V I S : Vampires In Space, Volume One: Vampires In Space

By Talbott, Anne Marie

Book Id: WPLBN0002827447
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 1.69 MB
Reproduction Date: 2/21/2013

Title:	V I S : Vampires In Space, Volume One: Vampires In Space
Author:	Talbott, Anne Marie
Volume:	Volume One
Language:	English
Subject:	Fiction, Drama and Literature, Science Fiction
Collections:	Authors Community, Science Fiction
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	Anne Marie Talbott, MA, MBA

Member Page:	Anne Talbott
Citation APA MLA Chicago Marie Talbott, B. A. (n.d.). V I S : Vampires In Space, Volume One. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.us/

Description
Apparently, there’s been an underground, cold war going on, not noticed much by humans, between “good” vampires—those who have altered their biological needs and can use synthetic blood—and “bad” vampires—Rogues who actively enjoy hunting, draining and butchering humans. Now Sheriff Hudson and his friends are in the middle of the war, which has gone above-ground and hot. The chase to catch and stop—kill if necessary—the Rogues consumes Hudson and his crew, as they struggle for their lives on the platform. The good vampires help as they can, but Hudson’s not sure he trusts them completely either. The war spills over, involving Earth and the Navy Space Force, as the hordes of Rogues and their Servants come forth openly, killing hundreds of humans as they try to obtain the materials they need. Hudson and his friends—Doctor Holly Marten, an old Navy friend from “back in the day”; Max, Hudson’s former platoon corpsman; Cal, Max’s boyfriend; Helga, Doc Marten’s assistant—have to first get their minds around the almost unimaginable, then deal with the crisis as it spreads from the mining platform to a solar system war.

Summary
Serial killings, especially ones committed by bloodthirsty vampires, are not what Gunnery Sergeant (retired) Archer Hudson had in mind for an easy retirement gig. VIS concerns a retired Marine, working as a sheriff for a large mining corporation, and how he deals with the terror that a serial killer brings to the mining platform. Not just any serial killer, mind you, but a vampire—one of thousands coming out of hiding, wanting the materials being mined on the platform, and wanting to enslave the human race. These sociopathic, bloodthirsty creatures are called Rogues; they have human assistants, too, called Servants.

Excerpt
“Man, I’ve never seen anything like this,” I mutter to the screen in front of me. The stale smelling air in the office circulates slowly around me as the electronics hum in the background. “You know? I’ve been in this business a damn long time and never…” Max grunts as he looks over the vid I’ve sent him. “Spirit! Me neither. What the hell happened? Someone making some crazy juice up there? Found any?” He glances back to me from the other screen, grimacing. He’s been in the cop business longer that I’ve been so my instincts were right—if it upsets him, it’s gotta be as bad as I thought it looked. I’m no fainting pansy myself but jeeze…I shudder. “Nope. Doc says no trace of drugs. There was some grass in the compartment, but it was only the company-issued crap they give out for anxiety. The little green pellets. Nothing else. Nothing but this.” I look down at the vids myself, displayed on my desk. They show… They show what used to be a human, although you’d be hard pressed to guess that at first. There are parts everywhere in the compartment; the man was literally pulled limb from limb and then the limbs were, well, destroyed. Most of them. A hand looks up forlornly at me from one shot, and part of my mind notes that it’s a left hand, missing the thumb at the base. Wonder if we found the thumb? I shut that line of thought off with a slow shudder. “Max, Company wants me to keep this quiet, but I’m not sure. I think… shit, I don’t know what I think.” I wince, noticing the ongoing headache I’ve had since the guy’s roommate burst into my office a few hours ago, screaming. I had to smack him down to get any words out of him. Then I almost tossed my lunch in the crime scene, something frowned upon in the law enforcement community. “I wanted to ask you about it, but on the Q.T.” “Noticed the privacy filters. Fine by me; Company bastards watch us too much anyways. Let me talk with someone, and I’ll get back with you. This reminds me of something…” Max’s clear gray eyes look troubled. He waves me off and I close the vid screens, putting my hands behind my head and rocking back in my office chair. This is all I need, I think. I thought I’d landed a laid-back sheriff job here on this outpost. Nothing to do but break up drunk brawls, bust the occasional still of crazy juice, watch for smuggling. Close down any too obvious brothels… don’t want the Company ones losing any more money than they do already. And that’s it. Coming from where I came from—the blasted