Category: Science Fiction Books
Also called SF, Sci Fi, Scifi and sci-fi. A genre of speculative fiction with imaginative concepts, especially futuristic ones.
Fable: A deliberately false or improbable account, a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events.
When the Chancellor of the Ultras, an immortal race, says he is coming for you, that’s a promise you can write in stone. In this foreward from the book, Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas, he lays out that promise. The twist of these words won’t become apparent until the end of book 3, Watch Your Six, but it has its beginnings here.
Fable, that’s all it is (from Pietas)
This book you hold is being presented as fiction, but it did happen. It is as real as the air you breathe. While this is not a first-person story, it follows my point of view.
I would never have allowed a human to know these things, but a friend persuaded me there can be no vengeance unless those in the wrong know what they did. When one has wronged another, one must face the consequences.
Having been persuaded to tell the story, I now allow it to be placed into your hands. I want you to know the truth. Why? Because other Ultras have hidden the truth. Buried it beneath fables and false retellings, as if you were a child unable to bear harsh reality. Unwilling to face the consequences of what your kind has done.
Above all, because I will not lie to you.
When I come for you, I want the satisfaction of seeing your regret for what your ancestors did to my kind. I want to see your fear, and taste your terror.
This is no horror story. It’s merely science fiction. Tell yourself it is only fable, if that will help you sleep. By all means, human, do sleep.
Read this, if you dare to know the truth.
Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas
A captive of the people he loathes, the immortal Pietas is left for dead on the planet Sempervia. Six, a human soldier who is abandoned with him, offers food and water. Is this man worthy of friendship? Or is this another trap?
Either way, Pietas must do the one thing he detests. Trust a human…
Universal book link https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
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Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It’s a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
I just signed a contract for Lights Out, a new short story set in the Bringer of Chaos series, to appear in The Expanding Universe (#4) edited by Craig Martelle. It will be out by the end of September 2018. I loved the character Six in this series and thought it would be cool to show how he ended up guarding Pietas.
Sneak Peek at Lights Out
Join the Ghost Corps, they said. You’ll live forever, they said. You’ll save mankind, they said. They didn’t say that to do it, first you had to die.
When Tornahdo signs on the dotted line, he puts his life into the steady hands of the mighty Ghost Corps. Three grisly deaths and three agonizing resurrections later, he’s assigned duty on the space station Enderium Six.
He’s facing his most dangerous mission yet, the very reason the Ghost Corps exists.
Tornahdo and a team of ghosts must take out the man responsible for every war between humans and Ultras since the origin of the Ultra bloodline: the immortal king, Pietas.
If they succeed, the war is over.
If they don’t, the Ultras will rule mankind for another thousand years.
Pietas regenerates from every wound. He’s so fast, no human has ever laid a hand on him. As a precaution, they’re sending in Tornahdo’s squad only after evacuating the station and trapping the king in a chamber emptied of air. The immortal will have to fight in a vacuum.
So will Tornahdo and his crew.
Do they expect Tornahdo to win? Fat chance. He and his team are already dead men and this mission is codenamed “Lights Out.” No, there’s more to this than he can see.
To discover the truth, he must face an unbeatable, unkillable enemy, and this time–somehow–find a way to keep himself alive…
[bctt tweet=”Join the Ghost Corps, they said. You’ll live forever, they said. You’ll save mankind, they said. They didn’t say that to do it, first you had to die. #SpaceOpera” username=”kayelleallen”]Fans of the Bringer of Chaos series will know that “Tornahdo” ends up with the name Six, once he meets Pietas. But who was he before then? You’ll discover his story in Lights Out. Come by next Wednesday for a chance to read snippets from the first chapter. Want advance notice when this book is out? Enter your email here.
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In this scene from the first book in the Bringer of Chaos books, fans of the Tarthian Empire series will recognize the origin of Peril. Pain and death have an intimate place there–and here.
Pain and death
Pietas must have fallen asleep, because he woke with a start. He took quick stock of himself and his surroundings. Black parachute cloth arched above him, flapping in a gentle breeze. The rain had stopped, and there was sun. A few scattered clouds. Still no movement in his extremities. Limited movement in his neck. No feeling anywhere. He tried speaking. Not even a croak.
Under the same stretch of cloth, Six sat cross-legged, thumbing through a notebook. He glanced up, and set the notes aside. “You look better. You ready for water?”
Without waiting for a reply, Six brought him a tube, and held it while Pietas sipped.
“Good job. You didn’t choke this time. You look less shrunken. Let’s get some food in you and then we’ll both clean up.” He brought out another tube, broke off the cap, and held it for him. “Slow and steady. There we go. Good job.” He propped an elbow on one thigh, and held the tube while Pietas sipped the nutrient. “You had multiple fractures from the fall, but your bones set fine all by themselves. Your face was bad when I opened the pod. Nose all squished and off to the side. Jaw broken. Cheekbones crushed. Skull fractured. When you looked up at me…” He gave a long whistle. “All I saw was blackened skin against the black background of the pod, and two huge turquoise eyes staring.” He brushed away a glimmer of tears.
Were those tears…for him? Humans cried because of him. Not for him.
“Man, Pietas. I can’t believe how fast you’re healing. All your bones are where they belong. I wish I healed like you do.”
Pietas had wondered what it would be like to feel pain for more than a few minutes. To feel pain that didn’t end.
The pod had shown him that.
Was that what it felt like to be human? He’d learned long ago they feared pain. Would do anything to avoid it. To avoid death. Threaten torture and most humans caved. Most surrendered anything they knew as soon as they saw the first tool of torture. Some managed to withhold until they were injured. Most talked. Not all, but enough to make it worthwhile. He used torture if it shortened the wait for information, but never to be cruel. He had no compunctions about killing, but unless they threatened him or his mission, he had let humans live.
He wouldn’t do that anymore. After what they’d done to him, from now on, he’d make them beg for death.
On him, torture had no effect.
Pietas had taught himself, disciplined himself never to fear pain. To welcome it. Invite it. Embrace it. Make pain and death a regular part of his life. Whatever frightened him, he ran toward. Pain was joy. He conquered it. Made it his lover. Made it his own. Absorbed it into himself.
When you fear nothing, nothing is a threat.
Now? Did he fear pain now? Pietas mulled that. Well, he no longer had to wonder about pain that didn’t end. He’d experienced it.
Conquered it.
Did he want to repeat it?
Pietas finished the food, and took a long, satisfying breath of clean air.
Not if he could avoid it. But dying every day for a year would be a good exercise for his soldiers. If you survived that kind of peril, you’d survive anything. And no threat the enemy brought would be worse than what he could do to them.
He’d have to give that some serious thought. Maybe train them that way, one soldier at a time. Teach them to embrace death the way he did. An army of soldiers like that…the galaxy could not stop.
Pietas is also in books set in the Tarthian Empire and the Bringer of Chaos series including the Origin of Pietas, Forged in Fire, and Watch Your Six (in progress).
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I’m writing Watch Your Six, book three in the Bringer of Chaos series. The others are the Origin of Pietas and Forged in Fire. When you have a huge story that unfolds in sections, it’s helpful to give readers a place to start. That’s usually the job of a prologue. Sometimes, it’s a foreword or another intro of some kind.
I’m considering a bit of the story’s history by listing what humans say about the immortals they created, and compare it to what humans mean.
What Humans Say
- We fashion creatures genetically designed for toil.
- We make them strong, vital, robust, able to work hard.
- We ingrain them with abilities to make mundane jobs easier.
- We create soldiers who recover from every injury.
- Genslave scientists design more genslaves to enhance our way of life.
- Renegade scientists design genslaves without proper safeguards.
- Soulless rebels refuse to accept human authority.
- These ingrates reject their proper name.
- The so-called Ultras usurp mankind’s authority.
- Surprisingly, genetic enhancements result in failure.
- We purge ourselves of the taint of genetic enhancements.
- We take back our birthright: Human Pure is our battle cry.
- We discover ways to kill immortals and keep them from rising.
- We wish we could turn back time and correct our folly.
- We regret our lack of wisdom in creating such beings.
What Humans Mean
- We create genslaves.
- We permit them no rest.
- We make sure they can never rise above their station.
- We create savage warriors.
- We hand over to slaves the means of creating more slaves.
- Rebels overthrow the genetic shackles keeping them enslaved.
- Renegades lead other genslaves to freedom.
- The rebels call themselves Ultras: ultra smart, ultra strong, ultra powerful.
- Ultras dominate every part of the galaxy.
- Obviously, we can no longer control what we created.
- We destroy anyone with non-human traits and enhanced sensory perceptions.
- Anyone enhanced or genetically altered or “different” is the enemy.
- We burn anything and anyone “unnatural.”
- We don’t know how to undo what we’ve done.
- We made a mistake…
Pietas
Immortal. King. Exile. All are what humans say about Pietas. None show the depth of the man known by his peers as the Bringer of Chaos. This series is military science fiction with elements of humor, a small touch of romance, a ginormous black panther “kitty”, a telepathic weapons designer, one used-to-be-human, and the most dysfunctional family since forever.
The Bringer of Chaos series focuses on Pietas and his friendship with the human, Six. In books set in different series in the far future, Pietas is king, and he terrifies everyone. I wanted to understand why his people were so steadfastly loyal to him despite that, so I started this series to find out.
If you want a good read, check out the Romance Lives Forever Reader Group. You get four free books right away and you’ll be first to know when the new book about Pietas is released.
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Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It’s a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
In this scene from Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire, Pietas discovers a different sort of trouble. The good kind.
This one is Trouble
Joss unfastened her hair, let it fall around her shoulders and shook it loose. The blond waves caught the fading light and gave her the soft glow of a goddess, as feminine and powerful as if she radiated sunlight. She combed her fingers through it, giving him an odd look.
Pietas coughed. “Um… What’s up?”
She gestured to herself. “You’re asking me ‘what’s up’?”
What had he missed? “Yes. Why?”
“Because I asked you what was up, and you just stared at me.”
“I did? Sorry. I was lost in thought.”
“I see.” Her coy smile said she did indeed. “So, Pietas, what’s up?”
Now she was teasing him with double meanings and ambiguities. He’d love to join her in play, but until he’d learned what he needed, he ignored the temptation.
“Dessy says you’re in charge of camp security.”
“True.”
“Has my father returned, or attempted to?”
“No. I’ve kept a close watch. The twins reported no sightings. He’s laying low.” She pulled back her hair and fastened it again. “But we’re not the sole source of security. I don’t see him getting past them.”
“Them? Who is ‘them’?”
“I’ll show you.” She motioned for him to follow. “Look over there.”
On a promontory overlooking the pods, a panther sat beside a bare tree, scanning the area.
“You’re referring to the cat?”
“Yes. Now look over there.” She pointed in the other direction. On that side, another cat prowled beneath a tree on the trail leading to the pods. “They’ve been there all day. They switch every few hours. Every time they do, the big one that attacked your father stands on the edge of the caldera where you first saw the pods. After the cats change places, it goes away. It’s the changing of the guard. I can see what they’re doing and I’m grateful for it, but they’re so intelligent it scares me. They bump noses and then take up the position of the cat they’re replacing. I think they might be telepathic, but with each other, not me. I don’t pick up anything.”
“They’ve done this all day?”
“Like clockwork. You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Yes. I can get some sleep tonight.” A yawn overtook him.
“I was going to say we should name them.”
Pietas nudged his chin toward a cat. “We’ll call that one Trouble.”
Forged in Fire…
Love Romances Cafe Best in Science Fiction/Futuristic Nominee
When the immortal Pietas is marooned on a barren world with no food and few survival tools, he knows it could be worse. He could be alone. But that’s the problem.
He’s not.
Half a million of his people sleep in cryostasis, trapped inside their pods and it’s up to Pietas to free them. He can’t release one at a time. It’s all or nothing. He’s facing over five hundred thousand hungry, thirsty, homeless immortals who will call on him for rescue and he has no way to answer.
It’s not all bad. The beautiful telepathic warrior he’s loved for lifetimes is at his side. He’s bonded with a sentient panther. He hates humans but the one dumped on this planet with him has become a trusted friend.
Before Pietas can build shelter, figure out how to grow food, or set up a government, he must take back command from a ruthless enemy he’s fought for centuries. His brutal, merciless father.
Immortals may heal, but a wound of the heart lasts forever…
Warning: Contains angst, humor, sweet romance, betrayal, vengeance… a ginormous, sentient panther who wants to be Pietas’s “kitty,” and a different kind of trouble with the rest of the panther tribe…
Amazon http://amzn.to/2ABIcCI
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Pietas knows what’s good for humans, and it’s not freedom. An excerpt from book one of the Bringer of Chaos series.
Humans deserve nothing
The leaders of his people gathered in sleep around him, sealed inside their curved, steel stasis tubes. Above him, humans waited for Pietas to enter the last one.
He folded his arms.
“Feast your eyes, vultures.” Pietas lifted his chin. “Humans are ruled, not obeyed. You think to imprison me? You think to bring me down like a hunted animal?” He spread his hands outward, indicating the pods. “I will not cower before you. I will not bow. I will not kneel. I will not serve. I will never submit. Humans were made to be ruled, not by my people, but by me.”
The silhouettes of humans above him contrasted with the bright light behind them. One by one, they slipped away, until a single silhouette remained.
“Fighting us accomplishes nothing.” The disembodied voice echoed in the chamber. “You won’t leave that room until you’re in stasis. Enter the pod or we’ll siphon the air, and let you die.”
“I’ve died countless times. I do not fear death. Death fears me.”
“So be it. Since you’re so set on dying, have it your way. I told you if you didn’t cooperate, I would detonate the bombs within the hostages you took aboard your ship. See for yourself.”
On the opposite wall, an image of the Uurahkal sparkled into life, and a bloom of light filled the screen. A mass of debris shot in all directions.
“Your crew has ceased to exist.”
[bctt tweet=”Bringer of Chaos: Origin of Pietas. He must do what he detests. Trust a human… #SciFi #Pietas #SpaceOpera” username=”kayelleallen”]
“That image is a farce. You would not dare to destroy the council’s flagship, and you will not destroy the council. You humans are cowards. You lock us away in a barren room and threaten our people. This is why humans do not deserve freedom. You are worthless, miserable liars.”
“Believe me, your crew is quite dead. The universe is a safer place for it.”
“It will never be safe. Not for you.”
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It’s a chance each week for you the reader to discover current WIP or previously published book by possibly new-to-you authors.
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When your nickname is “Pi” you have a day all to yourself. Except in this case, the person in question is not at all happy with the name.
There’s a long story behind the reason Pietas hates being called “Pi.” I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you here. Once you find out, you’ll see the fact that he allows Six to refer to him as Pi tells a great deal about their relationship.
In this scene, Pietas and Six have been found by a rescue party sent to bring them back to camp and the human has just been introduced.
Happy Pi Day!
Pietas’s sister marched right up to Six, looked him over head to toe. “He’s human!” The sneer in her voice matched her expression.
“Yes.” Pietas put himself between her and Six. “He is.”
“Do you know this creature?”
“He–”
“What’s he doing here? Is he your prisoner? Are there more of them? Does he have a way to reach the ship? Can he contact them?”
“Dessy!” Pietas held up both hands. “One thing at a time. Six was marooned with me. He is alone. He doesn’t have a way back, or any way to contact the vessel. And far from being my prisoner, he’s my friend.”
“He’s your– Your–” Dessy shook her head. “You’re friends…with a human? Oh, Pietas!” She touched his face. “What did they do to you? I knew you didn’t look well. What did they do to my brother?”
“Stop it, Dess. I’m fine! There’s a story to tell, but first, I want to introduce everyone.” He took her hand in his. “Six, this is my sister, Councilwoman Dessy ap Lorectic. She’s my second-in-command, and though we don’t look alike, my twin.” Pietas stroked Dessy’s dark hair and smiled at her, and then moved to the blonde beside her. “This is Councilwoman Joss Avaton.”
She gave a regal nod toward Six.
He stood between the hulking male twins. “This is Councilman Armand Mgraute and Councilman Philippe Mgraute, both of whom you’ve–” he coughed “–met.” Pietas went to Six’s side. “Everyone, this is Six.”
Six lifted a hand in greeting.
None of the Ultras moved.
[bctt tweet=”Happy #PiDay We’re celebrating the relationship of Six and Pi in Bringer of Chaos #SciFi #MFRWhooks” username=”kayelleallen”]“Yes, he’s human.” Pietas gestured to the others. “That doesn’t mean you can’t say hello.”
“Six.” Dessy gave the ghost a polite but indifferent smile. “Is that a nickname?”
“No, ma’am.” He bowed to Dessy. “It’s what Pi calls me.”
“Who?”
“Pi, like the number. Your brother.”
Dessy swung her head toward Pietas, mouth open. “You let him call you Pi?”
“It’s not so much ‘let him’ as it is ‘can’t stop him.’ He’s–” Pietas cleared his throat “–stubborn. You’ll see when you get to know him.”
Armand, Philippe, and Joss all looked at Six with new respect.
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With a close friend, you might actually say, “I can hear you thinking.” In this scene from Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire, Pietas and Six have climbed a mountain and are almost at their destination. They’d walked for well over a month to get to this point. The two have relied on one another for survival, despite the fact that Pietas is an immortal Ultra and Six is–or was–human. They should have been mortal enemies, but fate has made them close friends. In fact, for reasons they don’t yet understand, Six has begun literally hearing Pietas’s thoughts.
I can hear you thinking
Last to reach sunlight was Six, the ghost. Not a phantom or aetheric creature, but a member of Ghost Corps. A human who’d died and been resurrected by infusing his body with Ultra blood. Transformed into a quasi-immortal with enough strength to perma-kill Pietas or another immortal. And ironically, the closest friend Pietas had ever had in his entire unceasing, solitary life.
Without slowing his pace, Six skirted around Philippe, trudged up the hill toward Pietas and joined him atop the rocks. He, too, shielded his eyes.
He’d grown lean and ragged over the weeks they’d hiked the planet. Both of them had. No matter how much fish they caught, or what wild fruits they found, there was not enough to gain weight. Like Pietas, Six had no beard, a result of his transformation. His naturally brown skin had grown browner while they tramped in the sun. His dark hair had grown at a human pace and curled over his ears.
Pietas, who could not tan or sunburn, had grown blonder. He’d cut his hair not long after their arrival on Sempervia, but already, it hung halfway down his back. He wore it tied behind him to keep it out of his face.
“Pi, look at this view!”
The nickname irked. He’d asked Six to drop it, to no avail. My name is Pietas. It’s pronounced pee-ah-toss. He might not speak it aloud, but he had to say it. Not Pi. Pee-ah-toss.
“I can hear you thinking. You know that, right?”
Then you know what I’m thinking now.
“Same to you, Ultra. Besides, you call me Six. I call you Pi. Suits you.”
“Six is an integer. Pi is an irrational number.”
The man shot him a smile. “Like I said.”
Pietas rubbed the tight spot between his eyes.
“Hey! There’s the river.” Six pointed. “What a great vantage point this is. No wonder castles were always built on mountaintops. Talk about your uphill battle, no?”
How like his friend to view the humor in a situation. “True.”
“Rain’s coming.”
“Soon?”
“No.” The man bent, brushed his fingertips across tufts of yellowed grass among the rocks and plucked a handful. He tossed it into the air. “Dry. Possible rain doesn’t reach up here often. I give it two hours, amigo. Longer, depending on the wind.” He sniffed. “Smells different. This’ll be a bad one.”
When the immortal Pietas is marooned on a barren world with no food and few survival tools, he knows it could be worse. He could be alone. But that’s the problem. He’s not.
Half a million of his people sleep in cryostasis, trapped in their pods and it’s up to Pietas to rescue them. Before he can save his people, he must take back command from a ruthless enemy he’s fought for centuries. His brutal, merciless father. Immortals may heal, but a wound of the heart lasts forever…
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When Pietas is attacked from behind, the panther who’s been his shadow for months leaps into the frey and protects him. It costs the cat its life. But this panther is far more than what it seems. While Pietas watches, the cat revives and sits up, facing him. It’s as immortal as he is.
—
On the planet Kaffir, they had a word for loyal warrior. Pietas cupped the animal’s jaw, his face inches from the cat’s. “You answer to no man, but when I speak and think of you, I’ll call you Tiklaus.”
Tiklaus gave him a long, wet lick and nudged him before backing away. The panther made a huffing bark sound. From the group of cats, a smaller panther padded close, dropped and stretched out, belly up. With its nose, Tiklaus butted the cat. The smaller animal stood and came alongside Tiklaus. Side by side, the cat’s more noticeable rosette pattern showed, dark brown on black.
Six nudged Pietas. “What just happened?”
“Not sure. I get the sense they’re not mates.”
Tiklaus and the other panther walked toward the Ultras, who all backed away.
“Stand still.” Pietas raised one hand. “You’re not in danger.”
Leading the other cat, Tiklaus padded before the Ultras, pausing to sniff each one.
Pietas had hugged each of them. No doubt his scent remained.
Erryq went down on one knee as Tiklaus approached. “Hello, there.” She held out one hand and the panther put its nose in the center of it. Erryq stroked Tiklaus while the other cat sniffed her. Its breath ruffled the long red curls around her face. “That tickles.” She stroked the other cat.
Tiklaus moved past Erryq and headed for Helia and Dessy, the smaller cat keeping pace.
Helia remained at Dessy’s side. When Tiklaus approached them, his mother held down her hand. Dessy did the same. They stood still while the cats inspected them.
The smaller cat sat beside Helia and wrapped its tail around her feet.
Tiklaus trotted toward Six, who backed away.
“No.” Pietas held onto him. “Let the cat smell you.”
The cat snuffled Six’s legs, walked around him, and then did one more revolution, dragging its tail along him.
“Marking you, ghost. You’ve been accepted.”
Tiklaus plopped down between them, wrapped its long tail around Pietas’s legs and leaned against his thigh.
Six whistled. “I can’t tell if you just got a pet or became one.”
[bctt tweet=”Awww… Pietas gets a panther ‘kitty’ #SciFi #MFRWhooks” username=”kayelleallen”]Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It’s a chance each week for you the reader to discover current WIP or previously published book by possibly new-to-you authors.
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