by Frank Carey
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In a secure laboratory, somewhere in the Cube Center for Research in orbit around a remote white dwarf star...
Dr. Gloria Aymar-Taggart watched the giant display screen and frowned. The screen connected the lab to a remote lab near the sun, a lab normally reserved for only the most deadly and unpredictable objects the Cube was tasked with studying. The basic principal was the same whether they were dealing with an unknown weapon or particularly dangerous biological. It things went pear-shaped, then the lab, and the asteroid it was buried inside, could be sent into the sun for ultimate disposal.
A creature unlike anything seen in the League, floated in the center of the screen while staring at Gloria. If one looked at the chamber it was in with their bare eyes, they would see nothing, but in the energy wavelengths the lab's scanners were tuned to, one could see the nightmare in full-false-color. Gloria flipped a switch which activated the intercom system. "So, what do I call you?" she asked.
"I am destroyer. I will consume your soul and use your body for sport."
"Look to your right."
The creature turned so that it could see the nearby sun.
"Piss me off and that will be your new home. Remember, I have other members of your species to deal with. Perhaps they want to continue to live."
"You wouldn't dare kill me. Your ethics..."
"Let me explain something, Ted--yes, I am going to call you Ted--I have no scruples, only the need to protect my family and the people of the League. You work with me and you live. Screw with me and you die. There is nothing in the middle. Live or die, it's no skin off my nose, so choose. I have a lot of labs on a lot of asteroids, each waiting for a new tenant."
The thing glared at her. She glared right back.
Finally, it stopped as its appendages--and there were many--visibly drooped. "What do you desire?"
She pulled up a lab chair and retrieved her tea before sitting down. "Let's start at the beginning. When did your people decide on the path of total genocide?"
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About Frank Carey
Frank Carey has been formally writing and publishing works of science fiction since late 2013. Over the years prior, he had dabbled in various forms of writing including haiku poetry, but that all changed when he and his wife, Jo, decided to try their hand at writing and self-publishing. All his work, to date, has been in the science fiction genre.
Most of his stories take place about two centuries in the future when Earth joins the League of Planetary Systems. Many of his protagonists are strong females. He is an inveterate pantser who believes the story will go where the story wants to go.
Frank’s background includes degrees in physics and extensive work as a scientific programmer and technologist.
Frank and his wife produce a podcast—Xtreme Self-Publishing—which details their self-publishing efforts.
Frank can be reached through his podcast at xtremeselfpublishing.podbean.com or via e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COPYRIGHT
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
