In a space-faring future, an alien war criminal seeks vengeance on humanity, and a celebrated-but-bumbling hero is forced back into action... whether he likes it or not.
Earth never unified when humanity set out to colonize the stars. When a multi-system conglomerate conquers Earth, humanity is thrown into turmoil. The crew of just one ship, the Hydra, is doing more to turn the tide than most.
In the aftermath of a small-town massacre, Venus McKenzie and her friends each try to deal with the fallout in their own way, not knowing that they are being pulled in the same direction: towards the pulpit of the Church of the Sandmen.
Entry for G&S Hard Science Contest: An exploration of how magic could be explained by science in a world where witches, wizards, and dragons not only exist, but thrive. Science-based chapters interspersed with world-based stories.
The planet Lexu was on the brink of war when they first received the message from space. It was sent from global cluster Solaria about 25,000 starlight cycles ago from a planet called Earth and since then Lexu has been forever changed.
