Tyche's Flight (Tyche's Journey Book 1)

by Richard Parry

  LIDAR Acronym for LIght Detection And Ranging. LIDAR uses coherent light to make digital 3D representations of objects.

  Maser A type of directed energy weapon using microwave radiation. Ship-mounted masers are most effective at disrupting enemy comm arrays and personnel in equal measure. They are out of favor as hand-held weapons due to a longer time to death as compared to blasters.

  Mercury Accords The Mercury Accords, or simply the Accords, are a set of agreements set out by the Guild relating to research, design, and implementation of AI. The short version is that the Accords prohibit the research, design, and implementation of AI in any form, due to AI’s potential to destroy human civilization. They were signed into affect in the 25th century on the site of the last war between humans and AI: the planet Mercury, in the Sol system. Mercury was where AI made their last stand.

  Navy A space fleet force. The Republic operates one, as did the Empire before it. The Navy patrol human space to protect against threats like pirates.

  Nuke A thermonuclear weapon of mass destruction. Very old but reliable technology, used in configurable payloads for ship-to-ship combat, city assaults, and the destruction of entire worlds (ref: crustbuster).

  Old Empire see Empire.

  Particle Beam A type of directed energy weapon that fires particles with minuscule mass.

  Plasma Cannon see Blaster.

  Point Defense Cannon (PDC) PDCs are installed on almost every starship to protect hulls from impacts from things like meteoroids. They are also useful defense against torpedoes, although generally ineffective against railguns due to the high velocity of railgun rounds. PDCs can be kinetic or directed energy weapons.

  Power Armor Armor that is motor-assisted, often used for deployments on high-G worlds. Configuration often includes vehicle weapon mounts, allowing a higher degree of flexibility for infantry deployment.

  Prirene Dynasty The Prirene Dynasty has stretched back over two hundred years. It was the last family to hold the ruling seat of the Empire.

  RADAR Acronym for RAdio Detection And Ranging. RADAR uses radio waves to determine the range, angle, and velocity of objects.

  Radiation Sickness A constant hazard of space. Many crews take daily medication to ward off radiation sickness. It’s as much a part of shipboard life as making sure your O2 is topped up. This means that a mild dose of radiation is unlikely to kill you if treated in time, but massive doses are still dangerous.

  Railgun A kinetic weapon that fires high velocity rounds by way of a pair of conductive rails. They are often mounted on larger ships and make a dramatic statement when fired against enemy vessels.

  Reactor Starships use fusion reactors. The most common design is the ICF (Internal Confinement Fusion) style of reactor. These have a variety of safety functions that make them suitable for spacefaring needs, including containment fields in case of malfunction. Larger starships can eject faulty reactors into the hard black.

  Republic The ruling government of human civilization. The Republic is made up of a Senate, headquartered on Earth. Initially founded by dissenters against the Empire, it has risen to be the driving force of human innovation, commerce, and expansion. The final fight between the Empire and the Republic was quick, due to the small number of ships deployed by the Empire (the Republic Navy had reliable intelligence that the Empire’s forces were much larger). Quick didn’t mean bloodless, although the Republic offered amnesty for any serving Empire crew who wished to take it.

  Rig Slang for maintenance equipment commonly worn by Guild Engineers about starships. These double as space suits for zero atmosphere maintenance on the exterior of a starship’s hull. The design incorporates a visor with configurable HUD for instrumentation and telemetry, and a set of programmable servitor arms for complex manipulation of equipment.

  Shingle A guild badge of practice, allowing the holder to a) claim they are Guild certified and b) ply their trade as a Guild craftsperson. They are notoriously hard to get, requiring years of study and excellence in your field.

  Ship Suit Slang for spacesuit. Generally denotes a space suit for a specific ship carrying crew logograms and/or color themes.

  Space Suit Clothing worn to keep humans alive in the hard black. They provide protection against vacuum, temperature extremes, and radiation. Military models are often fitted with armor to protect against blasters, lasers, masers, and kinetic rounds. They often provide additional protection against high-G maneuvers.

  Spacer Slang for those who crew on a starship, civilian or military.

  Tonne Metric ton, equivalent to 1,000 kilograms.

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  You want to know one of the best things about being a writer? You.

  Having real conversations with readers is one of the best things that this gig has brought me. I’ve exchanged emails with readers on a bunch of stuff. One whose son is in video games (awesome). There was another who wants to stalk me (awesome?). A fair few drop me a line on which characters they loved the most (definitely awesome). You get the point. Back when I was working for The Man™ it was pretty hard to build meaningful relationships with people I was working with. Shifting to writing has changed all that. My mailing list has brought me a far deeper connection with fans and friends than I’d ever hoped dream.

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  2. A similarly DRM-free copy of Sleepless, the short story that started me towards writing the Tyche’s Journey trilogy. Also no DRM, because DRM is the devil that steals children in the night.

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  Also by Richard Parry

  Have you read them all?

  Tyche’s Journey

  Tyche’s Flight

  A colony world goes dark.

  Grace Gushiken is a grifter and a liar. Worse, she’s an esper, an abhorrent creation of the Old Empire. Grace keeps her blade sharp and her wits sharper. She’s on the run from the Republic’s justice.

  Nathan Chevell captains the free trader Tyche, an ex-war heavy lifter. He’s no pirate, but he’s no white knight either. An encounter with espers saw him discharged from th
e Emperor’s Black before the real fighting even started.

  When the crew of the Tyche are hired to deliver a new transmitter for a downed Guild Bridge, Grace hitches a ride. They find the Absalom Delta colony deserted, its people turned into slaves by the insect-like Ezeroc. The aliens have descended like locusts on humanity, consuming all in their path. No one is safe. Even the Republic Navy is powerless against them.

  Facing an impossible foe, odds are stacked against the Tyche. The ship and her crew need to test their skill and their luck to survive. Will Grace and Nate be able to work together to get away? Or will fears and rivalries from the past destroy humanity’s hopes, ceding victory to the Ezeroc?

  Tyche’s Flight is the first book in Richard Parry’s gripping Tyche’s Journey trilogy. If you like page-turning space opera with great dialogue and heart-pumping action, get your copy today!

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  Tyche’s Deceit

  The enemy is already here.

  After the encounter with the merciless Ezeroc on Absalom Delta, Grace Gushiken and Nathan Chevell make a run for home. They have a new mission: to warn humanity. Aliens are real. And they are already among us.

  The crew of the free trader Tyche are hunted by men in black, fearsome fighters who share the Ezeroc’s powers. When the Tyche lands on Earth the ship’s placed on lockdown. Her crew are scattered and on the run. Without their ship or friends, Grace and Nate have no escape.

  The Republic and its military have been corrupted to the core by the Ezeroc. Humanity’s homeworld is at risk. As hope dwindles, Grace and Nate receive an offer they can’t refuse from an unlikely source. The abhorrent espers of the Old Empire might be their only chance to save humanity. Their devil’s bargain: join us, or die.

  Out of time and running low on luck, Grace and Nate must gather their scattered crew. Five souls and an old heavy lifter against the might of the Republic and its alien overlords. Will the crew of the Tyche find allies in humanity’s struggle for survival? Or are we doomed to be food for the insects?

  Tyche’s Deceit is the second book in Richard Parry’s gripping Tyche’s Journey trilogy. If you like page-turning space opera with great dialogue and heart-pumping action, get your copy today!

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  Tyche’s Crown

  Our empire is built on lies.

  The Senate is in chaos. The Republic is falling from within, a corrupted shell around a rotted core. Abhorrent espers control humans like pawns. The Republic Navy is in open rebellion. The Tyche rides solar wind, seeking allies. If they don’t find them, humanity will fall.

  An ancient transmission is discovered from beyond the charted edge of the hard black. It is not Ezeroc, who need no technology to communicate. Grace Gushiken and Nathan Chevell take the free trader Tyche on a desperate mission. Find the source of the signal, and with it, hope. The war against the Ezeroc is not one humans can win alone.

  Flying on borrowed time, Grace and Nate discover an ancient space station. It holds horrors from the Old Empire. These secrets are better left hidden, for they lead the Tyche to the heart of Ezeroc space. They find an alien homeworld hungry for war.

  With the Ezeroc menace poised for victory, will Grace and Nate be able to save humanity? Or will their luck finally give out?

  Tyche’s Crown is the conclusion to Richard Parry’s gripping Tyche’s Journey trilogy. If you like page-turning space opera with great dialogue and heart-pumping action, get your copy today!

  [Coming Soon!]

  Standalone Books

  Upgrade

  Would the man who has it all ever need to change?

  Mason Floyd’s job is simple: company asset protection and acquisition, no questions asked. An augmented company enforcer, he’s known for taking the straightest path to the objective. Sometimes that’s climbing over bodies, and sometimes it’s blowing up the evidence. Just another day in the syndicates.

  He’s good at what he does. It’s given Mason the best looks money can buy, the spacious apartment that only comes with knowing the right people, and top shelf bionics from Apsel Federate. He’s at the top of his game when a gate between worlds opens, spilling a man who can control minds into Seattle. This master of coercion rips away everything Mason holds dear. A world bought by corporate interest turns against him.

  Hunted and fresh out of friends, Mason learns that living in the soft line between incentive and crime was always the easy path. Making the right choices could save the world – and his soul. It’ll only cost him everything he’s ever wanted. Can Mason learn what it means to be truly human?

  Upgrade is a standalone cyberpunk book by Richard Parry. If you like page-turning techno thrillers with great dialogue and heart-pumping action, then you’ll love this novel from a Sir Julius Vogel Award finalist for both Best Novel and Best New Talent.

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  The Night’s Champion

  Night’s Favor

  Could just one night — a night you can’t remember — change your life forever?

  Valentine Everard drinks to get through the week — but then, who doesn’t? — so waking up with no memory isn’t unusual. What is unusual is how his body is becoming faster and stronger. This is the Night’s Favor, and it is creating a beast within him: a werewolf. With these gifts come outside interest: Elsie Morgan, CEO of Big Pharma company Biomne, is hunting him for the gift he carries to save her dying heir.

  When his newfound Pack mate Danny Kendrick’s daughter is abducted, Val must race to rescue her. Elsie offers him a devil’s bargain: a child for a child, a life for a life. Even knowing that the child is merely a way to draw him in, he cannot resist the call of Pack. Will he be able to master the Night’s Favor and save those he loves? Will he fall into darkness and anger like his maker?

  Night’s Favor is the first book in Richard Parry’s gripping Night’s Champion trilogy. If you like page-turning supernatural thrillers with great dialogue and heart-pumping action, then you’ll love this Sir Julius Vogel Award finalist novel.

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  Night’s Fall

  Would you let a stranger take your curse even if it would damn the world?

  In the five years since their Pack left the ruins of a Biomne facility, Adalia Kendrick has discovered gifts of her own. While her mother Danny tries to run from the curse of the Night’s Favor, Adalia speaks to those only she can see. She speaks to the dead.

  Stories of the Night’s dark gift have reached across the seas to Talin Moray, a man who will stop at nothing to possess its power. With his mastery of Vodou he brings the city of Chicago to its knees. Armies fall. Zombies roam the streets, and no one is safe. Talin will become the king of a ruined world.

  Five years is a long time to run, trying to turn the curse of the Night’s Favor into a blessing. Will Val and Danny’s yearning to be free from the Night’s Favor mean losing everything? Is Adalia’s power – and the dead boy that walks with her – enough to stand against Talin?

  Night’s Fall is the second book in Richard Parry’s gripping Night’s Champion trilogy. If you like page-turning supernatural thrillers with great dialogue and heart-pumping action, then you’ll love this Sir Julius Vogel Award finalist novel.

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  Night’s End

  Can mortals stand against the powers of the heavens?

  Vampires have hunted werewolves almost to extinction. Val and Danny, the last of their werewolf kind, aim to strike back at the heart of their ancient foe. They have tracked the vampire leaders to the City That Never Sleeps.

  Kaylan Gleicher is Death, and with her brother Pestilence, they lead the vampires. They are Riders of the Apocalypse, and have created the vampires to drain the life from the world. The Night’s Champions are nothing compared with the forces of creation. Even Adalia’s gifts can’t stand against those made to end all things.

  Hope seems futile until the Pack gains an unlikely ally in a fallen vampire. Will Val and Danny be able to put trust in those who have always been the werewolves’ enemies t
o save the world from Judgement?

  Night’s End is the gripping conclusion to Richard Parry’s Night’s Champion trilogy. If you like page-turning supernatural thrillers with great dialogue and heart-pumping action, then you’ll love this series from a Sir Julius Vogel Award finalist for both Best Novel and Best New Talent.

  [Get It]

  The Night’s Champion Collection

  Don’t want to get the trilogy piecemeal? No problem. The boxed set is just what you need.

  Could one night change your life forever?

  Valentine Everard and Danielle Kendrick have the Night’s Favor: they are werewolves. There are many who would steal the Night’s dark gift from them.

  The Night’s Champions must face down the corporate interests of Big Pharma, battle with masters of dark Vodou, and make their last stand against both vampires and the Riders of the Apocalypse. Armies fall. Zombies roam the street, and no one is safe. The world is close to its final Judgement. What can a handful of souls do against the powers of the heavens?

  Val and Danny must seek to master the Night’s Favor and save all they love. If they fail, they will fall into anger and darkness like all those who have come before them. The world and all they cherish will be ash.