Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Date Published: 06-08-2021
Publisher: Sandpaper Press
Three thousand years ago the three races of Vinge, Human, Dak’or, and
Fingalin, fled into space at the destruction of their planet. Now The
Alliance between the three governments is at its breaking point. Between
racial tensions caused by the elitist and wealthy Fingal trying to claim a
divine right to rule, a deadly new quarantine-resistant plague that is
sweeping through the primarily Drak’or outer colonies, and lack of funding
and success in terraforming efforts, the treaty seems to be at an end. As
people begin to turn to religion to save them, The Descendents, a powerful
religious sect worshiping the Goddess Vyanna, readily fill the void.
Now the crew of a small mercenary vessel, captained by a man calling
himself the devil, are on a relief mission to replace equipment for Deep
Space Initiative Station 3122’s failed life support. Lieutenant Commander
James Aiunys, the newest member, and tactical officer of the legendary crew
is shocked when they are unexpectedly pulled out of hyperspace, and informed
that the quarantine zone has been expanded to include the station. The
mysterious Drak’or captain is undeterred. In a feat that seems more like
magic than science, he turns the battle on its head, defeating one of the
most powerful warships in the galaxy, leaving it paralyzed in space.
Upon their arrival however, the station is not what they had expected. The
crew becomes concerned when they discover the station empty, an eerie
resemblance to another station they had visited at the bequest of strange
women with silver hair who smelled of apple blossoms.
When the power core fails during their investigation, The Captain is once
again forced to do the impossible, leaving James with more questions than
answers. With the government collapsing into chaos, the crew of The Shade
find themselves on the run, caught in the middle of a sinister plot that
will change the galaxy forever.
But there are darker shadows than the machinations of mortals lurking in
the far corners of civilization. Brought face to face with their own
humanity in a conflict older than the concepts of good and evil. They are
forced to question everything they understood about themselves, religion,
and even the very fabric of reality.
Excerpt
He stood on a long empty beach, white sand filling in the spaces between his toes, warm
against the arches of his feet. A massive object, larger than the moon, with wings swiping out as
if a menacing beast across the horizon, casting a shadow in the deep reds of Sunset.
The ocean began to pull back, until the rocky floor was exposed for more than eighty
feet. The wall of water hung suspended in the air, a great wave waiting for a release that would
never come. Light from the sun grew more intense, burning his exposed skin. The air became
dry and brittle in his lungs, like sheets of ash blown from a fire. Breathing was painful.
“We have to find shelter.” He could not identify the owner of the voice, it was distant,
indistinct.
A bright flash lit up the sky, drowning out the shadow cast by the ship, growing
brighter as it hurtled across the expanse of space. He looked on in horror as four seconds later
the plasma beam struck the atmosphere. Flames crawled through the sky as the beam racked
from one horizon to the other, spreading outwards until the entire world was engulfed in an
inferno. Molten rock spayed upwards from the impact, spraying lava thousands of feet into the
sky. Screams filled the air as one after another streaks of plasma rocketed to the planet, followed
by explosions of liquefied earth.
He spun around to gaze upon the demonic ship which had summoned such destruction.
But met only blackness. Red eyes glowed like embers out of the emptiness. The scent of ash
heavy in the air.
A sound, barely a whisper, like an echo drifting in the nothingness,
“Zymo.”
“Dreku,” the voice was ethereal, it felt fuzzy in his ears, like an illusion you can’t make
sense of.
“Seph,” electricity wrapped around his nerves and crawled through his body, something
ancient and powerful awakening inside him.
“Zhemarah.” The word exploded in his mind, like a large rock being dropped into a still
pool, consumed by the silence that followed.
About the Author
Ezra Sandborn got his start writing fiction as a dungeon master in online
role-playing games . He draws on inspiration from his childhood, sitting
under the trampoline and inventing new worlds and characters. Ezra became an
author by accident, during a particularly difficult period of his life he
was suddenly struck by inspiration for a short story. After sharing the
story with friends and family everyone wanted to read more, and so he
continued writing. In less than a month as the result of that novel accident
Seph – The Reflection of Divinity was created. Ezra’s writing is defined by
his complex characters, deep immersive worlds, and unique stories that
challenge the conventional narrative, while exploring the deeper truth of
human nature.
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