Shroud of Eden (Panhelion Chronicles Book 1)

by Marlin Desault

  “Will you be happy as the President of the Senate?” Her furrowed brow drove home the point of her question.

  Scott returned her gaze. “The vote was overwhelming. How could I not accept?” He left her question unanswered, not wanting to explain further. “I intend to change the Panhelion. Never again will a person like Camus rise to power. In a few years, the reformed Panhelion will be secure, my term will be over, and I can step away from government and pursue personal interests. Together, you and I will live out our halcyon years. I’d like to write the history of our struggle to free Earth and the settlements.”

  She moved closer and took his hand. “Scott, I have to share something with you.” She laid her head on his shoulder and whispered, “I carry our child.”

  Scott’s eyes went wide. Giddy emotions swirled in his head as possibilities, one after the other, flooded his thoughts. After a moment of silence, he broke out in a broad grin and put his arms around Ariela. “That’s the best news you could have given me. Imagine, we will share our lives not just with each other, but with our child. I’d like for us to have more children.”

  She returned his grin. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. This one isn’t born yet.”

  He shrugged. “I’m just wishing out loud. No harm in that.” He rose and paced before the fire.

  Ariela stood and beckoned him to move close to her. She put her finger to his lips, soliciting his silence. “There’ll be plenty of time for that, but I have more news—news you won’t like.”

  He inclined his head and narrowed his eyes. “What news could you have that I won’t like?”

  I received a message from Niobe.” She averted her gaze and paused. “One of your ECCO couriers brought it to me early this morning while you were still asleep. I didn’t want to spoil the day, but now....” She pulled back from his embrace.

  He paused and placed a split log on the fire, causing a momentary cloud of sparks to rise in the chimney. “Does the message affect us?”

  “Yes. Proconsul Wimund has died.” She clipped her sentence short, as if fearing Scott’s reaction.

  “I’m very sorry. A sad day for Niobe.” He hung his head, absorbed in consequences of the news.

  “There’s more.” Ariela tightened her grip on his hand. “The Ekklesia asked me to accept the office of Proconsul.”

  “You’ll refuse, of course.”

  “Did you refuse the Presidency of the Panhelion when the Senate offered it to you?”

  “Ariela, we discussed all that. You agreed I couldn’t refuse. I have to make changes, changes that will prevent another tragedy like the reign of Camus, for all time. I had to accept.”

  “You couldn’t refuse your people. I understand that.” She gazed at the fire for several minutes, then turned and stared into his eyes. “Don’t you see? For the same reasons, I can’t refuse mine.”

  “But why you? There are others on Niobe who can advise the Ekklesia, and advise them well.”

  “The Ekklesia knows Niobe has no choice but to engage with our distant cousins on Earth. They chose me as new Proconsul because I’ve lived here among your people.” Her eyes had a sad, pleading look. “Of all Niobians, I know the ways of Earth far better than any other. For the sake of our two worlds, I must accept. I hope you’ll understand my decision.”

  “You said you were happy here,” Scott argued, “and that we were meant to be together.”

  Her eyes teared over. “Our destinies, yours and mine, are subservient to the needs of our people.”

  For several seconds, he remained unmoving in front of the fire. His head drooped as if his muscles had lost all resistance. He brushed the tears from her cheeks. “There now. It’s unseemly for the future Proconsul of Niobe to weep.”

  “I know, but all our plans for our future together are in ruins because of our obligations to our people.” She shook her head. “Why did this cruel thing have to happen... just when happiness was within our grasp?”

  Scott cupped her chin and lifted her head. “Sometimes matters that affect the well-being of many people come before the love any two people have for each other.”

  She took a deep breath and composed herself. “The universe has conspired against us. What can we do other than accept it?”

  “Ariela, listen to me.” Scott held her by both shoulders to emphasize his point. “I’m now more determined than ever to reform Earth’s government as quickly as possible and return to Niobe. Senator Valerian has agreed to accept the Senate’s offer of the position of Councilor to the President. She doesn’t have military experience, but she’s a capable administrator. With time, she can assume the mantle of the Presidency. As soon as she takes that responsibility, I’ll return to Niobe, and we can be trothed in the Niobian tradition, if you agree.”

  Ariela smiled and dabbed her moist eyes “Of course I agree. It won’t be easy, but I’ll wait, and when you return to me all Niobe will celebrate. How long will it take for you to make your reforms?”

  “I believe I can persuade the Senate to make the needed reforms in two years. The damage done by the failed Regency left the nations of Earth, and the settlements, with a deep distrust of the Panhelion. The Mars settlers were hit especially hard. I have to restore their faith in the Panhelion, and get the semiautonomous regions to overcome petty self-interests.

  Ariela pursed her lips and didn’t speak for a minute. “Our complications on Niobe seem trivial in comparison, but small as our problems are, the Niobians need me to advise them.”

  “When do you leave?”

  “Tomorrow, on the scheduled diplomatic run. An aircar will come for me in an hour.”

  They held each other in silence for that long hour.

  The distant hum of an approaching air-car grew louder. The windows glowed, and the craft settled on the grass in the front of the cabin.

  Scott studied her expression for a moment. “You’re going, aren’t you?” He explored the faint hope that she might yet change her mind.

  She stood and gently tugged on his hands, pulling him up before her. In a quick motion, she embraced him for a long passionate moment.

  He dipped his head to meet her lips, and tasted the salt of her tears as he kissed her.

  She pulled away and held his hands. “Yes, I’m going, but I know when you come back to Niobe, we will live the life we planned.”

  Scott tightened his grip on her hands and gazed into her eyes. “We’ve been through some difficult times together, and have lost some good friends along the way—Klaas, Tanner, Rausch, and Vogelein.”

  “I know. I will miss them.” She stared into the flickering light of the fire. “You said a eulogy when we committed Klaas and Rausch to space. Do you remember the last line?”

  “Yes,” he replied as she walked out the door.

  For those who sleep among the stars shall be changed, and made like unto the glorious heavens, in accordance with the mighty ordinance of our universe.

  ---THE END---

  ~~~

  Be sure to watch for the continuing sci-fi adventures of The Panhelion Chronicles, with the release of the second book, The Vanquished of Eden, in the spring of 2016.

  Many people helped me to make this book a reality. Among them, David Sampson, Terry Paulson and David M. Ray were my supportive beta readers.

  Marlin Desault studied German and German literature at Georgetown University. With his studies completed, he served with the US Air Force intelligence services in Europe. Upon his return to the United States, he enrolled in the University of Wyoming where he took undergraduate and graduate engineering degree programs that included courses in advanced physics and mathematics. After receiving his master’s degree, he accepted an invitation to teach German and electrical engineering at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

  He mustered out of the Air Force and began a management career with various aerospace and high tech companies. Currently, he resides in southern California, where he writes novels when not indulging his passions for
sailing, skiing, and reading.

  Please follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarlinDesault, and on Twitter @MDesault.

  And be sure to drop by his website at www.MarlinDesault.com.

  THE VANQUISHED OF EDEN

  The Panhelion Chronicles – Book 2

  Watch for the second book in this science fiction series coming in the spring of 2016. For more information on this book, please visit the Evolved Publishing website.

  ~~~~~

  In the chaos that reigns after the fall of the Imperium, the newly reformed Panhelion is splintering, as factional squabbling pits rebellious nations against the reconstituted government. President Scott Drumond works tirelessly to unify the nations of Earth and the off-world settlements under the new Senate authority, and he’s successful....

  ...Until a new evil surfaces, one that has lain dormant for two centuries. Fanatical remnants of the ancient Hegemon Empire, sensing blood in the waters of the weakened Panhelion government, send their armed henchmen, the revanchists, rampaging out of the Anatolian Peninsula to spread terror and war.

  Worse, tentacles of this new evil reach across the galaxy to the Hyades Star Cluster, jeopardizing the tranquil planet of Niobe. Scott’s betrothed, Ariela Lavendal, Proconsul of Niobe, must now fight her own battle to protect her people from the diabolical threat out of Earth.

  As the forces of the Panhelion push back the revanchist army of the Hegemon, Scott’s dream of reuniting with Ariela and his daughter Evalyn on Niobe seem within his grasp. Yet events have changed the once serene Niobe.

  Now the Khepri aliens are once again swarming out of the Coma Berenices Star Cluster to threaten the Panhelion. Yet when Panhelion scientists crack the secret of the Khepri language and discover the true nature of the aliens, Scott learns that an even more startling and dangerous peril menaces the future of mankind.

  For lovers of dystopian science fiction, this series is suitable for readers 13 and older:

  THE SEEKERS

  By David Litwack

  Book 1 – The Children of Darkness

  Book 2 – The Stuff of Stars

  This dystopian sci-fi series offers a post-apocalyptic look at the battle between religion and reason, offering not just extraordinary settings and circumstances, but memorable characters. For more information on these books, please visit the Evolved Publishing website.

  ~~~~~

  THE CHILDREN OF DARKNESS:

  “But what are we without dreams?”

  ~~~

  A thousand years ago the Darkness came—a terrible time of violence, fear, and social collapse when technology ran rampant. But the vicars of the Temple of Light brought peace, ushering in an era of blessed simplicity. For ten centuries they have kept the madness at bay with “temple magic,” and by eliminating forever the rush of progress that nearly caused the destruction of everything.

  Childhood friends, Orah and Nathaniel, have always lived in the tiny village of Little Pond, longing for more from life but unwilling to challenge the rigid status quo. When their friend Thomas returns from the Temple after his “teaching”—the secret coming-of-age ritual that binds young men and women eternally to the Light—they barely recognize the broken and brooding young man the boy has become. Then when Orah is summoned as well, Nathaniel follows in a foolhardy attempt to save her.

  In the prisons of Temple City, they discover a terrible secret that launches the three on a journey to find the forbidden keep, placing their lives in jeopardy, for a truth from the past awaits that threatens the foundation of the Temple. If they reveal that truth, they might once again release the potential of their people.

  Yet they would also incur the Temple’s wrath as it is written: “If there comes among you a prophet saying, ‘Let us return to the darkness,’ you shall stone him, because he has sought to thrust you away from the Light.”

  ~~~

  Praise for The Children of Darkness:

  “A tightly executed first fantasy installment that champions the exploratory spirit.” – Kirkus Reviews

  “The plot unfolds easily, swiftly, and never lets the readers' attention wane.... After reading this one, it will be a real hardship to have to wait to see what happens next.” – Feathered Quill Book Reviews

  “The quality of its intelligence, imagination, and prose raises The Children of Darkness to the level of literature.” – Awesome Indies

  “...a fantastic tale of a world that seeks a utopian existence, well ordered, safe and fair for everyone... also an adventure, a coming-of-age story of three young people as they become the seekers, travelers in search of a hidden treasure—in this case, a treasure of knowledge and answers. A tale of futuristic probabilities... on a par with Huxley's Brave New World.” – Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards

  ~~~~~

  THE STUFF OF STARS:

  “But what are we without dreams?”

  ~~~

  Against all odds, Orah and Nathaniel have found the keep and revealed the truth about the darkness, initiating what they hope will be a new age of enlightenment. Yet the people are more set in their ways than anticipated, and a faction of vicars whispers in their ears, urging a return to traditional ways.

  Desperate to keep their movement alive, Orah and Nathaniel cross the ocean to seek the living descendants of the keepmasters’ kin. Those they find on the distant shore are both more and less advanced than expected.

  The seekers, caught between the two sides, face the challenge of bringing them together to make a better world. The prize: a chance to bring home miracles, and a more promising future for their people.

  If they fail this time, they risk not a stoning, but losing themselves in the twilight of a never-ending dream.

  For lovers of grand Sci-Fa, a blend of Science Fiction and Fantasy, this series is suitable for readers 13 and older:

  THE SILVER SPHERE

  By Michael Dadich

  This Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi novel, an extraordinary tale of two inter-connected planets fighting evil, has won multiple awards, and is appropriate for adults, but also for kids 12 and older. For more information, please visit the Evolved Publishing website.

  ~~~~~

  ...and many more awards!

  ~~~~~

  Shelby Pardow never imagined she could kill someone. All she wants to do is hide from her troubled father... when she is teleported to awaiting soldiers on the planet Azimuth. Here she is not a child, but Kin to one of the six Aulic Assembly members whom Malefic Cacoethes has drugged and imprisoned. He seeks to become dictator of this world (and then Earth by proxy).

  His father, Biskara, is an evil celestial entity, tracked by the Assembly with an armillary device, The Silver Sphere. With the Assembly now deposed, Biskara directs Malefic and the Nightlanders to their strategic targets. Unless....

  Can Shelby find the other Kin, and develop courage and combat skills? Can the Kin reassemble in time to release or replace the Assembly, overthrowing Malefic and restraining Biskara?

  ~~~~~

  Praise for The Silver Sphere:

  “The Silver Sphere is a classic good-versus-evil fantasy adventure of epic proportions. We’ve often said that science fiction and fantasy are the hardest novels to write as it involves the arduous task of world building. The Silver Sphere is successful in its creation of sister planet Azimuth, we suspect, because author Dadich let his heroic story marinate since childhood.

  Stories of this caliber need time to develop and mature to be told properly. J.R.R. Tolkien took 12+ years to write, edit and release his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. J.K. Rowling conceived many of her ideas about Harry Potter and Hogwarts in her childhood, only to return to them later and leave her mark on the literary world. C.S. Lewis originally envisioned what would become The Chronicles of Narnia ten years before he wrote the first book in the series. Our point is that Dadich is in good company, and the protracted construction time might portend great things for The Silver Sphere.

>   We mention Tolkien, Rowling and Lewis upfront because you’ll inevitably start making comparisons about these authors’ great works right away; but The Silver Sphere is no knock-off of these iconic novels. Dadich’s sophisticated novel can stand on its own.” – Wise Bear Books (Awarded The Silver Sphere their 2013 Gold Medal in Young Adult Fiction – Science Fiction/Fantasy)

  “This book has intrigue, betrayal, suspense, and a lot more. I appreciated seeing the threads of the plot tied together, after they started so far apart. Certain interactions between characters were predictable while some others were a complete surprise. The characters’ backgrounds were worked out well throughout the story, and appear to have influenced their actions in ways that made sense. The illustrations of some of the creatures in the book helped a lot. The best part by far was that this author made me care about his characters. The Silver Sphere is a very enjoyable book.” – Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews and Awards (Awarded The Silver Sphere their 2013 Gold Medal in Young Adult Fiction – Fantasy/Sci-Fi)

  For lovers of romantic fantasy and science fiction, this book offers all the fun of a YA read for readers 13 and older, but is written to please adults too:

  TWO MOONS OF SERA

  By Pavarti K. Tyler

  This science fiction & fantasy story exploring the clash of cultures, prejudice and war, and the promise of love and peace, is now available. For more information about this book, please visit the Evolved Publishing website.

  ~~~~~

  In a world where water and earth teem with life, Serafay is an anomaly. The result of genetic experiments on her mother’s water-borne line, Serafay will have to face the very people responsible for her mother’s torture to discover who she really is. But is she the only one?