Shooter paused with his finger on a button; he’d reached the balance point, planning to fire the projectiles he’d hauled so far. He waited as the targeting system crunched out trajectories that would carry each payload to its target. Only one of these blue specks had spawned sentience, but they were so proliferate. They had even begun to spill over onto the other – the beast world.

It was only a matter of time before they would travel out of this backwater, overrunning others with their violence and aggression.

It stops here, before it starts.

The console flashed a confirmation: ready to launch. Without hesitation Shooter pressed the button. The vessel rocked as two projectiles, each bigger across than some of the cities on his own world, sped off toward their respective marks.

It was an unsanctioned attack, sure; but someday the council would thank him for obliterating this contagious species.

This flash fiction in 150 words was was crafted for the M3 blog’s Flash in the Pan (Travel)