Sex, Bugs & UFOs by Warren A. Shepherd
About the Book:
Abandoned by his mum at the age of seven, former UFO investigator, Dave Morrissey, is coerced back into business to investigate a cold case that’s suddenly gotten hotter with the death of an old woman in a nursing home. As the questions begin piling up about her peculiar past, Morrissey must reluctantly enlist the aid of a shifty tabloid journalist with surprising insights into all things otherworldly.
Together, they uncover clues that paint a target on Morrissey’s back big enough to attract the sights of an unstable UFO conspiracy theorist, a cunning galactic bounty hunter, and a vicious terrorist for hire with nefarious designs on the secrets hidden in his DNA.
Morrissey’s desperate quest for the truth launches him from the grey streets of London, across the stars, and deep into the heart of an intergalactic mystery that will turn the idea of who he is and where he belongs in the universe on its head.
All Morrissey wants to do is find his way home but in space, no one can hear you whinge…
Book Details:
ISBN: 978-1987976892
ISBN-10: 1987976892
ASIN: B0B3ZZ5PXK
Publisher: Mirror World Publishing; 1st edition
Publisher Website: https://mirrorworldpublishing.com/
Publication Date: July 17, 2022
Print Length: 348 pages
Read an Excerpt:
The soldiers moved to within metres, steadying their weapons for a clear shot. The middle soldier’s opaque helmet visor shimmered to a translucent sheen. “Chendra Vaziil. My name is Captain Sha’an and I am placing you under arrest for the crimes of genocide, mass murder, and terrorism. Surrender yourself and accept the consequences of your actions.”
Vaziil knew of Captain Sha’an by her reputation only; the Thon Pahl were serious, indeed, about his capture. “Terrorism — really, Captain? I suppose that’s one way to look at it. I much prefer the term Freedom Fighter. It has a much more noble ring to it, don’t you think? It’s a matter of perspective.”
“Facts don’t have a perspective. Be warned: this is the only offer you’re going to receive that doesn’t result in your immediate termination — and rest assured, no one would shed a tear if your life were to end at this very moment. Now, release your hostage and surrender yourself.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot through this human to get to me? I think she might shed a tear or two if she were caught in your line of fire. What do you think, Human? Would you mind being a victim for this soldier’s cause?”
“Roger — I can’t…I don’t understand what you’re saying. Who are these — what are these things?”
Vaziil clamped his hand over the mewling woman’s mouth. “My dear Captain, I appreciate your tenacity, respect it even, but this human’s life is inconsequential to me. If, as you say, I’ve killed these thousands of beings, then what’s one more. Especially one of these.” He shook his petrified hostage for effect.
“We’ve chased you across the cosmos, following the trail of blood to every planet you’ve ravaged, every species you’ve morphed into — but always one step behind. Do you really think we’re likely to give you up now?”
“Well, that’s the funny thing,” he said calmly, “you don’t really have a choice.”
Captain Sha’an cocked her head toward her unwavering weapon. “We have all the choices in the world.”
“Then you’ll want to choose very wisely. You see, my dear Captain, I’m not just here on a sightseeing tour. My work here is at a very delicate stage and if it’s interrupted, well, who knows what might happen. You need only remind yourself of the eighty thousand of your brethren who perished the last time.”
Captain Sha’an seemed to choke on her words. “You mean the Thon Pahl colonists you butchered?”
The ripple of sorrow that betrayed the soldier sent a wave of exhilaration charging through Vaziil’s soul. “Once again, it’s all about perspective,” he said, poking judiciously at the Thon Pahl’s emotional wounds. “Semantics aside, all you need concern yourself with is that at this very moment, I have a device poised within striking distance of this pathetic rock — a weapon of sorts, if you will. Suffice it to say that this…device has a rather potent bite — potent enough to shake this world to rubble and scatter its ashes across the stars.”
The two flanking soldiers shifted awkwardly; colour flushed from Captain Sha’an’s already pale mauve skin, but she remained undeterred. “That’s impossible. There is no weapon that can destroy a whole planet. The energy required would be more than — “
“Please Captain. You’re thinking like a Thon Pahl, it’s embarrassing. You might want to check your scanners.”
Captain Sha’an nodded to one of her soldiers who checked the vibrant string of data pumping from his tactical module. “I’m detecting an object pushing through from hyperspace approximately 100,000 kilometres from the planet’s surface,” he said. “The object is roughly five hundred metres in diameter and giving off powerful energy readings. The pattern is unrecognisable but growing steadily. I’ve never seen anything like it, Captain.”
Sha’an twitched. “There is no hyperspace window that close to this system, let alone this planet.”
“Then imagine the havoc when my weapon punches through into normal space. Any planet caught in the blast wave of such a hyperspatial rupture would be pulverised to atoms and blasted across the light years without even leaving a stain on the universe.”
Vaziil pushed the metal spiral deeper into the woman’s skin; a dark trickle of blood snaked down her neck. “Maybe you’re willing to sacrifice the life of one human but are you prepared to sacrifice the lives of billions? Billions. What kind of butcher would that make you?” He twisted his human mouth into a smile of sorts. “I can see that is a difficult question for you, Captain. So all you need to focus on is that the weapon is keyed to my biological triggers and is set to activate if I’m under threat. And between you and me, I’m feeling a little threatened at the moment. Therefore, I’m going to make you a counter-offer — one that doesn’t involve blasting me with holes or blasting this world to…well, to nothing.
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Meet the Author:
Warren A. Shepherd was seven when he first realized the world didn’t fit him quite right. Two sizes too big or two sizes too small, he couldn’t be sure. But having been transported from the streets of London, England to the streets of Toronto, Canada at such a young age left him with a profound sense of alienation — a boy with one foot in each world yet belonging in neither. The experience, however, did sharpen his sense of self-awareness and made him a keen observer of the human (and not-so-human) condition.
When he sees what humankind is capable of, both the good and the bad, he imagines how we would cope amongst the stars and is driven to tell stories of strange new worlds to try to explain the one that he often cannot.
After all, it takes an alien to know an alien…
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