Ramya’s mouth fell open and she sank back slowly into her seat. Could he really mean that? From the silence all around her and on the radio, it was clear that she was not the only one stunned.
Then Captain Milos broke the silence. “Abelei would be proud.”
“I would be a fool to let an opportunity like this slip. Wars are when fortunes are made, Captain Milos. This one is no different.”
It would be a lie to say his reply didn’t bother Ramya in the slightest. But she didn’t let it cloud her happiness. It didn’t matter so much as why Trysten Kiroff chose to support Captain Milos, but the fact that he chose to be on the right side. Hope was very much alive.
Ramya placed her aching finger back on the throttle and pushed. She couldn’t wait to get back. They couldn’t save Chief Mifek and his people but they had done quite all right in the end, even her father. Smiling, she fixed her sight on the small speck in the sky—the Endeavor. It was still far, but it was growing steadily bigger as the Stryker zoomed homeward. Maybe not for long, but they were safe at least for the moment.
The Final Resistance (Book 3, Dark Universe Series)
Coming in January, 2018
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An Excerpt from The Final Resistance
THE GALAXY WAS as good as lost. Even as Ramya forcefully tightened the collar of her parka and prepared for the long trek into the Hinterlands, she had little hope within her heart. Or confidence. In barely fifteen days, the galaxy as she had known it was teetering. And that was even before the Hive arrived. Starbase Zeta was partially destroyed, and Locustan Shadowhives kept trickling in through the wormhole. Captain Milos was at Anomaly Point along with every Confederacy squadron that was available. But the allies were taking hits, one after the other, hardly able to contain the Locustan waves.
How long would they be able to hold off the invaders? Not very long, Ramya was certain. Unless they found a different way to thwart the pests. In other words, hope rested on finding some information the Unosi left behind. The Hinterland was home to the Unosi archives, Dakrhaeth had said. That was what his Locustan squadron was tasked to destroy, so there would be no known way of stopping them. They would come again. They’d come the first chance they got to slip past the defense Captain Milos had put up. If only Ramya and her team could reach the Unosi archives before they did.
“Ready, Kiroff?” Gael Arlington’s voice, sharp and insistent, made her stir. He, his GSO compatriots, as well as Chief Dal and Lefrasi, were dressed like her, covered from head to foot in thick leathers and furs to protect themselves in the freezing climate of Kyo-Sedra-8. They were all heavily armed as well, just as she was with a Meson Cannon.
“Yes, let’s go,” she replied in a robust voice, turning the viewer of her HUD on. The cramped tunnel, rocks jutting out in strange and often grotesque shapes, flickered into view. The Hinterland was about a half hour’s walk from the mouth of the underground cave network, and the group started off, alert and weapons drawn, along the main vein of the cave with Gael’s chief point, Amireh, leading the way. Gael and Ramya walked side-by-side after him, and the rest of the team followed behind in units of two.
For a second Ramya missed Fenny and Ross. They were a unit; they fit together. She felt safe around them, even in the direst of circumstances. Being with the GSO, and particularly Gael Arlington, was different. But this had to be done. The captain couldn’t spare his commander or his navigator for the mission, as they were needed to hold off the Locustan onslaught. Then they had to use the Stryker to bring them here, a task only Ramya could carry out. Her father, Trysten Kiroff, had asked for support from the GSO, and Ramya had to agree that strategically they were the best option. Still, it was hard totally trusting Gael and his people.
Ramya took a long and bracing breath, the cold air chilling the inside of her nose. Well, at least Chief Dal and Lefrasi were here.
The sauntered along, their feet crunching under the ground in silence. After some time, Gael shot a curious look at her, his dark eyes piercing. “You’re awfully quiet,” he whispered.
Ramya barely managed to suppress a terrible need to roll her eyes. They were on a critical mission and he expected her to be chatty? “I have nothing to talk about,” she said in as quiet a voice as possible.
“Not happy your father put us together on a team?” he asked, clearly unable or unwilling to take the hint to shut up. He wasn’t far from the truth though. It irked her endlessly that her father had suggested Gael accompany her even though it was likely Trysten Kiroff was not working the matchmaking angle at the moment. But Ramya couldn’t shake off the idea or the discomfort entirely.
“Not happy that this may be our only chance of survival,” she said, forcing her thoughts in a weightier direction. “I can’t believe it got to this so quickly.”
“Well, you should be proud that you were on the right side all along,” he said with a shake of his head. “As a matter of fact, you sounded the alarm early. And that helped. The shame’s not on you.”
Wasn’t it? They had all gotten too happy with the temporary peace, busy with frivolous festivities and petty squabbles to remember the immense threat that had never quite gone away. The shame was on all of them. There was no avoiding it.
Gael seemed to sense her thoughts. “All right, maybe we’re all to blame for not paying attention. But—”
He stopped abruptly, raising a fisted hand to signal the party behind them to stop. About twenty paces ahead, Amireh had stopped near a bend in the tunnel, his fist raised. Ramya’s fingers tightened around her weapon as they stepped closer to Amireh, her heart skipping a beat or two. Her breath hitched in her throat when she looked around the bend and she forgot to blink.
-End of Excerpt-
About the Author
Alex Sheppard has always wanted to be an author. And even though that dream eluded Alex for a long time, now, finally, the ducks seem to have lined up. This is the second book in Alex’s space opera series.
When not reading books (mostly scifi), tinkering with gadgets and gizmos, and wrangling rambunctious little ones, Alex likes to write.
For sneak peeks and exclusive content, join Alex’s mailing list- http://alexsheppard.thefarworlds.com/subscribe
Alex can also be reached at:
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[email protected]
Table of Contents
Dedication
Copyright
Introduction to Dark Universe
Glossary (who’s who and what’s what)
Somenvaar
Epigraph
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
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An Excerpt from The Final Resistance
About the Author
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The First Covenant (Dark Universe Series Book 2) Page 23