Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Date Published: 06-08-2021
Publisher: Sandpaper Press
Three thousand years ago the three races of Vinge, Human, Dak’or, and
Fingalin, fled into space at the destruction of their planet. Now The
Alliance between the three governments is at its breaking point. Between
racial tensions caused by the elitist and wealthy Fingal trying to claim a
divine right to rule, a deadly new quarantine-resistant plague that is
sweeping through the primarily Drak’or outer colonies, and lack of funding
and success in terraforming efforts, the treaty seems to be at an end. As
people begin to turn to religion to save them, The Descendents, a powerful
religious sect worshiping the Goddess Vyanna, readily fill the void.
Now the crew of a small mercenary vessel, captained by a man calling
himself the devil, are on a relief mission to replace equipment for Deep
Space Initiative Station 3122’s failed life support. Lieutenant Commander
James Aiunys, the newest member, and tactical officer of the legendary crew
is shocked when they are unexpectedly pulled out of hyperspace, and informed
that the quarantine zone has been expanded to include the station. The
mysterious Drak’or captain is undeterred. In a feat that seems more like
magic than science, he turns the battle on its head, defeating one of the
most powerful warships in the galaxy, leaving it paralyzed in space.
Upon their arrival however, the station is not what they had expected. The
crew becomes concerned when they discover the station empty, an eerie
resemblance to another station they had visited at the bequest of strange
women with silver hair who smelled of apple blossoms.
When the power core fails during their investigation, The Captain is once
again forced to do the impossible, leaving James with more questions than
answers. With the government collapsing into chaos, the crew of The Shade
find themselves on the run, caught in the middle of a sinister plot that
will change the galaxy forever.
But there are darker shadows than the machinations of mortals lurking in
the far corners of civilization. Brought face to face with their own
humanity in a conflict older than the concepts of good and evil. They are
forced to question everything they understood about themselves, religion,
and even the very fabric of reality.