Ereshkigal’s War (Edge of the Splintered Galaxy Book 5), page 1
ERESHKIGAL’S WAR
EDGE OF THE SPLINTERED GALAXY
BOOK 5
EDDIE R. HICKS
Ereshkigal’s War
Edge of the Splintered Galaxy Book 5
By Eddie R. Hicks
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Copyright © 2022 Eddie R. Hicks
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No aliens were harmed in the writing of this novel.
Cover Art by: Jeff Brown Graphics
V 1.01
CONTENTS
Newsletter
Dramatis personæ
Timeline
Previously on Splintered Galaxy . . .
Prologue
1. Foster
2. Tetsuya
3. LeBoeuf
4. Peiun
5. Foster
6. Tetsuya
7. Peiun
8. Tetsuya
9. Peiun
10. Tetsuya
11. Foster
12. Tetsuya
13. Foster
14. Tetsuya
15. LeBoeuf
16. Tetsuya
17. Peiun
18. Tetsuya
19. LeBoeuf
20. Tetsuya
21. Foster
22. Tetsuya
23. Foster
24. LeBoeuf
25. Tetsuya
26. Peiun
27. Tetsuya
28. Foster
29. LeBoeuf
30. Foster
31. Tetsuya
32. LeBoeuf
33. Foster
34. Tetsuya
35. LeBoeuf
36. Tetsuya
37. LeBoeuf
38. Tetsuya
39. Foster
40. Peiun
41. Foster
42. LeBoeuf
43. Tetsuya
44. Foster
45. Tetsuya
Epilogue
Next time on Edge of the Splintered Galaxy . . .
Keep in touch
Also by Eddie R. Hicks
About the Author
NEWSLETTER
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DRAMATIS PERSONÆ
A note on Radiance names:
Members of the Radiance Union have to adhere to Aryile naming conventions. Names that end with “ea” are female names, while names that end with “ei” are male. The two-to-three letter word prefix is a label that matches their race. The label also translates to numbers in the Aryile language.
Ary = one = Aryile
Mil = two = Javnis
Za = three = Rabuabin
Gab = four = Vorcambreum
Ure = five = Linl
DRAMATIS PERSONÆ
XSV Johannes Kepler Crew
Rebecca Foster – IESA explorer, captain
Species: Human
Dominic Williams – IESA explorer, commander and first officer
Species: Human
Travis Pierce – IESA explorer, science officer
Species: Human
Jasmine Rivera – IESA explorer, chief engineer
Species: Human
Irena Kostelecky – IESA explorer, chief medical officer
Species: Human
Dennis Chang – UNE Navy, flight lieutenant, and helmsman
Species: Human
Za Saressea – Radiance liaison officer
Species: Rabuabin
Ary Odelea – Scholar, Souyila researcher, and communications officer
Species: Aryile
Mil Tolukei – Radiance psionic, lead shipboard psionic
Species: Javnis Psionic
Nereid – Shipboard psionic
Species: Undine (humanoid mutant)
EVE – Electronic Versatile Entity, ship AI
Species: Android
Demarion Bailey – Chef
Species: Human
Mathilda Chevallier – EDF-1 member
Species: Human
Krystal LeBoeuf – Warlock class psionic, EDF-1 team member
Species: Human Psionic
Otis Maxwell – Ravager class psionic, EDF-1 team member
Species: Human Psionic
Jacob Miles – UNE Marine
Species: Human
Penelope Diamondrose – Maraschino hacker
Species: Hashmedai
Karklosea – Former Radiance Templar
Species: Linl Psionic
Hashmedai Empire
Peiun Starblazer – Rezeki’s Rage Captain
Species: Hashmedai
Alesyna Interloper - Rezeki’s Rage shipboard psionic and XO
Species: Hashmedai Psionic
Nadevina – Rezeki’s Rage bridge officer
Species: Hashmedai
Uemsu - Rezeki’s Rage bridge officer
Species: Hashmedai
Frovayn – Rezeki’s Rage engineer
Species: Hashmedai
Xai – Rezeki’s Rage warrior
Species: Hashmedai
Shandara – Rezeki’s Rage warrior
Species: Hashmedai
Stanxi – Rezeki’s Rage guardian
Species: Hashmedai
Kinseina – Rezeki’s Rage xenobiologist
Species: Hashmedai
Gergis – Uelaria system lord
Species: Hashmedai
Pernoy – Apolnar colonist
Species: Hashmedai
The Cult of Ereshkigal
Ereshkigal – Goddess of Kur
Species: Linl Psionic
Ary Jainuzei – Holy Vanguard of Ereshkigal
Species: Aryile
Alisha Levesque – Captain of the Gilgamesh
Species: Human
The Marauders
Tetsuya Ishihara – Former HLF operative
Species: Human
The Silyeos Alliance
Finxos – High Minister of Qurialla
Species: Amphibian
Chal – Captain of the Orioalon
Species: Amphibian
TIMELINE
1944 . . . Radiance Union discovers Earth and the human race.
1945 . . . Radiance witnesses the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Radiance council votes to not make contact with humans. Scientific study is allowed to continue, however.
2003 . . . Noylarlie starts psionic training.
2008 . . . Noylarlie becomes Archmage.
2009 . . . Noylarlie given command of the Crimson Arrow, travels to Morutrin Prime.
2010 . . . Onatiasha and her team travel with Kroshka and Akeia to Earth via a Hashmedai command ship. They materialize eight years later.
2010/2011 . . . Noylarlie arrives at Proxima Centauri and then embarks on a journey to Epsilon Eridani.
2018 . . . Hashmedai Empire invasion of Earth.
2027 . . . Human refugees arrive at Alpha Centauri. Radiance fleet arrives at Earth to remove surviving Hashmedai forces. Radiance uplifts the human race, providing humans with their technology and medical advancements.
2027 . . . Extrasolar Defense Force (EDF) is formed to protect humans living in Alpha Centauri and future deep space worlds. Abyssal Explorer embarks on a thirteen-year journey to Barnard’s Star.
2028 . . . The United Nations of Earth (UNE) is formed; humanity enters new golden age of space travel and exploration.
2030 . . . Hashmedai Liberation front (HLF) slowly starts to come together worldwide after reports of mistreatment of Hashmedai left behind on Earth.
2032 . . . Chloe and EDF-1 are recalled to Earth to assist in cross-training.
2032 . . . EDF-2 and the Abyssal Sword goes missing after battling Celestial Order forces at Proxima Centauri.
2033 . . . The Carl Sagan along with a UNE fleet of science and exploration ships leave Earth to explore the galaxy.
2039 . . . Jazz, Kroshka, Phylarlie, Onatiasha, and Zhinbryo awake from cryostasis upon arriving at Epsilon Eridani. They take the space bridge back to the Empire.
2040 . . . Chloe, along with the EDF-1, arrive at Earth and awake from cryostasis. Noylarlie and Parcisei also awake from cryostasis and make plans to travel to Earth upon learning what took place.
2040/2041 . . . The Celestial Order wars.
2041 . . . Radiance abandons Barnard’s Star in the aftermath of the wraith outbreak and the battle of Barnard’s Star. UNE occupies the system via the newly discovered Lyonria Kuiper belt wormhole. Peace is formed between the UNE and the Empire.
2041 . . . Destiny, Tetsuya, and Vaish escape from UNE custody. Their whereabouts remain a mystery for years to come.
2041 . . . UNE discovers Radiance and Celestial Order research data regarding the ancient Lyonria in Barnard’s Star. Human scientists set up shop in the system to study the new findings.
2042 . . . The Radiance mega-corporation, Souyila, begins research on ethereal energy. A new and renewable power source is made available to the Union, netting the company massive profits. XE crystals are sold to the UNE as they are
no longer needed.
2042 . . . UNE uncovers new Lyonria ruins in Barnard’s Star and begins to reverse engineer the Kuiper belt wormhole.
2045 . . . Mass production of human-built wormholes begin and the plans for an interstellar wormhole network is drawn out.
2046 . . . Odelea joins the Souyila corporation and uses their funding to advance her findings on gene therapy.
2048 . . . Anti-aging gene therapy tests are a success. Souyila sells the technology to the UNE, who in turn trades their version of it to the Empire. The act upsets the Radiance council. A new law within the Union is passed, forbidding any corporation from selling technology to outside galactic nations. UNE counters by withholding all knowledge they discover regarding Lyonria artifacts and ruins.
2049 . . . UNE wormhole network goes online, reducing travel times between star systems and speeding up colonization for their swelling population.
2050 . . . Captain Foster and the Carl Sagan arrive in Sirius, where she discovers Lyonria ruins and life in the system. She then establishes the first human colony and encounters then conflicts with the Architect.
2050 . . . The Carl Sagan receives a signal from a ship entering the system. They set a course to investigate as Radiance and EISS intelligence believe it’s related to the disappearance of the Abyssal Sword and EDF-2. Contact with the Carl Sagan is lost hours later.
2050 . . . Promising data received from the first generation of UNE extrasolar colonies fuel the need for the UNE to aggressively expand, as death from old age is now obsolete. Population numbers within the UNE, Union, and Empire are projected to explode in the coming years. The colonization race begins.
2051 . . . UNE sends additional ships to support the Sirius colonists in the wake of the disappearance of the Carl Sagan. During which, technology from the Lyonria ruins, Tiamat’s tomb, and the Architect are collected and studied by the colonists already present in the system.
2052 . . . UNE sets out to expand their claim on worlds within uncharted regions of space, placing heavy emphasis on planets that may have Lyonria ruins.
2065 . . . The Hashmedai attempt to build their own MRF but are unsuccessful due to EISS sabotage.
2068 . . . UNE ships arrive at Sirius to retake control of the system and search for the Carl Sagan. No signs of the ship and crew are found. A wormhole is constructed linking Sirius to the rest of UNE-controlled space.
2068 . . . Formal contact is made with the Qirak trade fleet. Lucrative deals from the other side of the galaxy are made between them and the UNE, Union, and Empire.
2069 . . . UNE Lyonria experts assist Sirius scientists in reverse engineering FTL technology left over from the Architect and Tiamat drones. Radiance teams are brought in to help speed up the development.
2069 . . . The first Alcubierre drive ship is tested in Sirius. UNE and Radiance begin to upgrade all ships with FTL.
2072 . . . To counter UNE and Union FTL ships, the Empire aggressively pushes to create a working MRF. They have a sixty percent failure rate in production. As a result, only command ships and lead capital ships are equipped with the technology.
2074 . . . To prevent Radiance from forcing the Undine and Poniga to join the Union, the UNE labels several planets within Sirius as protected worlds, forbidding anyone from interfering with their culture or colonizing them unless specifically requested by the local population. Terra Nova and several other inhabited worlds in Sirius are excluded, as they have been claimed by the UNE.
2086 . . . The colonization race becomes heated, and territorial disputes between UNE, Radiance, and the Empire begin.
2090 . . . With the growth of the UNE, Radiance requests all humans living in Alpha Centauri and Proxima to leave. UNE agrees and forces those colonists to inhabit Barnard’s Star to help the population grow; they also claim new Lyonria ruins, which are discovered almost monthly.
2095 . . . Fearing another war due to colonial expansion, Amicitia Station 14 is constructed as a means for the UNE to negotiate disputes between all alien races. A ceasefire between the Union and Empire is agreed upon months later.
2099 . . . Kroshka bonds with Eensino. The Empire, for the first time in years, is ruled by an emperor and empress.
2118 . . . The Draconian Horde simultaneously assaults the capitals of the UNE, the Radiance Union, and the Hashmedai Empire; thousands are killed on all sides.
2119 . . . Hallowed Nebula incident.
2120 . . . Derek Irons elected president of the UNE.
2121 . . . Present day.
PREVIOUSLY ON SPLINTERED GALAXY . . .
After several delays, the XSV Johannes Kepler arrived at Omega Centauri to continue its search for the Draconian homeworld. However, Foster and her crew’s expedition into the unknown encountered several complications, one of them being the Imperial assassin Antoir who stowed away on the ship, poisoning the Kepler’s psionic team and sabotaging the ship’s ability to return to Earth-controlled space. The second complication was their encounter with Nergal, the consort of Ereshkigal, and a psionic Rabuabin who, like Tiamat, visited Earth during ancient times, coaxing the human population into believing that he was a God.
After defeating Nergal and his cult, the Johannes Kepler discovered the location of a lost Hashmedai colony eight light-years deep into Omega Centauri—a settlement that made peaceful contact with the Draconians. With no other leads to follow and no means of returning home, the Kepler set a course in search of the colony to speak with its leaders while keeping an ear out for Peiun and the Rezeki’s Rage.
The Rezeki’s Rage was due to appear in Omega Centauri from a space bridge jump, with orders to conduct an assignment given to Peiun by the empress of the Empire.
An assignment that might have links to the many mysteries Omega Centauri is concealing from the inner worlds of the Milky Way.
PROLOGUE
Orioalon
Omega Centauri Interstellar Space
September 04, 2121, 14:11 SST (Sol Standard Time)
The Orioalon drifted within a flotilla of agricultural ships, reflecting light from Omega Centauri’s glittering stars dotting the stellar void. The Milky Way’s shape dominated the view of space on the opposite end. The agriculture flotilla consisted of six large vessels shaped like long rotating cylinders, each crammed full of harvested grain and water, carefully tended to by a melting pot of species native to this region of Omega Centauri. Most of the races on the ships, such as the Orioalo, were the Oepanian race. Or the Amphibians as they have recently been called.
The agriculture stored on the flotilla’s ships were goods the crew provided to space habitats, moons, planets, and other vessels unable to produce or keep an ample supply of food and water. Without the agricultural flotilla, millions of lifeforms in this region of space would die. The flotilla was an essential part of society.
And its crew were unaware they were about to have an unbelievably bad day should they reject the next offer they received.
The Gilgamesh, a lone corvette of a design most Amphibians had likely never seen, slowed from sublight and approached the Orioalon, the lead ship within the flotilla, latching its airlock onto it. The airlock doors irised open, allowing Ary Jainuzei to step into the Orioalon’s central corridor. Jainuzei grinned when the humid air of the ship warmed his face. It was ideal room temperature for an Aryile like himself. He didn’t even need to activate the environmental functions within his multi-suit. His nose retched at the thick musk lingering in the air though.
