The predator analysis ke.., p.25
The Predator Analysis (Kepos Chronicles Book 4), page 25
“A lot of picking bugs off cabbage leaves and genetically modifying their appetites.”
“To eat what?”
“A local plant that poisons the occasional lost sheep. You know, kill two birds with one genetically modified stone.”
“I know it’s a saying, but I still have to ask. Are you killing the birds too?”
Dione laughed, and so did Brian. The corners of his eyes creased with the very beginnings of wrinkles like his dad had. He was looking at her, calculating.
“What is it?” she asked. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“We finally got approval. That’s why I canceled yesterday and why I was late today. It happened all of a sudden.”
Dione’s eyebrows went up. “Oh, wow. I guess it has been a little while. No Ven or Sugian sightings for six months either.” The virus had done its work, and within two years, there were hardly any vestiges of the alien races that had plagued them. The Vens and Sugians had either fled, succumbed to the virus, or killed each other.
“There’s a lot of bureaucratic stuff that still has to happen, and I plan to go back to Kepos for it.”
“That’s good, but what about your degree?”
“I’m finishing it early.”
“How is that even possible? You’ve only been working on it for three years.”
“Like I said, I don’t do much else besides study.”
“Do you think you’ll stay there? I thought you wanted a PhD.”
“More school can wait a few years, or I can do it remotely like you’ve been doing it.”
“And it’s taking me a lot longer this way. I’ve still got two more years.”
“I wanted to ask you to come to Kepos with me.”
He caught her by surprise again. “When? I might be able to carve out another week or two later this year. I’ll need a faster ship, though. I can—”
“Dione, let me finish. I want you to move there. You can finish up your internship while things get finalized, your other classes are already remote, and you know there are more than enough struggles to occupy you out there. Plus, it’s a paying job.”
“Move to Kepos for a few years?” she said. It was a bizarre thought, but it sounded even stranger coming from her own lips.
“I’ve heard from Moira. Some of the creatures on Jameson’s nightmare island are finding their way to the mainland.”
Dione pulled on a stray thread of her dress and swallowed. “The dragons?”
“No, thankfully, but they need help putting a stop to it, and who better than you?”
“There are plenty of qualified people.”
“But those qualified people aren’t you. If you aren’t interested in the opportunity, no hard feelings. But I want you to understand the whole opportunity.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s the removal of invasives, a long-term solution to the creatures on the island, as well as studying the progress of the phytoremediation efforts. Moira tells me that she’s discovered a plant that can cut the anticipated time to clean up the soil in half. She’s has been digging into the research done by the other scientists, not just Jameson and Samantha.”
“That is a very appealing set of problems to solve,” Dione said. “But why ask me?”
“You know why, Dione.” He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, his fingertips brushing gently against her cheek. “I love you. I want to give us a real chance without you having to sacrifice the path you chose.
“Are you part of the benefits package?”
“Only if you want. The job offer stands. Kepos needs someone like you, and I personally hope that it is you. For selfish reasons, of course.” He stepped closer and rested his forehead against hers. It was a question.
Dione looked up into his earnest, dark brown eyes. “I still love you too.” Her work on the Rim had been meaningful. She didn’t regret it, but it had also been lonely. Courage was a choice, and even though the thought of returning to Kepos filled her with mixed emotions, she knew the answer.
“Yes,” she said. “But only if you promise we can get our doctorates after.”
He laughed and kissed her. “I promise.”
Dione put her hand in his, ready for the next adventure.
Thank You
Thank you for reading! If you have a minute, I’d appreciate it if you could leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Every review helps me get the word out about my books!
If you want to receive updates on new releases and deals about my books, sign up for my mailing list. I send out emails when I have news: subscribe.ericarue.com/
Acknowledgements
Thank you, Jacob, for your endless support. Thank you to my parents Ralph and Jane for letting me bounce some early ideas around that helped me solve plotting issues. Thank you to my wonderful beta readers: Maggie Burnside, TR Dillon, Jane Eickhoff, Donna Royston, Bradford Karl Slocum, and Martin Wilsey. Thank you to The Hourlings for the blurb feedback, especially from Emma G. Rose. I’d also like thank Jessica Hatch of Hatch Editorial Services for cleaning up an especially poorly punctuated draft and brainstorming a specific issue with me.
Finally, a special thank you to the readers who made it to the end of the series! Your support is much appreciated.
Books In This Series
Kepos Chronicles
The Kepos Problem
The Ven Hypothesis
The Island Experiment
The Predator Analysis
About The Author
Erica Rue
Erica Rue is a reader and writer of science fiction and fantasy, especially YA. Her abandoned biology major and handful of astronomy classes have prepared her well for writing sci-fi. She enjoys learning new words and promptly forgetting them so that she can rediscover them. When she's not writing, she forgets to water her garden, completes every side quest she triggers, and boosts her dog's self-esteem.
Erica Rue, The Predator Analysis (Kepos Chronicles Book 4)
