Significance: a Science Fiction Short Story

By Randall Allen Dunn

The Voq are a harmless alien race on a small and insignificant planet. But the virus that’s now destroying them must be contained before it spreads to other worlds, especially to Earth. Dr. Roland Price has been summoned to space station Observer I to assess whether the eighty million Voq can be saved. If not, the military plan to annihilate the entire race before their disease harms anyone else.
But could Price’s mother be right, as she remains on the infected planet to argue for the Voq’s survival? Is there any way to save them? And can Price live with his next decision if there isn’t?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Randall Allen Dunn
• Release date: Feb 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301969876

Randall Allen Dunn

Randall Allen Dunn was raised on a steady diet of James Bond, Batman, Star Trek and Indiana Jones. His study of stage acting in high school and college helped him learn how to create vivid, compelling characters. He now shares his love of action, adventure and infinite possibilities through novels and short stories, the writing classes he conducts, and his website, Character Entertainment, dedicated to Building Character Through Fiction, at www.CharacterEnt.com. You can find Randall Allen Dunn’s ebooks at Smashwords and wherever online books are sold, and you can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. Please send comments or feedback to: [e-mail]

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significance

by

Randall Allen Dunn

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 by Randall Allen Dunn

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This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Randall Allen Dunn writes stories of action, adventure, and infinite possibility, as well as suspenseful tales about ordinary people choosing to become heroes.

You can find Randall Allen Dunn’s other stories at Smashwords and wherever online books are sold. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and his website, Character Entertainment, the home for Building Character Through Fiction, at www.characterent.com.

You can send comments or feedback to: [e-mail]

significance

Dr. Roland Price’s dark-skinned fingers tugged at his military collar again to let more air out. He pressed the digi-comp on his uniform’s sleeve and raised his arm. His eyebrows knit together as the small rectangular image lit up. The scan of his twelve-year old son, Phillip, looked so peaceful. That shy smile could melt the heart of the iciest adult.

Seven minutes away, Doctor Price, the shuttle pilot informed him. The sledgehammer-shaped station called Observer 1 came into clear view.

Thank you, Price said. Speaking of icy adults, he mused. He had never met Commander Bracken of SpaceCom or even heard of him before receiving his summons last week. But he had been warned the commander was a very military man.

He switched the digi-comp screen over to review his MarsCom team’s data files. They had found no solutions, and Price had the distasteful duty of reporting their failure to SpaceCom, whose intergalactic watchdogs now kept vigil over the planet in question. He appreciated SpaceCom’s help in launching his biologist career, but he never cared for the soldier mentality and he didn’t like being called out of reserve. At least this time he knew it was to try to save lives rather than take them.

He tapped his sleeve’s digi-comp again, switching back to the scan of his son.

She’ll bring up Phillip, he thought. You know she will. After all, if you couldn’t save your own son, who can you save?

Commander Nathaniel Bracken stood at attention before the large oval window that faced the rust-streamed planet of Voq. Private Daugherty entered through the observation office’s open door and saluted. Doctor Price here to report, sir, he announced.

The commander sipped his