Night is falling.
Embrace the darkness.
A Son of the Shadows
The Earthborn Saga Vol 1
by Steven Bissett
Genre: Science Fiction Fantasy
Night is falling. Embrace the darkness.
On the ice-clad prison world of Delta-13, where minds teeter on the edge of madness, mankind’s future dangles by a thread.
Living under the shadow of an imperial conspiracy, Rex Hunt discovers a psychic gift that will upset the balance of power in the entire galaxy.
As Rex grapples with his newfound power, prison psychiatrist, Dr. Lily Tselitel, delves into the chilling surge of madness among the inmates, pulling her closer to a secret as old as the galaxy itself.
Their paths converge as they uncover an imperial plot to build a weapon that threatens to suffocate the flickering spirit of rebellion in the galaxy’s fringe colonies.
Unbeknownst to the rebels, as they fight against the empire’s sinister plan, an ancient shadow looms over the galaxy, threatening to consume humanity’s vast colonies, and even Earth itself!
Discover the first book in an epic space opera where hope survives in secret taverns, and the line between life and death is blurred in the snowy expanse of Delta-13.
You’re just one click away from learning mankind’s fate.
“I think that’s our girl,” Rex said quietly to Wellesley, slowly pressing his way through the thorn bushes and standing up to get a better view in the darkness.
“Are you sure?”
“No. Looks like her, but I can’t be certain.”
Stepping a few feet closer, he squinted hard in the gloom to try and make out some detail that would inform him for sure. The figure moved through the cold with hunched shoulders, trying to resist the chill for as long as possible in barely adequate clothing.
“You’d think they’d give their people better winter wear,” Wellesley commented.
The duo watched the figure cross the expanse between the prison and the apartments.
“We’re almost out of time, Rex,” Wellesley said. “They’ve nearly made it inside. If it is Tselitel, we’ve got to make our move now.”
“But what if it isn’t?” Hunt countered. “We’ll get half the complex’s guards breathing down our necks if it’s anyone else.” He moved along the trees to try and stay parallel to the walker. Suddenly a stick snapped under his foot. The figure looked over and saw him.
“Wait! Please wait!” he heard Tselitel’s voice call out. She started running towards him, seemingly making all the noise she possibly could.
“Oh, keep your mouth shut!” Wellesley growled, afraid the guards would hear as Hunt turned and bolted into the forest. “Wait! Where are you going?”
“To lead her away from the sentries,” Hunt said angrily. “Maybe she’ll be smart enough to follow.”
He dove headlong into the forest, only pausing once the lights of the prison were no longer visible. Listening intently, he heard her crunch across the hard, frozen ground until her feet hit the soft, undisturbed snow near the trees. Half a minute passed before he heard her struggling through a large drift a short distance away.
“Someone’s close,” Wellesley whispered. “But I can’t tell if it’s her or not.”
“It’s her,” Hunt whispered. “The patrols would be flashing their lights everywhere.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Lead her farther away,” Hunt said, as the swishing grew near. “I don’t want some chance guard to relieve himself in the forest and hear us talking.”
Pushing off a tree he’d been leaning against, he walked slowly south, guiding Tselitel farther from her apartment and deeper into the wilderness, pausing periodically to ensure she was still on his trail.
“Any farther and her feet will freeze off,” Wellesley said. “The sentries can’t possibly find us this far out. Let’s double back and get her.”
“The planet agrees with you,” Hunt said, a powerful intuition instructing him to retrace his steps at just that moment. Very slowly he walked back, his ears pricked for the slightest sound of Tselitel’s movements.
“Just ahead, Rex,” Wellesley said. “I can hear her.”
“Me too,” Hunt said in a loud whisper, not really caring if she heard him.
He heard her jerk in the darkness at the sound of his voice, a gasp escaping her lips.
“I think you startled her,” Wellesley said.
“Good,” Hunt thought, still burned at all the noise she’d made in chasing him. He decided to get a little closer before addressing her, just in case she bolted. Moving slowly through the snow, his feet carving little valleys, he got within ten feet of her when she suddenly made a run for it. He heard three footfalls, and then a loud thwack as her head smashed against a low branch. The sound of her body falling into the snow was unmistakable. He strode up to her, seeing the slightest glimmer of light in her eyes as her lids lowered and she lost consciousness.
The Beast Emerges
The Earthborn Saga Vol II
Ancient secrets. New battles.
An unyielding, insidious peril, the Devourers unleash chaos in the galaxy.
First in their malevolent sights: the ice planet Delta-13, next the enigmatic jungles of Preleteth. Rex Hunt, driven by destiny and cryptic legends, forges alliances in the galaxy’s darkest corners.
From pirate-infested asteroids to secret Imperial bases, danger lurks at every corner. When ancient prophecies from the sentient world of Preleteth point to a shadowy salvation, Rex’s fate becomes irrevocably intertwined with a journey that spans galaxies.
Every alliance forged, every secret unveiled, and every battle waged will shape the future in this grand space opera of courage, sacrifice, and cosmic revelation.
Dive deep with Rex and his crew as they embark on a perilous journey. If you think you’ve outsmarted the might of the Empire or the ruthlessness of the Devourers… prepare for your reckoning.
Jump into book two of The Earthborn Saga today!
Mayday! Mayday! This is imperial vessel Rising Dawn to any human forces in the vicinity of Delta-13. I am in need of immediate assistance! Can anyone read me?”
Captain Galerius Lucan checked the rear-facing cameras on his small vessel and saw a pair of Devourer fighter craft closing fast. Vile green globs of acidic filth shot forth from strange, mouthlike gunports mounted beside their fuselages, narrowly missing his craft. Several had already hit the ship, dealing serious damage to the unshielded vessel.
“I repeat, this is the transport vessel Rising Dawn! I need help now! For the love of all things holy, somebody help me, please! I have passengers aboard!”
Throwing the clumsy vessel into a lethargic barrel roll, he managed to avoid two of the three blobs that chased after him. The third landed on one of the port engines, burning through its metal housing in seconds and disabling it.
“I’ve just lost one of my engines!” he screamed into his microphone.
“Imperial vessel Rising Dawn, this is Colonel Pinchon of the Black Fang pirates. We have received your distress call, and are coming to help. Hang on.”
Stunned that the gravelly voice he heard belonged to a pirate, Lucan was nevertheless relieved.
“Probably rescuing me so they can keep the ship for themselves,” he thought, dodging another pair of blasts as he did so. “But at least I’ll be alive!”
He saw a pair of nimble fighters form up behind his alien assailants and open fire with their small rapid fire railguns. The first few bursts missed as the pirates found their ranges. Then they zeroed in on one of them, unloading a devastating blast into its sole engine. Instantly the tiny craft exploded, severely damaging its partner and sending it tumbling away from them in a wild spin.
“Colonel Pinchon to Rising Dawn, your six is clear. You’d better come with us. They probably let out a distress signal of their own before we took ‘em down. They’ll be crawling all over this area in minutes.”
“Where are we going?” Lucan asked, quickly forgetting his past danger and worried what his rescuers intended to do with him.
“To the only place that’s still halfway safe for humans,” Pinchon said. “The Black Fang base on Delta-13.”
Dubiously Lucan fell in behind his escorts, who cut their speed so the limping transport could keep up.
Far in the distance his scanner showed that the largest Devourer vessels were floating just above the planet. The only ships still in orbit were fighter craft, like the ones that had been on him just moments before. Moving to the opposite side of Delta-13, he descended through a dense layer of clouds and found himself in the middle of a violent snowstorm.
“I-I can’t see anything,” he said over the radio. “And my instruments aren’t showing any base.”
“That’s because it’s camouflaged,” replied Pinchon, a smile audible on his lips. “Don’t worry, we’ll guide you right to it. Just stay on our six.”
“Affirmative,” he said, clicking off the radio and leaning back in his seat to try and calm himself. The storm beat against the transport, trying to knock it off course. But with effort he managed to stay with his escorts until they slowed into a stationary hover two hundred feet above the ground.
“The landing pad is directly beneath you,” Pinchon spoke over the radio. “Begin your descent. I’ll let you know if you need to adjust your approach.”
“Roger,” Lucan replied, flicking the switch to engage landing mode and ever so gingerly lowering the Rising Dawn to the pad below.
“A little to your left,” Pinchon said. “That’s it. Nice and slow. The wind’s picking up. Just a tad to the right. A little more. There you go.”
Moments later the vessel’s landing gear touched the pad, and a green light blinked on to show that the ship was securely grounded. Detaching his harness and leaving the cockpit, he found the dozen passengers nervously talking among themselves, trying to figure out what had happened.
“There’s the Captain!” a middle-aged woman said. “He can tell us what’s going on.”
“Where are we?” a man asked. “This doesn’t look like the prison complex.”
“It’s not,” replied Lucan, trying to find the words to inform twelve confused imperial employees that they were now the guests of the most feared criminal organization in the fringe. Before he could elaborate a knock was heard on the hatch embedded in the ship’s starboard side. Leaving the passengers to guess among themselves, he turned and walked back towards the cockpit, stopping just short of it. He put his hands on the lever that controlled the door and hesitated for a moment, his mind racing over what his distress call might have gotten them in for. Then he braced himself and gave the old lever a firm twist.
The Crucible of Titans
The Earthborn Saga Vol III
Dreadnoughts. Devourers. Deception. In a star field of lies, can anyone be trusted?
Trapped aboard the Empire’s ultimate weapon, Sentinel, Rex becomes the crucial factor in the cosmic war against the Devourers.
But there’s a mysterious web of deceit beyond the battlefield. Driven by an intense hatred of mankind, an ancient being emerges as the parasite’s true puppet master.
Between the Empire, the Devourers, emboldened pirates, and a plethora of colonial revolutionaries, are there simply too many enemies to overcome?
The mysterious Krancis, architect of the Empire’s desperate gambit to survive, sends Sentinel on a collision course with the single greatest foe ever to threaten mankind. The battle to come is beyond colossal: it’s a celestial clash of titans that could cost Rex everything he has left.
Dive into this enthralling mosaic of military tactics, clandestine politics, and cosmic spirituality. Feel the universe quake under the weight of monumental choices. Here, heroes are born, villains rise, and entire galaxies crumble.
Ready for the next level of space opera?
The Tides of Retribution
The Earthborn Saga Vol IV
Will the Empire crumble under the weight of betrayal and invasion?
As the galaxy is besieged by the merciless Devourers and treacherous Fringers, one ship and one man stand as humanity’s final hope.
Can the enigmatic Rex, a master of shadowy psychic powers, and the massive warship, Sentinel, keep the relentless enemy at bay?
Rumors of alien infiltration and psychic omens shake the Empire to its core. Can Rex and Sentinel hold the line long enough for Krancis’ new experimental weapon to be deployed against their enemy?
As the hive-minded Devourers grow bolder and more ruthless by the day, the Empire finds itself fighting battles on multiple fronts. Eliminating high-level operatives providing intelligence to the parasite becomes as crucial as protecting the Empire’s teeming population centers.
Venture into this colossal clash, where an alien hive mind, the Imperium’s internal enemies, and the ticking clock that marks humanity’s doom converge. Witness as Krancis’ innovations offer a glimmer of hope, Rex pushes his psychic gifts to the limit, and the Devourers edge closer to ultimate victory over humanity.
Ready to discover what surprises await humanity?
Immerse yourself into the intrigue of book four of the Earthborn Saga today!
The Crusade of Vengeance
The Earthborn Saga Vol V
The tides are turning, but is it enough to save humanity?
When the Empire’s last gamble pays off, the Devourer’s end finally seems inevitable.
Armed with Adler fighters and Sentinel’s devastating cannon, the Devourer’s reign of terror might be on the brink of ending.
But the colossal enemy has one last trick up its sleeve and is spreading a devilish evil across the Empire in a desperate bid at victory. Armed with city-sized masses of stinking Devourer flesh, these psychic nightmares that consume life are being warped in from deep space to wreak havoc on the Empire’s core worlds.
And even as Rex powers Sentinel’s cannon to obliterate the Devourer’s latest monstrosities, a darker evil waits in the wings, a force that dwarfs all other threats.
Advanced weaponry meets arcane entities and the very fabric of the universe hangs by a thread.
Prepare to confront the real enemy in book five of the Earthborn Saga today!
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Steven Bissett has been writing stories for over fourteen years. An eclectic author, he excels at seamlessly blending genres together to produce unique stories. With compelling characters, dynamic plots, and a crisp, candid style that holds nothing back, Bissett continues to delight readers of every age.
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The excerpt sounds good. Thanks for shairng.