A sneak peek inside "Star's Edge"

Star's Edge, the fifth installment in the bestselling Starship of the Ancients series, will be released on July 31st.

After a challenging jump across the galaxy, Evan, Anya, and their expedition crew discover that civilization on the other side is even more complicated than the human Commonwealth. The three ships emerge into the Oseryn Reach—a thriving, multi-species civilization hidden for millennia. But their arrival draws immediate scrutiny. As old alliances fracture and dangerous secrets surface, the humans must navigate shifting loyalties and competing factions while Sam confronts a past that may render him obsolete.

You can pre-order Star's Edge now, and it will be available in Kindle Unlimited upon release. I hope you enjoy this continuation of Evan and Anya's story!

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Mission prep took on a whole new meaning when the destination was on the other side of the galaxy. Granted, they would be jumping, not embarking on a centuries-long journey at sub-light travel speeds. But Evan wanted to be prepared for whatever they might face.

“Jump field integrity checks out,” Sam announced as the Asamar dropped back into normal space after their latest test run for their impending expedition.

“Good.” Evan was the sole occupant of the Asamar’s flight deck—but never truly alone, with Sam’s omnipresence. After weeks together, their telepathic link and the subtle tickle at the back of his mind had become a comfortable default state.

Speckled stars and a distant blue nebula of the familiar starscape near Terrax filled the front screen. The Invictus and Rising Sun floated nearby, encircled by a subtle golden glow as the jump nanites dissipated. The vessels were rough and boxy compared to the Asamar’s sculptural forms, but the human starships were as spirited and capable as their crews.

A call alert from the Invictus popped up. Evan tapped the comm panel to accept.

“Are we going to do the deed or just practice unzipping our pants for eternity?” Zaris asked.

Evan was happy it was voice-only, but he expected she’d be able to hear his eyeroll in his tone all the same. “I’ll do as many tests as Sam finds prudent. If we mess this up, we’re finished.”

Sam had never before attempted a jump as far away as the target destination. The planet where they believed the Korani had gone after the destruction of their world was truly on the other side of the galaxy. In the scope of the universe, it was still next door. But compared to the current span of human civilization, the scale was mind-boggling.

“I am now satisfied with the ability to jump these three vessels in tandem,” Sam said. “No further testing is necessary.”

“Thank the stars!” Zaris exclaimed. “Let’s go meet some aliens.”

Anya entered the flight deck, her brows drawn together. “Hey, Evan?”

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Zaris sighed loudly on the comm. “Problem?”

“Hang on. Don’t go anywhere.” Evan ended the call so he could focus on Anya. “We were just talking about heading out. The test jumps were good.”

“Yeah, about that…” Anya handed him a tablet.

There were a bunch of graphical charts and numbers on the screen, all indecipherable to him. “What am I looking at?”

“Readings from the monitoring probes around the unsettled Korani worlds. Everything has been consistent for weeks. But today, of all days, the signal changed. I don’t know what it means, but it’s not nothing.”

A knot twisted in Evan’s chest. He handed the tablet back to Anya. “Sam, any thoughts?”

“The Korani tech is linked across worlds. Perhaps the world seed on Terrax communicated that we were departing today,” the AI suggested.

The communication mechanisms of the Korani tech and other ancient energies were still largely a mystery to Evan, though he recognized that the forces were too powerful to ignore. “That could be a good thing… or very bad. I don’t suppose we have any clue what the new signal is saying?”

Anya shook her head. “No. And honestly, talking with the Korani is probably our best chance to get an answer.”

It’s a blind jump into the unknown, no matter what. Evan nodded. “Okay, we proceed as planned. Why not pile on another ominous threat?”

“We do have quite the collection.” Anya sat down next to him in the other command chair at the center of the flight deck, stowing the tablet in a slot next to her seat. “Sam, please send the probe data to Conroy’s office and give them access to our real-time monitoring interface. They can track this development themselves.”

“Done.”

“I am so glad you didn’t say we have to go investigate,” Evan said.

Anya smiled. “I’ve had quite enough of saving the Commonwealth for now. Exploring new worlds sounds way more fun.”

“It sure does.” Evan raised the Invictus and Rising Sun on the comm. “All right, everyone ready to go?”

“All good here,” Zaris replied. “You get your problem figured out?”

“No, but it’s someone else’s concern now.” Evan brought up their jump map on the front screen, displaying their distant target. “Final checks?”

“All good,” Anya said from next to him.

“We’re ready,” Zaris said.

“Clear and standing by,” Leo Cruz, the Rising Sun’s captain, acknowledged.

“Jump system is ready and destination locked,” Sam confirmed.

“Okay. See you on the other side,” he told the companion ships and then cut the commlink. “Take us away, Sam.”

A golden blur formed outside the front viewport as the nanite nanomesh spun around the ship. The vessel slipped into the spatial distortion.

In their past travels, a jump would last seconds—a few minutes, at most. This jump would be more than half an hour. While that was no time at all in the grand scheme of space travel, every second would send them further from their familiar life and deeper into the unknown.

Evan wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but the splashes of abstract color peppering the dark hyperspace tunnel seemed more vibrant and active than normal. “Is everything stable, Sam?”

“All is well,” the AI replied. “We should arrive in thirty-two minutes.”

They settled in, watching the wondrous sight of hyperspace dancing on the front screen.

Anya reached across the center console and took Evan’s hand. “This is much more exciting than going to live in a cave.”

“I wouldn’t want to go with anyone other than you.”

“Same.”

“I remember the old saying: ‘taking a leap of faith.’ I can’t imagine taking a bigger leap than a jump to the other side of the galaxy.”

“No kidding,” Anya agreed. “For all we know, this is a one-way trip.”

“I won’t abandon you,” Sam chimed in.

Evan wanted to believe him. He certainly trusted the intention. However, there were too many unknowns. The Korani might prove hostile. Or there might be another race. Or they might find nothing at all. The reality was that they were relying on ancient alien jump tech, and there was no human equivalent that could get them back to the Commonwealth once they departed. Evan had ensured that everyone traveling with them knew the risks.

When Zaris had requested to come in the Invictus along with the Rising Sun—another vessel in her corsair fleet—Evan had wondered how that dynamic might play out. But as they’d gone through the planning and preparation process, he now saw the two vessels as a valuable addition to the Asamar’s mission. There would be a group of humans on the scale of a colony settlement roster, bringing many of the same materials. If they became trapped for some reason, they’d still have a chance to make a decent life. Going alone with Anya on the Asamar would have significantly lower odds of surviving long-term, should they be unable to return to Commonwealth territory.

Personally, he had nothing tying him to the Commonwealth. His career as he’d known it was long over, his family had passed away years ago, and he had no property or possessions of any note. Anya was the person who mattered most to him now, so as long as they were together, he’d be content anywhere in the universe.

Evan watched a countdown in the lower right corner of the screen denoting the jump duration. They chatted to pass the time, falling silent in anxious anticipation when the clock reached half an hour elapsed.

Two minutes remaining.

One—

The ship abruptly lurched. Red lights lit up around the flight deck’s perimeter.

“What was that, Sam?” Evan asked.

A distorted static sounded over the speakers. The ship shuddered.

Evan and Anya both accessed the consoles next to their seats, hands flying over the screens to bring up any information to explain their current predicament.

The interface glitched, pixelated halos forming around the text and images of every screen around the room. A speckled rainbow of visual artifacts swept across the screens and consoles. Lights flickered. Another shudder wracked the ship, stronger than the first.

Outside the viewport, the dark tunnel of hyperspace distorted. A cascade of colored light scattered around the ship.

For a moment, Evan’s stomach rose into his throat as though he was falling. He gripped his armrests, fighting sudden pressure in his head.

Stars blurred into existence outside.

The ship stilled.

Evan’s senses settled. Though his heart still pounded in his ears, he no longer felt like he was upside down. “Sam…?”

“I am here,” the AI stated in his normal voice.

Anya’s eyes were wide with panic. “What just happened?”

“I believe we encountered some kind of interference,” Sam replied, sounding less confident than his usual tone. “It disrupted the jump field. To use an imperfect analogy, it was almost like we hit a force field.”

“In hyperspace?” Evan asked incredulously.

“I mean to say it was like hitting a barrier. It temporarily disrupted all of my systems.”

“Are you okay?” Anya asked.

“I believe so, but I’m still running a self-diagnostic. I’m not sure.”

Anya frowned. “Was this something natural? Or an engineered defense?”

“Or a trap?” Evan read over the scan data with new concern. Unfortunately, there were massive blank places on the display. “Hey, Sam… Where are we? And where are the two other ships?”

—     —     —

Zaris took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, hoping to calm her racing heart enough so she could think.

The nav computer couldn’t get a read on their current location. The Korani nanite jump system wasn’t with them. The Rising Sun and Asamar were nowhere to be seen. They were alone, floating in the void, and all eyes were on her for direction.

Take command, Captain, she willed herself. “I need a damage report. Try to get the Asamar and Rising Sun on comms.”

“Waiting to hear from Engineering. Comms are down,” Callie reported from the helm.

How the hell did this happen? One minute they’d been cruising along in hyperspace, and then she was staring at stars again.

“Any indication of what caused us to drop out of the jump?” Tarek asked from the seat next to her.

“Some kind of interference, but I can’t say beyond that,” Callie replied. “And no damage to the ship, as far as I can tell at first glance.”

But the jump system is gone. Zaris hadn’t realized that she’d grown accustomed to the ever-present telepathic pull in its presence, and she now felt empty without it. Its absence made her wonder if only the Invictus had dropped out from hyperspace and the other vessels were still on their way to find the Korani. If that was the case, they might be out here alone.

Where even is here? She tried not to let her panic show on her face. “What’s on scan?”

“Not much of anything,” Callie said. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“Nowhere is just a place you haven’t discovered yet,” Zaris said, drawing on one of her dad’s favorite sayings. She didn’t fully buy into the words, but it seemed like a more comforting thing to say than the string of panicked swears cycling through her mind. “Send out a set of probes in orthogonal directions.”

“Aye,” Callie acknowledged.

Extending their sensor range might let them get a ping on one of the other ships or at least point them toward a planet that might help them orient.

“Good news. Looks like we’re within a day’s travel of a planet.” Callie brought up the first wave of scan data on the front screen.

Zaris watched the data refresh in real-time as a probe relayed information. The preliminary data on the planet wasn’t promising for supporting human life, but that was a distant concern. The other ships had to be out there somewhere. Right?

 “Hey, I’m getting something!” Callie exclaimed with new enthusiasm. “It’s just a blip in the background static, but it’s too rhythmic to be natural.”

“Okay… so what is it?”

“An old pirate trick to signal when you can’t use comms.”

Zaris thought she knew pretty much every trick, but she’d never worked the comms station. “Does it mean anything?”

“A general ‘I’m here’ message.” Callie smiled over her shoulder. “Must be the Rising Sun.”

“Head toward the signal.” If that one ship was nearby, the Asamar might not be far, either. Maybe they’d be able to figure out what was going on—and determine if they’d still be able to finish their jump.

—     —     —

When Anya had discovered the change in signals on the monitoring probes, she’d hoped that it was nothing. But this unanticipated glitch in their jump couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Sam, please display the full jump log along with  system diagnostic,” she requested. Since the Korani tech was all linked—even across vast distances—finding out what happened with their jump might offer a clue to the larger mystery, too.

“I have only partial memories of the event, but these are the logs,” Sam said.

Anya and Evan began poring over the data. She didn’t understand many of the codes, but she did know how to look for patterns. There was, indeed, a sizable change at the time they’d dropped out from the jump. It corresponded with a spike in radiation and an intense burst across a broad frequency band.

“This almost looks like one of our snare attacks,” Evan observed.

“It did impact many of the same ship systems, but the radiation and extended frequency range make this unique,” Sam said.

“What’s your assessment?” Anya asked.

“I have a seventeen point six second gap in my perceptual records during these events, so my evaluation is limited to the scan data documented in the logs. Based on that information, I suspect we triggered some kind of automated defense—like a hyperspace mine designed to disrupt jump transit in a specific zone.”

“That sounds like pretty advanced tech,” Evan said.

“Indeed. The Korani did not possess this capability at the time I left for Aethos.”

Evan frowned at the screen. “Did they learn how to do it during the last six thousand years, or was this defense set by someone else?”

“That’s something we’ll need to figure out,” Anya said. “But first, we need to find the two other ships.”

 <End of preview>

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Star's Edge will release on July 31, 2026

Grab your copy on Amazon!

https://books2read.com/SOTA5