Rogue Event — J.M. Erickson

It is a strange, new world…The year is 2137 and Earth is united into one global organization governed by Central Corporate Command & Mainframe Control. People on the surface are primarily urban dwellers in great cities focused on various business operations that keep the world economy going. The surface citizens are organized in ranks based on their levels of productivity, expertise, and efficiency. These attributes are valued while other emotions are seen as disruptive and distracting. Gabriel Lawless is part of that corporate world and he does not fit in. Two miles below the surface, Deep Station Power Plant Six provides the surface dwellers all the power they need. Boss Maria Henry manages her underground city of fifteen thousand miners who prefer their lives of work, freedom, and emotions far away from surface dwellers. All is well until a military intelligence team arrives unexpectedly from the lunar colony bearing startling news: the rogue planet hurtling toward them will pass outside their solar system as predicted a century ago, but the size and nature of the lone planet does not comply with the laws of time, space, and nature of this universe. Worse, the dark planet is already pulling at the sun's energy while still five years away. With central command and the surface dwellers seemingly not caring about these discoveries, Maria makes the decision to prepare of the worst-case scenario. But will she have time? Rogue Event is a collection of six integrated science fiction short stories presented in under a hundred pages. The story arc looks at the approach of a massive rogue planet hurtling past our solar system from five very different perspectives. While collision is not possible, danger on a global scale is probable