The Edge of the Map by Daniel Lucas (ebook reader with highlight function .TXT) 📕

fall onto him like a dead weight. Then the body was pulled off of him and there was a hand in his face he grabbed it and he was pulled up to his feet.
He saw it was his secretary warrant officer Jeffries. Who said “You alright sir?”

“Thanks to you” Said Bell.

“Was nothing sir” Said Jeffries.

“The hell it wasn’t. How did you know? And who is this guy?” said Bell

“I called you while you were in the shower but the line was dead and as you are aware the lines are hard wired to the communication board. When I tried your COM unit it would not respond so I figured I had better check on you. When I got here your door was open also not like you. I came in and found you and this person on the ground and he was about to stab you with your own pocket knife,” Said Jeffries. He then handed the knife to Bell.

“ That would have been certainly embarrassing.”Said bell

“Now who is this guy?” Said Bell pulling off the mask that hid his attackers face. He didn’t immediately recognize the face until Jeffries said “Luis Robert lt. jg. Smuggling contra band onto the station.”

“But we didn’t have crap on him didn’t we drop those charges?” asked Bell

“Yes, but he obviously didn’t here that.” Said Jeffries

“Now we got assaulting an officer and tampering with a comunit and a list of other things.” Said Bell

“Call the MPs and get him out of here.” Said Bell

“Yes sir, anything else?” asked Jeffries

“Post a guard at my door and in the morning call mantince out to fix the communit and the door.


Chapter Forth
November 6, 2999


The news spread like wild fire across the colonized worlds. This was the first time that a queen had ever died of anything other than very old age. To them it was killing off a whole genetic line something that was never done. It was one thing to kill a few workers or warriors after all they really didn’t think so there was really no big loss. Killing a queen however was different they really don’t think too much anyway mostly instincts and sex drive. The Elites who do most of the thinking for the colonies besides being the only ones who can mate with the queens. They shared the same thought across three thousand colonies. Murderous rage for those who killed the little queen, and sorrow for her death.
They decided in an instant what must be done they would go to war. Much like when a colony got to big their would be a new queen grown and the old queen would try to fight her off or take a few workers and flee to a new place. They decided that there should be a small group of ships sent to where they last saw the murderers and maybe they could find a way to follow them back to their colony and kill it.
So the colonies each sent one small vessel to the last place that they saw the intruders. They waited for the murderers to return they did not have long to wait.

Chapter Fifth
November 6, 2999


Admiral Syoyv walked through the main entrance to the Presidential house. He was meeting by a secret service guard who asked him for Identification. After presenting his credentials he was allowed to pass into the interior of the house. There another guard, who had him place his hand on a scanner to check his biometric readings, stopped him. After it was established that he was who he looked like, he was passed on into the heart of the building he had but one more test to pass. He stepped up to the retinal scanner and held his eye still so that the computer could read the pattern of the blood vessels in the back of his eye. This test he passed as well he walked to a plain door and walked through it. If he had tried to rush his way past the tests and managed to get past the guards he would have faced a nasty surprise in the form of a stun beam turned up to the point that it would almost kill.

He walked down a well-lit hall way till he came to a door that was by law always unlocked. He knocked then walked in sitting in the chair opposite the door was a middle aged woman he stopped a few feet from the desk and said “Admiral Syoyv to see the president.”

“Go on in she is expecting you Admiral,” Said the secretary. She was the last line of defense for the president she reaches for the buzzer to let the door open while she had her hand on her stun pistol, which was set to kill it was something the president didn’t even know about she wouldn’t have approved of it.

“Thank you, Sara” Said the Admiral

“Good to see you Mikhail” Said the secretary.

The Admiral walked in to the office of the top politician in the world she was always a person you could talk to and, she would listen and could figure out things on her own without ten advisors and a gaggle of press to watch here every move. “Admiral, long time no see where have you been? I only ask because I have invited you to several dinners here and you have never shown up why?” Asked the Honorable Misses Destiny Yanez the president of the United Commonwealth of Human Planets.

“Well, Mama I have been very busy with getting those fifteen new planets that you told us to have ready by next year. However after what I have to show you to day I think that will be the least of our concerns.” Said Admiral

“What is it you’ve got for me? Surely we haven’t found that elusive mystery species that you have been telling me we would run into one of these days have you?” She said with a laugh. When she didn’t see the usual smile on his face at the joke at his expense she stopped laughing and got very worried.
Fifty minutes later he was walking out the door of the main building with a presidential order in his briefcase and leaving a horrified and stunned cabinet with a president who was currently crying her eyes out at what she had seen happen to those brave and courageous men of the U.E.S.E.
He walked to his staff car, which he rated but seldom used because there were better things hid people could be doing instead of driving him around. He got in and said “To the space port and, make it as fast as you can son every second counts.”

“Yes, Sir” Said his driver

The Driver took him littoral he drove like the hounds of hell were chasseing him and they were gaining he made the normal trip of thirty minuets in ten without killing anybody or causing more than one traffic accident and that only a minor one. He walked onto the ship that was to take him back to the station to begin the interdiction of the alien planets.
“Launch this ship captain.” Said the Admiral when he was seated in the passenger area.
The captain did not replied all he did was begin the launch prosecutes they were air born and headed out of the system in less than five minutes. The admiral did not notice his thoughts were of the two men headed to get the specimen from the alien world and the dangers that they would face there.

They had already captured two of the specimens with little trouble they had found them walking together in a clearing and had shot them full of tranquilizers. They then loaded them into special fields that they had constructed for the purpose of holding much lager and dangerous animals. As they were traveling to another planet to try and get another pair of them they looked at the sleeping individuals.
“Do you really think that these will hold them if they wake up and try to get out like they did before?” Asked Redmen

“Sure I looked at the video of the first attack and these little guys can’t push there way out of this one because it’s set up as a double field they would have to break down the First one then the second one while maintaining the there over pressure of the first not even if they could channel all of the power of the first field in to the deck could they do it with two fields. No way in hell.” Said Bell

“Okay but I would feel safer if we could stow them in the cargo hold instead of in here with us.” Said Redmen

“They need to breathe to. There is no atmosphere in the cargo hold when we are in ion flight.” Said Bell
“I Know but I would still feel safer if we could put more distance between us and them, at least until we know what will kill them.” Said Redmen
“Sure so would I but, we need to get three more then we are headed back to the base as fast as this bucket of bolts will carry us.” Said Bell

They traveled for another three days before the came to the next planet with the indications of alien habitation on it. As they orbited the planet they studied the surface for sings of different types of the alien and they were not long in waiting.

“There look at that one he has longer arm and his hands are different.” Said Redmen

“Sure enough he is different look there are two more of these little guys with him they are just standing there what say we just swoop in and droop a knock out grenade on their heads and pick them up and way we go?” Said Bell

“Sounds good to me.” Said Redmen

They started their approach and instead of breaking like they would normally they dove like a bird of prey on a field mouse they pulled up just in time to avoid smashing themselves against the ground. At the precise moment the computer launched the tranquilizer grenade to land thirteen inches away from the aliens. They continued to there landing three hundred feet from their targets they took the weapons from the museum and headed out to get their prizes. They arrived less than three minutes from when they had dropped the grenade on the aliens.

“That worked better than I had hopped it would.” Said Redmen

‘Yes, almost to well ya know” Said Bell

It was then that they noticed that the new one was beginning to move again. It looked almost as if it was trying to fight off the effects of the grenade. It was struggling to stand up and almost there when Bell shot it with a tranquilizer dart. It promptly pulled it out of its side and threw it at bell. Bell easily side stepped it and Redmen Shot it with another tranquilizer dart. This one did the trick and it promptly fell down and did not move again.
“Damn that thing really fought it hard we hit it with enough to knock out three of the little one and it may not hold it under long.” Said Redmen
“Let’s get him and his pals here, into