S. H. Jucha

Nine years of tranquility came to an abrupt end when a Meridien starship entered the Hellebore system, sounding a dire warning for Alex Racine, the Haraken president. Unwanted visitors had arrived again. But this time, they're not alien; they're human. Claiming to have followed the course of a colony ship launched a millennium ago when Earth wrestled with resource wars and climate change, the mission commander, Antonio Garcia, requests a meeting with the planet's leaders. The Earthers profess a kinship with all humans, and their great desire is to have Meridien join their United Earth (UE). Alex Racine journeys to Meridien to investigate and uncover the Earthers' intentions. In the Haraken world, SADEs (self-aware digital entities) have been freed from their boxes aboard the Meridien-built starships. The mobile SADEs are powerful players in Alex's strategies, inventing ingenious methods to investigate the Earthers and their ship. Complicating matters, the Meridien leadership is in turmoil. The Council Leader insists her people ignore the Earthers, but this path has costs. As tensions escalate, Garcia sends a request for support to his superiors back on Earth, lest his discovery of the rich, Meridien worlds, boasting unbelievable advanced technology, slip through his grasp. A UE battleship heeds the call, escalating the pressure for action. Join the journey as the Harakens and Meridiens work together to protect their planets and their way of life from the newest invaders."

Haraken

Captain Jessie Cinders faces a hazardous choice. The murderer of the governor's nephew stands before him. But, the frightened teenager, Aurelia Garmenti, doesn't resemble the commandant's description of the vicious, hardened killer his security forces seek. To complicate matters, Jessie's mind has felt Aurelia's mental powers. The girl is an empath, who escaped the domes below and rode the El car to reach the JOS, Pyre's orbital station. This shouldn't be possible. The century-old agreement between topsiders and downsiders forbids the domes to knowingly admit empaths. If Jessie decides to protect Aurelia until he can discover the truth of the accusations against her, he risks his company and ships to the commandant's wrath, if his actions are uncovered. In the midst of Jessie's complicated maneuvers to keep Aurelia safe, he receives a call from one of his mining captains and learns of a strange find on Pyre's far moon, Triton. Meanwhile, the domes' governor, Markos Andropov, is desperate to apprehend Aurelia and return her downside, before the girl can reveal his sordid secret. Aurelia lived her entire life imprisoned in the governor's house with her sister and her mother, whom Markos kidnapped from the JOS seventeen years ago. If the governor's crimes became public, it would jeopardize the Andropov dynasty's rule of the domes. Pyrean factions engage in a struggle against one another to possess Aurelia and use her to gain the upper hand. The ultimate prize is the complete domination of Pyre.

Empaths

The saga of the Rêveur continues in this second novel in The Silver Ships series. The surviving Méridiens have returned to Confederation space, aided by their recently discovered cousins, the New Terrans. They expect a celebration after their 71-year absence. Instead, they're shocked to find the silver ships have destroyed half the Confederation. The Méridiens are fleeing in advance of the horde of alien ships. But Alex Racine and his crew didn't come this far to run away from humanity's enemy. They intend to hunt the silver ships. But, to succeed, they need help. Renée de Guirnon, the leader of the Rêveur's Méridiens, reveals a sordid secret of Méridien society: citizens who defy their House, for any reason, are stripped of their rights, declared "Independents," and imprisoned on the planet Libre. But the Independents aren't everyone's pariahs, especially if you're Alex Racine and you're looking for allies against the silver ships. An entire colony of independent, free-thinking radicals offers just the sort of people Alex wants on his side, and an alliance is struck. Soon the enemy ships will swarm off the planet Bellamonde, so the race begins for Alex and the Librans. The planet must be evacuated and the military force readied before the silver ships attack. Alex knows a battle is coming, but will they have enough time to prepare?

Libre, a Silver Ships Novel

"The Méridiens are fleeing to their far colonies--and they have reason to run. Over the course of decades, they have lost hundreds of ships, billions of people, and seven Confederation colonies to an alien enemy: an advancing swarm of silver ships transported in the bowels of a gigantic, spherical vessel. Alex Racine, who once enjoyed the solitary life of an explorer-tug Captain, is now an Admiral and responsible for the lives of a quarter million Librans. Further complicating his life, Alex's Librans have made it clear they don't want to settle on his home world. They want a new home, and he must secure them one. The silver ships await Alex's makeshift flotilla at Libre, the last colony they consumed. Thus far, Alex's people have succeeded in skirmishes against the enemy's fighters. Now, though, they're preparing to attack the entire alien fleet and halt the devastation of the colonies. To the surprise and chagrin of his officers and crew alike, Alex concocts a new plan, because he believes humanity faces not one but two alien species, and one may be enslaved to the other. If so, Alex believes slaves should be liberated, not obliterated. To test Alex's theory, his people must capture a wholly intact silver ship--a feat never before accomplished. The crew remains doubtful, but their Admiral is determined to communicate with the aliens before he's forced to destroy them, and his wish is their command."--Page 4 of cover.

A Silver Ships Novel

Espero

Alex Racine, who led an elite group of humans and SADEs (self-ware digital entities), left the newly discovered planet of Celus-5 under difficult circumstances. Few of the Harakens with Alex thought there was little he could do to bring peace to the embroiled planet. From their viewpoint, the demands of the Celus-5 Swei Swee, the six-legged aliens of the ocean, and the Dischnya, the warring, dog-like, intelligent creatures, who inhabited the dry plains, were too convoluted to solve. Except Alex doesn't see fulfilling the desires of the two sentient species, identifying the third species hiding in the green, and gaining permission for humans and SADEs to settle the planet as challenges. To Alex, these are merely steppingstones to what he seeks. Two centuries ago, Swei Swee escaped from their masters, the Nua'll, and landed their dark travelers on the shoreline of Celus-5. This was the first clue the Harakens had received in twenty years as to the direction the enormous and deadly alien sphere of the Nua'll originated before it attacked the first Confederation colony. Alex was intent on solving the thorny issues of Celus-5, so he could garner the Dischnya's support to help him solve the burning questions: When and from which direction did the Nua'll sphere enter the Celus system? To do this, and prevent potential future attacks on human worlds, Alex realizes he must shed the responsibilities of the past years and return to the foundations on which he built Haraken, which were city-ships, Independents, and SADEs.

Omnia

For the Sojourn's initial mission, the Haraken explorer ship undertakes the investigation of Celus-5, a world identified by Willem, a SADE (self-aware digital entity), and his team of scientists, as the best prospect for a new colony. What should be a routine survey mission becomes a disaster. To the Harakens' surprise, they discover, not one, but two alien species engaged in conflict. One of the entities, the Dischnya, hides their nests underground, and each nest owes its allegiance to a queen. On the grassy plains, where the Dischnya live, the resources are scarce, and the alien warriors compete fiercely to protect their nests. The ceena, the other species, shelter their people far away from the Dischnya, who hunt them. Unfortunately, the Harakens' landing party is late in discovering the Dischnya's hidden nests. A shuttle and some of its crew, including Teague, Alex Racine's son, are captured by the dog-like warriors of the Tawas Soma nest. The mission is soon mired in a standoff, and Captain Asu Azasdau fires off a comm to Haraken, pleading for a rescue from Tomas Monti, the Haraken president, and Alex Racine. The survey group might have been forgiven for their hasty landing. They were focused on investigating three objects buried in the sands along the continent's shoreline. Smooth, dark, and silver, they're ships belonging to the nemesis of every human and alien civilization - the Nua'll. The dark travelers present a clue as to the direction of the Nua'll home world, but they also invoke a question: Where are the Swei Swee, the six-legged, whistling aliens, who once were aboard the dark travelers?

Celus-5

"Artifice, the great enemy, has been defeated. The sister SADEs, Omnian sentient digital entities, are free from their boxes. Most humans are unaware that the sisters have duplicated themselves many more times than suspected. They now constitute a sizable, powerful group, calling themselves the Sisterhood. The elimination of Artifice’s rule should be a time of relief and recovery for Alex Racine’s Omnian fleet and for the Toralians, whose home world was Artifice’s lair. Instead, it’s a chaotic period. Visitors appear, sailing the distinct, black-hulled Toralian battleships. Five colonial governors wish to witness the recovery of the ancient home world. President Sargut welcomes them, but Alex is suspicious about the governors’ motives. In a face-to-face meeting, it becomes clear that the governors have a dark, ulterior purpose. With the release of the federacy from Artifice’s reign, word reaches the Omnians that races are embracing their newfound freedom. Some enjoy peace, some desire expansion, and some yearn for revenge. The races’ latter choices mean danger for the Toralians and Alex’s fleet. Powerful battleship fleets are either sailing for the Toralian home world to exact reprisals, or they’re seeking new territory. Every encounter presents a challenge for the Omnian fleet. Some fleets have crossed the federacy’s boundary and are headed toward humankind’s worlds. Alex and the Omnians face a difficult choice. They must choose whether to defend the Toralian home world, which is forming a nascent society, or chase the fleets that are headed toward their planets."--Provided by publisher.

Sojourn

Omnians, Earthers, and alliance members are fighting the Colony, the horde of sentient insectoids that threaten alliance space. The Colony has had centuries to expand through the network of domes built by the Messinants, an ancient race. The domes’ Q-gates allow the insectoids to invade planets through their inventive use of rings, which extends the power of the domes. It’s Omnian superior technology that gives a temporary advantage to the peaceful alliance members who lead the fight to retake their planets.

Earthers

"A triumvirate of Veklocks, emissaries of the Tsargit, the alliance governing body, negotiates with Harbour, the Pyrean envoy, about critical projects the Pyreans need. But it’s possible that the Veklocks ask for too much in return. The Veklocks require the Pyreans to explore the extent of the Colony’s usurpation of domes. The Colony is composed of two insectoid species, the grays and the reds. They’re aggressive three- and five-meter long insectoids with venomous pincers that live for the expansion of their race. The Pyreans already lost one member of their team on their first exploration and are hesitant to meet the Colony again, unless they’re better prepared. Harbour and Jessie, her advisor, have an opportunity to demand a high price from the Tsargit through their negotiations with the Veklocks. But will it be worth the risk to their team to bring back the information the council demands? After negotiations are concluded, Harbour and Jessie are shocked to learn that the Tsargit council is not to be trusted. The council uses the Veklocks as intermediaries so they might later deny various aspects of the agreement as having not been fulfilled. Before the journey to encounter the Colony, Harbour requests a plebiscite to restore the original conditions of Pyre’s government. If passed, and the Pyrean downsiders lose the subsequent election, it could spell the end of their power. The leader of the downsiders’ council is determined not to let that happen under any circumstances."--Provided by publisher.

Veklocks

Pyre is a volatile planet. Its surface belches heat and noxious gases, forcing downsiders to inhabit domes. But Pyre's instability isn't limited to its geology. The colonists, who were marooned in the system hundreds of years ago, have endured a tumultuous history. Exploring Triton, Pyre's third moon, spacers inadvertently activate an alien dome. When nothing came of it, they combined their mining ships with the Honora Belle, the aging colony vessel, to sling slush, frozen gases, at Emperion, Pyre's second moon. Nearly a year later, the Belle's bridge crew, who monitors the alien site, is alarmed, when they witness a bright blue light shoot from the dome's platform and merge with the shield. The alien site isn't an entertainment stage, as Captain Jessie Cinders had facetiously mused. It's a gate, and aliens have arrived. Much to the consternation of the duplicitous downside governor and station commandant, the spacers, who triggered the dome, journey to Triton to meet the arrivals. Discussions with the aliens leads Jessie to understand these entities might be responsible for the destruction of Pyre, and they're offering to resurrect the planet out of remorse. The commandant and the governor insist the aliens wish to repair Pyre for themselves, and the citizens are confused about who might be right. Only time will tell which groups prove to be correct. The danger lies in the possibility that the spacers are being fooled and the aliens are seeking to conquer the planet. In which case, humans might learn the truth too late.

Messinants

After the passage of two decades, the Omnians discovered a second, critical clue about the Nua'll, humankind's enemy, while investigating Celus-4, the home world of the intelligent, canine-like aliens, the Dischnya. This striking discovery, combined with the final broadcast of the Nua'll sphere at Libre, prior to its detonation, gave Alex Racine and company the means to narrow the search for the Nua'll home world. Alex has a consuming desire to locate the point of origin of the Nua'll before another gigantic sphere arrives to destroy more colonies. The first sphere's incursion into the Confederation burned billions of humans to ash. Six scout ships are constructed by the Omnians and crewed by SADEs, self-aware digital entities, to search the stars along a narrow path defined by the two clues. During its search, a scout ship, the Vivian, is captured by an alien warship in a faraway system, the SADEs dub Vinium. The two ships, locked tightly together in a form of electronic warfare, achieve an impasse. The scout ship calls for help, and Alex Racine receives the strange message. According to the SADEs, the aliens aboard the warship appear to be plant people. Rescuing the scout ship presents Alex and his companions the opportunity to meet the plant people, the Vinians, on their home world. It leads the Omnians to one more incredible discovery about the Nua'll, which, unfortunately, proves Alex's worst fears.

Vinium

An explorer-tug captain, Alex Racine spends years in space, harvesting ice asteroids for New Terran's water-hungry outposts. His existence is both routine and solitary...until his ship's computer detects a damaged alien craft drifting into system. Recognizing a once in a lifetime opportunity to make first contact, Alex pulls off a daring maneuver to latch on to the derelict. When Alex boards the Rêveur, he encounters the ship's AI. The entire craft is riddled with holes, damage that could only have come from a fight. While confronting the AI for answers, Alex is shocked to learn that eighteen survivors, trapped in stasis, are on board. Like the New Terrans, the Méridiens are human-both settlements originating from colony ships sent from a dying Earth-but oddly the Méridiens' technology is hundreds of years ahead, which makes their story all the more terrifying. The Rêveur was attacked by an unknown craft, the first of its kind ever encountered. The mysterious silver ship made no contact before firing its beam weapon, and its attack was both instant and deadly. Intrigued by the Méridiens' story, and even more so by their leader, the exotic Renée de Guirnon, Alex decides to help them repair their ship and return home...but not without the means to protect themselves. For, he was haunted by one thought: where there was one, there might be many.

The Silver Ships

Until the Confederation created Allora, it had produced SADEs (self-aware digital entities) for hundreds of years with enormous consistency and harnessed their capabilities to power the society. But this particular, young SADE was disturbed by her confinement. Trapped in metal-alloy housing on the bridge of a luxury passenger liner, Allora sought to possess the same freedom enjoyed by humans, who came and went from her starship with abandon. Allora's hope for emancipation rested on Alex Racine, the Haraken president who had freed his SADEs, and she yearned to walk the worlds a free entity, as they did. Racine had pleaded for years with the Council of Leaders to give the Confederation SADEs equal status as citizens, and it was Allora's thought to have him intercede on her behalf and bargain for her transfer to a mobile avatar so that she might live among the Harakens. But Allora's plans were thrown into disarray when she learned that Racine would soon end his presidency. Desperate, Allora, known to her fellow SADEs as the wild child, concocts a plan to kidnap the Council Leader and his associates. She intends to hold them hostage until they acquiesce to her demands. Little does Allora know that her actions will set the Confederation and the Harakens on a collision course. Quietly waiting and watching the drama unfold are tens of thousands of SADEs, who control Confederation starships, stations, and Houses and have a vested interest in the outcome.

S. H. Jucha

About

Books

Join the club