Captain Dex Corrigan Page 5

  "So, what’s this thing?"

  "One of the Pela kids tapped into the video stream and rebroadcast it on his FirstContact feed."

  FirstContact, the League’s premier social networking site. Some say everyone in the League with InterWeb access has an account with FirstContact. "Oh. Well, that's embarrassing, though I doubt anyone saw it."

  She grabbed a terminal and showed him the offending post. It had half a billion hits and climbing. "General McMurphy says recruitment is up over 500% due directly to your handling of the situation. She also said she thought she had taught you better about dodging weapon thrusts at close quarters."

  "I knew I was going to get an ass reaming."

  "She trained you?"

  "Yeah. Being stung by a six-foot-tall scorpion is mild compared to the hits I took from Aunt Marta."

  Rayna brought a plate over and sat down next to Dex. "So, what about us?"

  "Hmmm. Let's see. You're a captain with her own ship and copilot, and I'm a captain about to get a new ship and copilot, so the regulations are clear: there are no restrictions on our relationship."

  "But what about us?"

  He leaned over and kissed her. "How about we find out?"

  She kissed him back. "I like that idea."

  <<<<>>>>

  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 elvenindustriespress@gmail.com or xsppodcast@gmail.com