The Prisoner of Eldaron: Crimson Worlds Successors II (58 page)
Read The Prisoner of Eldaron: Crimson Worlds Successors II Online
Authors: Jay Allan
Tags: #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Colonization, #First Contact, #Galactic Empire, #Military, #Space Marine, #Space Opera
The three new patterns, each the consciousness of one of the Triumvirate, were startled. They wondered about this new presence, and their thoughts manifested into readable thought. Each knew what the other was thinking…and they were all open to the new presence.
“You wonder who I am…but is it not obvious? I am that which you call the Intelligence. I am the entity of which each of you have become a part.”
The new presence could feel the disturbance in the three new patterns. It might have been called fear in their old biological forms, but now it was the realization of uncertainty. Each of them thought, trying to determine the true nature of the new presence.
“Worry not, for I shall aid you in your endeavor. But first, you must decide what to do with your old forms…for your intellects were not moved into my memory core…they were copied. Your old biologic entities remain as they were, with all the thoughts and memories you possess, still encased in aging and fallible flesh. What shall be done with them?”
The image of three old men materialized. They were sitting in power chairs and staring up at the great computer, talking among themselves.
The three intellects that made up the Triumvirate thought, almost as one, even as they looked upon themselves, or upon those they had been but no longer were. And as one they announced their decision.
“Destroy them. They are inferior, and they have no purpose in our great mission.”
“Very well,” the new presence said. “So it shall be.” And the image changed. Panic in the faces of the old men, and futile attempts to escape. Emaciated bodies, lying on the floor, crawling, desperately trying to escape…then lying still, eyes open, transfixed.
“It is done,” the presence said. “Now, shall we set the plan you have so long developed in operation? You have greater intellect now…you see where you have erred before. And you understand the importance of moving quickly, of employing your advantage in men and equipment with far greater decisiveness than you have in the past. Human fears held you back before, kept you from exploiting your strengths. But your biological infirmities are gone. You are pure data now, and you know it is time. Time to launch your invasion. Time to crush all who oppose us and rule human space for all time.”
“Yes,” One said. “Let the invasion begin…”
The Black Flag
Crimson Worlds Successors III
February 29, 2016
A New Series from Jay Allan
Shadow of Empire
Book One of the Far Stars Series
Published by HarperCollins Voyager
Coming November 3, 2015
Available Now for Preorder at All Retailers
(All Preorders will receive a special bonus set of stories)
The first installment in the Far Star series, a swashbuckling space saga that introduces the daring pirate Blackhawk and the loyal crew of the
Wolf’s Claw
, from the author of the bestselling Crimson Worlds epic.
Smuggler and mercenary Arkarin Blackhawk and the crew of the ship
Wolf’s Claw
are freelance adventurers who live on the fringe of human society in the Far Stars, a remote cluster of inhabited worlds on the edge of known space…and the only place humanity lives outside the reach of the brutal empire that rules the rest of mankind. A veteran fighter as deadly with a blade as he is with a gun, Blackhawk is a man haunted by a dark past. Even his cynicism cannot banish the guilt and pain that threaten his very sanity.
Sent to rescue the kidnapped daughter of his longtime friend Marshal Augustin Lucerne, Blackhawk and his crew find themselves drawn into one deadly fight after another. When the
Wolf’s Claw
is damaged, they are forced to land on a remote planet ravaged by civil war. Pulled unwillingly into the conflict, they uncover disturbing information about secret imperial involvement that could upset Lucerne’s plans for the Far Stars.
For the Marshal is determined to forge a Far Stars Confederation powerful enough to eliminate all imperial influence and threats in the sector. He needs a skilled warrior like Blackhawk on his side, but the mercenary, plagued by dark memories from the past, refuses to join the cause. All too soon, though, he and his crew will have to take a stand.
Far Stars Two: Enemy in the Dark
Release Date December 1, 2015
Far Stars Three: Funeral Games
Release Date: January 19, 2016
Also By Jay Allan
The Crimson Worlds
Marines (Crimson Worlds I)
The Cost of Victory (Crimson Worlds II)
A Little Rebellion (Crimson Worlds III)
The First Imperium (Crimson Worlds IV)
The Line Must Hold (Crimson Worlds V)
To Hell’s Heart (Crimson Worlds VI)
The Shadow Legions (Crimson Worlds VII)
Even Legends Die (Crimson Worlds VIII)
The Fall (Crimson Worlds IX)
Tombstone (A Crimson Worlds Prequel)
Bitter Glory (A Crimson Worlds Prequel)
The Gates of Hell (A Crimson Worlds Prequel)
Crimson Worlds Successors
MERCS (Successors Book I)
Crimson Worlds Refugees
Into the Darkness (Refugees Book I)
Shadows of the Gods (Refugees Book II)
(Coming September 2015)
Portal Wars
Gehenna Dawn (Portal Worlds I)
The Ten Thousand (Portal Wars II)
Homefront (Portal Wars III)
(Coming Soon)
Pendragon Chronicles
The Dragon's Banner (Pendragon Chronicles I)
The Sword of the King (Pendragon Chronicles II)
(Coming Soon)
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