Enemy activity had fallen into an eerie calm, but everyone felt the coming storm–a terrible storm, poised to unleash its fury upon the galaxy. It seemed as though the entire universe was holding its breath. Waiting. Whether waiting for the salvation of mankind or its demise was yet unclear.

About The Book:

Along with his newly found, rag-tag band of alien friends, Nick Bannon battles to keep his devastating technology out of the hands of the biomechanoid race known as the Mok’tu. Nick is flung to a distant world when his hyperspace experiment goes awry. Now his peaceful experiment could become the horrific weapon of the malicious alien race. Every species in the galaxy is in danger of total annihilation and it may take one man’s greatest sacrifice to stop it.

Unlock a special EXTRA chapter of the book! Use the clues in the book to unlock the combination code at TheHyperscapeProject.com and download The Lost Chapter!

See the homage to George Takei (Star Trek’s Sulu.) from in the book, download sci-fi wallpapers, play The Lost Chapter game, and more at the author’s website.

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From the Inside Flap

Karg woke to the sound of explosions rocking the ship. “Karg! Get to Bay One, we’re about to have company!” Arya’s voice demanded over his com-badge.

Karg fell out of bed onto his knees. The rumble of multiple blasts to the hull rang through his room. “What…what’s going on? Arya?”

“Karg! Get your arsk to Bay One! Now!” The sounds of explosions on the bridge almost drowned out Arya’s voice. “Raiders!”

“Frek!” Karg grumbled. He flew out of the door into the corridor, driving a passing Meth into the wall as they collided. The Meth crewmember stumbled to his feet in his cumbersome environmental suit and continued on his way. Karg was too distracted to apologize. He hopped down the hallway attempting to get a foot into his boot and still shaking off his grogginess. He finally got his feet stuffed into his boots before rounding the corner into Bay One. The fury of plasma blasts hitting the hull reverberated through the hangar like a giant drum. “I’m in Bay One. What the hetek is going on out there?”

Karg waited for what seemed like forever for an answer. The silence on the com had him worried. Finally, Arya replied. “Raiders. Everywhere. Too small and fast. Can’t get a clear shot. Can’t outrun them.”

Suddenly Karg’s com-badge screeched and whined. Then a strange voice broke in. “Captain of the Ashok, surrender and I may let your crew live.”

Karg waited tensely through the long pause. Arya didn’t appear to be responding to the raider’s demands.

“Let me talk to Arnon,” the voice demanded.

On the bridge, Arya sat tall and straight in the Captain’s chair, glaring at the main view screen. An unkempt, scarred face stared back at her. Typical raider scum, in need of a good bath and some manners. At least over the vid-link she was spared from his stench.

All her training and time spent watching Argos command the ship had prepared her for this moment. “Raider baskurt. This is Captain Arya of the Ashok. I have been lenient with you so far, but do not try my patience. Perhaps you have heard about how we recently destroyed a Mok’tu Star-Killer. Leave now or suffer the same fate.”

The commander of the raiders smirked. “Yeah I’ve heard of you alright. And I’ve heard about that weapon of yours. A weapon of that power would be worth a lot of credits. Way I hear it, that weapon could probably rip apart a whole planet. The fact that a craft that small can unleash that kind of power has me shakin’ in my boots.” The commander gave a sarcastic laugh. “The thing is…that weapon may be scary powerful when it’s launched, but right now it’s sitting safely aboard your ship. Now surrender before I take your ship apart, piece by piece!”

Arya’s mind raced. They knew about the module, but they thought it was still aboard the Ashok. How could she use that to her advantage? And Arnon? How did they know Arnon?

“I’ve called your bluff, missy,” the commander chided.  “Time to pay up.”

“Commander Scumbag,” she began, taunting him with insults. “I do not negotiate with raiders and especially not with the likes of you. You have ballusks, I’ll give you that. I can’t believe you would threaten the ship carrying the biggest, baddest weapon around.  What the hetek were you thinking?  You’re such a patuke. I have nothing more to say to you. You’re not even worth the effort of killing. Get out of my way, and I will let you live. And before you go making another brilliant decision in your colorful, yet undoubtedly short career, I ask you, how sure are you that this weapon can’t be fired from within the walls of this vessel? Are you willing to bet your life on it?”

The commander’s reply was long in coming. The smaller raider vessels zipped around the Ashok like betiks on a syrup tree, continuing to fly hit and run maneuvers. The constant plasma blasts were beginning to weaken the Ashok’s defenses.

Finally the commander’s voice broke the silence. “I understand. You have principles. You don’t negotiate with raiders. That’s one of your principles. But, you see, I don’t have any of them principles. Life’s much simpler that way. Know what I’m say’n’?” The commander grinned, one gold tooth shining amidst his decaying, food encrusted teeth. “It’s a shame that a pretty thing like you is going to have to die, but now you’re trying my patience!”

Sirok sent a message to Arya’s console with his wireless neural interface. The raiders had made it through the Ashok’s collapsing shields and had blown off the outer door to Bay One. With the shields failing and the hull breached, there was nothing to stop them from entering the ship.

Arya severed communications with the raiders, and the view screen went blank. The time for posturing was over. The raiders in this sector were notoriously dangerous and most likely one of the main reasons so few ever returned from Demented Space. “Sirok, you have the con. Patch everything through to my PDU.” Arya held up her personal data unit, a handy, do about anything, reconfigurable on the fly, mobile gadget that she seldom left behind. “Tell Karg I’m headed down there, and get everyone you can to Bay One. We need to stop them from getting into the rest of the ship!”

“Aye, Captain.” Sirok busily typed on his console. His holo-display showed a diagram of the ship alongside a roster of the crew and their current locations.

Arya turned as she entered the transport tube. “Lock down the bridge.” The tube doors slid shut with a whoosh, and the tube sped down to the bay level.

Sirok broadcasted a message to all hands, ordering them to defend the hangar bay. The bridge grew quiet. The bombardment had ceased. The raiders were now focused on taking the ship. Sirok put a priority-one lockdown in place, sealing off the bridge. Arya would be able to command the ship through her encrypted mobile data unit, but if all else failed, Sirok would have to take over command from the bridge. The protective mucus covering Sirok’s body oozed faster. It was a natural bodily function for a Kymirian under stress, a vestige of his ancestry that allowed them to move quickly and replace the antibacterial covering at a more rapid rate. His nerves were beginning to get the best of him, and he could feel it in the thinning mucus running down his face. He knew that even with the bridge locked out the raiders could disable the engines and other systems if they infiltrated the ship.

Arya slid to a stop next to Karg in Bay One. The force field in the bay was holding, but through the translucent wall of static, the ominous presence of the raiders was apparent. A boarding party was nearing the field, spreading into several groups.

A handful of crewmembers ran into the bay behind Arya. Two Meths, a couple of Arisian ensigns, and Kyrk. Arya frowned. “That’s it?  That’s all of you?”

“Hull breach in the aft section,” Kyrk responded “Five of the crew were there when it happened. Three didn’t make it. The other two are trapped.”

Arya was all business. “Sket. It will have to do. Take cover. We draw the line here! Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir!” the crew replied in true military fashion.

In front of them, the glove of an armored space suit pierced through the force field.

“Karg! They’re coming through! They must be using a field modulator.”

Another hand came through the force field, a pistol aimed and at the ready.  Plasma blasts ricocheted off the metal crate in front of them as they ducked. “Open fire!” Arya commanded, as she popped up and fired several rounds at the raiders.

A barrage of plasma bolts streaked back and forth across the bay. Puffs of smoke rose from the impacting balls of plasma, creating an early morning fog-like haze throughout the bay.