A Sneak Peek: Tabitha Prime— The Continuing Adventures Of Bill Jones And The USS Enterprise
Regular readers may be familiar with Bill Jones, the main character of my story, “The Armstrong Incident” and the nine-part series “Where No One Has Gone Before.”
If not, you can catch up here:
Where No One Has Gone Before, Pt. 01
Where No One Has Gone Before, Pt. 02
Where No One Has Gone Before, Pt. 03
Where No One Has Gone Before, Pt. 04
Where No One Has Gone Before, Pt. 05
Where No One Has Gone Before, Pt. 06
Where No One Has Gone Before, Pt. 07
Where No One Has Gone Before, Pt. 08
Where No One Has Gone Before, Pt. 09
The adventure continues this time in my new novel, “Tabitha Prime,” now available for pre-release on Amazon in ebook. The 378-page paperback is set to go live on March 10.
I normally don’t do this, but since I teased you with a preview of “The Kepler Incident,” I decided to give you all a sneak peek of my latest work.
Here, then, is the prologue of “Tabitha Prime”:
Prologue
Thursday, April 11, 2109, 0223 hours CST
Mr’rk Corporate Headquarters, System F-17
Jr’drog, High Commissioner of the Mr’rk Corporate, pounded his burnished iridium gavel, sending sparks across the highly polished black stone dais.
“Next!” he boomed.
The doors at the far end of the spacious Commission Arena opened. A human female with long blonde hair entered the room, her gown billowing as she walked, exposing her long, toned legs, flat midriff, and prominent near-naked breasts.
Jr’drog looked at his fellow Commissioners to gauge their reaction. They all wondered the same thing. What is it with these human females and their incessant need to expose their bodies? This one, in particular, though admittedly was the crowning achievement of the corporation’s cloning division. He waggled his small spines in impatience.
Even to beings to whom the display was less exciting than watching klanchion dry on cracked brathwak, she still flaunted herself. Then he swallowed rapidly, his race’s version of chuckling to himself.
If a member of the Var’shee had been present, they would certainly think she was offering herself up on the menu. Still, she had a devious and cunning mind worthy of a servant of the Mr’rk, even if it was scientifically enhanced rather than her nature.
The woman stopped at the small podium before the dais and bowed respectfully. She stood upright and placed something on the podium.
“Yes, Tabitha, we recognize you,” Jr’drog stated in a neutral tone. “What do you have for us today?”
“High Commissioner Jr’drog, members of the Mr’rk Board of Directors. I come to you today with something I believe will make the Mr’rk the most feared Corporation among the stars of the galaxy,” Tabitha said, emphasizing the word’ stars.’
“Oh? And what might that be?” Jr’drog growled.
“This,” Tabitha replied, pointing a remote at one wall. “Watch,” she said as the colossal monitor came to life.
“What are we looking at?” Jr’drog asked as Tabitha focused on a tiny speck of red light.
“Star F-275,” Tabitha replied. “An insignificant red dwarf with no planetary objects. Please observe.”
As the Commissioners watched, the red star began to churn, then bulged as it changed color, turning white. Suddenly, the star erupted, sending stellar material out in all directions at an appreciable fraction of lightspeed. The video dissolved into static as the radiation front hit and destroyed the probe transmitting the video. Tabitha turned the monitor off and then faced the Commissioners.
“So. You can destroy stars,” Jr’drog stated blandly as if this were an everyday occurrence. “How will this benefit the Mr’rk? To be precise, how will it improve our bottom line?”
“Commissioner, this technology will strike fear into the hearts of our enemies allowing us to take greater tributes and deter those who might stand against us,” Tabitha responded with a raised eyebrow.
“And who, exactly, might that be, Tabitha? The Gingravik?” one of the Commissioners asked skeptically. Everyone knew the Mr’rk was already more assertive and ambitious than the Gingravik.
“No, Commissioner,” Tabitha replied. “The plants are, technically, superior in many ways biologically, but not overall, and they do not present a threat. They would rather fornicate than do anything else,” she noted contemptuously, even though her own sexual appetite could easily overcome a male Gingravik and all twelve of its penises. “The real threat comes from a relative newcomer to intergalactic space.”
“You refer to your own species?” Jr’drog asked. If Tabitha could read his rocky expression, she would see his shocked disbelief. But she couldn’t.
“With all due respect. My… species, as you call it, Commissioner, presents a far greater danger than I think any of you fully understand.”
“Oh? Explain,” Jr’drog demanded. He was not used to being lectured by a lesser species, even one his science division had enhanced.
“By its very nature, the human race consists of explorers who historically conquer all they see. Enslave those who may already be there. They may appear to be soft and easily held in check, but anyone who accepts that view learns the real truth very quickly,” Tabitha explained blandly.
“And you know this… how?” Jr’drog asked pointedly.
“Because. The desire to expand and conquer lives in me. It is in my DNA — DNA enhanced by the Mr’rk, no less,” Tabitha replied sardonically. The tone was lost on the beings before her.
“I… see,” Jr’drog said. “And what is it you want from the Board?”
“I wish nothing less than to be the Prime Director in my sector,” Tabitha declared.
Jr’drog considered the human female before them, then turned to the other Commissioners and quietly conferred for a few moments as Tabitha watched stoically. She did not believe they would terminate her as she represented a considerable investment of resources. Still, they could refuse or demote her and set her plans back. After a few moments’ discussion, Jr’drog turned back to Tabitha.
“We will grant your request. From this moment forward, you are Prime in your sector. The proper notifications will be generated in the legally allotted time and filed with the proper authorities in triplicate. You will keep this Board apprised of your progress, and you are to make no belligerent moves against any race without consulting us first. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Commissioner. I understand completely,” Tabitha assured them while mentally crossing her fingers. “Thank you. The high trust you have placed in me will never be forgotten.”
“I hope not for your sake, Tabitha. You are dismissed. NEXT!” Jr’drog bellowed, pounding his gavel.
Tabitha smiled, bowed slightly as was the custom, then turned and walked away. Her plan was proceeding as she hoped. Soon, she would begin the process of stripping Earth of everything she could get, and then… she would destroy the entire system. Or perhaps she would destroy the system first, then ravage what was left.
But she needed one person under her thumb first, a particular Star Fleet officer. The thought brought her to new heights of sexual arousal.
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