without that, this book would simply never have been written.
A special mention must go to my editor, Michelle Dunbar (michelledunbar.co.uk) who helped polish the raw manuscript into the masterpiece that lies before you. ;-)
The best way to help any writer, especially an indie like myself, is through sharing your enjoyment via word-of-mouth. Please consider leaving a rating and/or review on your preferred book retailer. Even if only a line or two, it’s very much appreciated. Also, please look out for other independent authors. There are a lot of us out there who work hard to bring you stories that you would never see through commercial publishers.
For a complete list of my fiction, please visit my website (davidmkelly.net) and consider signing up for my free update newsletter. I won’t share your information with anyone for any reason and won’t bombard your mailbox either. Newsletter subscribers benefit from early release information as well as occasional free stories.
Thanks again.
David M. Kelly
Also From David M. Kelly
(For a complete list of my books visit http://davidmkelly.net/my-books/ )
You can ask Joe Ballen anything, except to give up.
Joe Ballen dreams of returning to space, but after an accident left him half-crippled, those days are over. Luckily for Joe, Geneering gave him new limbs. Better than nothing, but not enough to allow him to go back to his old job as a space engineer. A natural loner, he now scrapes a living by illegally flying cabs in flooded-out Baltimore.
But when one of his passengers suffers a grisly death, Joe is dragged into a dangerous conspiracy centered around a prototype Jumpship. No one believes the ship will work, not even the space-faring Atolls who have barricaded Earth from the rest of space. But someone is murdering everyone connected to it.
As the bodies pile up, Joe becomes suspect number one, and his enemies will stop at nothing to hide the truth. With the help of a disturbed scientist, a senile survivalist, and his glamorous boss, can Joe untangle the puzzle and uncover the truth before he becomes another dead statistic?
The future’s about to get a lot more action-packed!
Available via books2read.com/MOE-JB1
In space, Treachery runs deep.
Joe Ballen’s working on a new ore-processing platform in the harsh environment around Mercury. When a savage Atoll attack decimates his crew, Joe is injured and returns to Earth to recover. While it’s a setback for the project, at least it means he can rebuild his relationship with his wife after nearly a year away.
But then the security forces come calling. Vital starship engineering files are missing, and without them Earth has no hope of escaping Atoll domination. Someone has to locate the files, and Ballen is bulldozed into the not-so-choice assignment.
But he’s not the only one in the hunt and Joe is dragged in to a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. It’s a journey that will take him to the perilous depths of space, where no one is quite what they seem. Can old enemies ever make good allies? And can Joe trust even the people closest to him?
Ballen’s back in another action-packed sci-fi noir thriller, guaranteed to keep you turning the pages.
Available via https://books2read.com/PER-JB2
Dead Reckoning And Other Stories. SF with attitude! Looking for SF that’s intelligent, action-packed, and humorous? This collection of ten short stories features a cast of characters all in need of some serious therapy.
Hector discovers life after death ain’t easy when your shorts itch and your ass belongs to a whip-wielding giant.
And Murphy's fighting to keep the peace as his team of geeky scientists and a gung-ho lieutenant investigate a mysterious alien ship—all while dealing with his own case of Murphy’s Law.
First Contact is always complicated, especially when you have to call in cranky old relic, Casteneda, to bail you out.
Fresh off the battlefield, Matt Holbrook is also grappling with a perplexing new species, but all he wants is to make it home.
And Earl Duarte is in for some interesting pet therapy in How Much Is That Doggy?
Stories include:
Dead Reckoning
How Much Is That Doggy?
Dust To Dust
Murphy's Law
Reboot
Version Control
A Slight Imperfection
First Contact
He Who Controls
One For The Money
Available via - https://books2read.com/dmk-dr
About the Author
David M. Kelly writes intelligent, action-packed science fiction. He is the author of the Joe Ballen series (Mathematics of Eternity and Perimeter) as well as the short story collection Dead Reckoning And Other Stories.
Originally from the wild and woolly region of Yorkshire, England, David now lives in wild and rocky Northern Ontario, Canada, with his patient and long-suffering wife, Hilary. He’s passionate about science, especially astronomy and physics, and is a rabid science news follower. When not writing, you can find him driving his own personal starship, a 1991 Corvette ZR-1, or exploring the local hiking trails.
Find out more at www.davidmkelly.net
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