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A last-ditch attempt to escape execution.
The usual residence of the secretary-general was a palatial mansion on top of a hill overlooking similar grandiose abodes of government elites. Mereta had no use for opulence. He found peace and happiness in the simple life, where gratitude for the smallest pleasures could be properly appreciated. His request for the five-room house he’d taken as his home while he served the planets of the Galactic Council had been met by varying reactions, from appreciation to horrified disbelief. He’d concerned himself with none of the opinions given.
His Dark wasn’t interested in whether he had a palace or a shack either. It only wanted to finish its business so it could return to the All.
It remained in a blissful state of contentment, its host’s actions of little concern as it drifted in the true version of all there was, as Mereta experienced it. It had moments of passing curiosity in why it had decided to leave the office but returning to where its host body slept was fine. As long as it could remain in the tranquility where separation from the All ceased to be agony, it experienced no worry about what was happening.
Mereta flew his shuttle into its berth and closed the hatch against anyone who might spot it and wonder why he was home at such an hour. The more he could avoid notice, the better his chances.
He hurried into the house. He’d made it as much an oasis as possible for a temporary abode. Paintings and tapestries depicted restful landscapes, an altar on which candles and fragrant incense waited to be burned, soft but supportive floor cushions perfect for meditation decorated his combination greeting and common room.
He glanced at the closet door across the room. He checked on the Dark. It was bemused, again wondering offhandedly why it had chosen to be here. He sent it a wave of absolute serenity, drawing on his connection to beyond Creation. It gave itself to the quiet and lost conscious awareness of Mereta’s surroundings.
He went to the closet and ordered it open. Inside, he grabbed a utility belt, its pouches full of tools, a couple of emergency rations, and a knife. He eyed the latter uncomfortably, but he’d serve the greater good if he absolutely had to. He hoped it wouldn’t come to such extremes.
He strapped it around his waist. It was too bulky to be completely hidden by his jacket, but it was as inconspicuous as he could manage. He didn’t dare try fleeing while dragging a travel bin with him.
Counting the items he’d already stored on his shuttle, he was as ready to try for freedom as he could manage. Mereta turned from the closet.
He was confronted by a man who’d stolen up behind him.
* * * *
Print version on sale now: print
Ebook releases on August 8. Pre-order now:
Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo
Victories against invasion have been won, but the galaxy may be lost in the end.
There may be no escape from the All’s extermination plans for the dimension. Emperor Clajak has one last card up his sleeve, however: a band of misfit renegade Kalquorians called the Coydidak. Only with their help and an impossible mission to beyond the known reaches of the universe can Kalquor hope to preserve life.
A determined engineer is at the top of the list of Coydidak leader Dramok Rorix’s least favorite humans. She’ll stop at nothing to board his ship for a one-way voyage that’s to last a lifetime. Is ultimate freedom from the empire worth dealing with the beautiful but unrelenting Laughter Lorenz?
As the clock ticks to the end of Dr. Cassidy Hamilton’s pregnancy and potentially life in the dimension, she works feverishly to find a way to destroy the All. A visit from an undiscovered entity brings to light her greatest hope and worst fear. Only time will tell if this new being is friend or foe…but Cassidy’s time and that of her soon-to-be-born child is almost up.
Adventure. Danger. Intrigue. Romance that outburns the sun in any galaxy. It’s all here in the sixth installment of the Dark Empire series.
Print version on sale now: print
Ebook releases on August 8. Pre-order now:
Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo
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