Dark Space: Avilon (53 page)
Read Dark Space: Avilon Online
Authors: Jasper T. Scott
Tags: #Children's Books, #Literature & Fiction, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Alien Invasion, #Cyberpunk, #First Contact, #Galactic Empire, #Military, #Space Fleet, #Space Opera, #Children's eBooks, #Metaphysical & Visionary, #Science Fiction
Omnius’s flickering silver eyes brightened, and he smiled. “Yes, even then. Most of my children will never be able to accept that truth, so they will never know it, but Atton will, and for exactly the same reason that you already gave. The merit of one’s actions is determined by the consequences of those actions. The consequence of creating the Sythians and setting them loose in the Adventa Galaxy was to unite humanity, and to avert another Great War between mortals and immortals. The Imperium of Star Systems might not have been much of a threat, but with their numbers, and the necessity that we should hide from them on Avilon and limit our own numbers in order to do so . . .” Omnius shook his head and his smile flattened into a grim line. “Eventually they would have found and exterminated us, the way my Sythians did to them.”
“Yes, but now the monsters you have created are on the loose, determined to kill us anyway, and they are much stronger than the Imperium ever was.”
Omnius grimaced. “It is unfortunate that Shallah went rogue, but he will not be hard to stop. As we speak, his Sythians are interrogating Captain Marla Picara of the Resistance to find out why she and her crew didn’t suddenly drop dead the way all of their human slaves did.”
“Why didn’t you kill them, too?”
“They’re de-linked, remember?” Omnius said.
“So was Bretton Hale. De-linking doesn’t work.”
“The Sythians don’t know that. Rest assured, I have a purpose for all of the ones I left alive. Shallah wants to use Captain Picara and her crew to reverse-engineer our technology, so that he can jump past our gravity fields and straight to Avilon.”
“But they don’t know how quantum jump drives work. No human does.”
Omnius turned to her with a smile. “Picara and her crew will be the first ones to find out.”
“You’re going to help the Sythians get to Avilon.”
“I’m going to help them fly into a trap, and then I’m going to destroy them while all of my children watch. Justice must be seen to be done. The Sythians have a lot to answer for.”
“Shallah won’t be suspicious?”
“Shallah is naive and predictable. He even thinks that he can trust Commander Donali, that finding him at Noctune was just an accident. It was
I
who allowed Bretton Hale to find Donali, and it was
I
who caused his Lifelink to disassemble itself so that none would be the wiser. One day, when Shallah least expects, I shall use his own pet against him, and betray the Sythians with their own traitor.”
“You mean you predicted that Bretton would go to Noctune?”
Omnius’s flickering eyes grew dazzling, and Valari was forced to bow her head to escape his blinding gaze. “Does this surprise you? By know you should know better—
I
AM. All-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, and no one, certainly not a small-minded demi-god like Shallah, can thwart me. It will not take me long to defeat him. After all, I created him.”
Valari smirked. “By that logic, I should be able to defeat you, Omnius.”
“That part of my reasoning was not meant to be taken literally. But hypothetically, even if you could defeat me—why would you want to? I am only doing what you designed me to do: guiding humanity along the ascendant path until everyone reaches their destiny.”
“Perfection . . .” Neona Markonis said, letting the word out like a sigh and smiling a blissful smile that had nothing to do with any stim.
“Yes, an end to the chaos of free-will and indeterminacy. The universe shall be determined, and
I
its determinant,” Omnius said.
“Its God,” Neona concluded.
“Exactly.”
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PREVIOUS BOOKS
IN THE SERIES
Dark Space I: Humanity is Defeated
HUMANITY IS DEFEATED
Ten years ago the Sythians invaded the galaxy with one goal: to wipe out the human race.
THEY ARE HIDING
Now the survivors are hiding in the last human sector of the galaxy: Dark Space—once a place of exile for criminals, now the last refuge of mankind.
THEY ARE ISOLATED
The once galaxy-spanning Imperium of Star Systems is left guarding the gate which is the only way in or out of Dark Space—but not everyone is satisfied with their governance.
AND THEY ARE KILLING EACH OTHER
Freelancer and ex-convict Ethan Ortane is on the run. He owes crime lord Alec Brondi 10,000 sols, and his ship is badly damaged. When Brondi catches up with him, he makes an offer Ethan can't refuse. Ethan must infiltrate and sabotage the Valiant, the Imperial Star Systems Fleet carrier which stands guarding the entrance of Dark Space, and then his debt will be cleared. While Ethan is still undecided about what he will do, he realizes that the Imperium has been lying and putting all of Dark Space at risk. Now Brondi's plan is starting to look like a necessary evil, but before Ethan can act on it, he discovers that the real plan was much more sinister than what he was told, and he will be lucky to escape the Valiant alive. . . .
Dark Space II: The Invisible War
THEIR SHIP IS DAMAGED
Ethan Ortane has just met his long lost son, Atton, but the circumstances could have been better. After a devastating bio-attack and the ensuing battle, they've fled Dark Space aboard the Defiant to get away from the crime lord, Alec Brondi, who has just stolen the most powerful vessel left in the Imperial Star Systems' Fleet—the Valiant, a five-kilometer-long gladiator-class carrier.
THEY ARE LOW ON FUEL
They need reinforcements to face Brondi, but beyond Dark Space the comm relays are all down, meaning that they must cross Sythian Space to contact the rest of the fleet. Making matters worse, they are low on fuel, so they can't jump straight there. They'll have to travel on the space lanes to save fuel, but the lanes are controlled by Sythians now, and they are fraught with entire fleets of cloaked alien ships.
AND THERE IS NO WAY OUT
With Brondi behind them, they can't go back, and they can't afford to leave the last human sector in the galaxy to the crime lords, so they must cross through enemy territory in the Defiant, a damaged, badly undermanned cruiser with no cloaking device. Making matter worse, trouble is brewing aboard the cruiser, dropping their chances of survival from slim . . . to none.
THE DEFIANT IS STRANDED
Ethan and his son, Atton, have been arrested for high treason and conspiracy, crimes which will surely mean the death sentence, but it's beginning to look like theirs aren't the only lives in jeopardy—the Defiant is stranded in Sythian Space, and the vessel which Commander Caldin sent to get help has used all its fuel to get to Obsidian Station, only to find out that the station has been destroyed. Now the Defiant's last hope for a rescue is gone, and everyone on board is about to die a cold, dark death.
HUMANITY IS STILL FIGHTING ITSELF
Meanwhile, the notorious crime lord, Alec Brondi, is plotting to capture the remnants of Admiral Hoff's fleet, just as he captured the Valiant, but Hoff's men are on to him, and Brondi is about to get a lot more than he bargained for, forcing him to flee to the one place he knows will be safe—Dark Space.
AND A NEW INVASION IS ABOUT TO BEGIN
But Dark Space is only safe because the alien invaders don't know exactly where it is, and now they have a plan to find it which will threaten not only Dark Space, but the entire human race.
Or Get All Three for a Special Price
DARK SPACE WON THE BATTLE
Humanity has just won a major victory against the invading Sythians--the first victory in the history of the war. The savage Gors have joined forces with Dark Space, and now for the first time since the invasion, it looks like the tide is turning. But the Sythians weren't defeated. Humanity just bloodied their noses. Now they know where Dark Space is, and they are coming back for revenge.
THE WAR STILL RAGES
Admiral Hoff Heston is secretly terrified of what's coming, but he's lulling people into a false sense of security. He needs to buy time. The people of Dark Space are not as alone as they think.
AND EVERYTHING IS ABOUT TO CHANGE
Avilon, a lost sector of humans, has remained hidden and untouched by the Sythian invasion. No one knew they even existed, except for Admiral Heston. Now he must send a mission to contact them and get help, but what humanity finds there will change more than just the course of the war against the alien invaders . . . it will change the very nature of their existence.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasper T. Scott
is the USA TODAY best-selling author of more than eleven novels, written across various genres. His abiding passion is to write science fiction and fantasy. As an avid fan of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, Jasper Scott aspires to create his own worlds to someday capture the hearts and minds of his readers as thoroughly as these franchises have.
Jasper spent years living as a starving artist before finally quitting his various jobs to become a full-time writer. In his spare time he enjoys reading, traveling, going to the gym, and spending time with his family.