Histories of Nox Caelum: Brother & Twin

By Stephen W. Dunne

At the center of Nox Caelum, a unique dual star system, the planets Brother and Twin dance an eternal pirouette through space. The ruling Planetary Commonwealth is comprised of eight planets in orbit of Nox Caelum Beta while little is known about the distant civilizations of Nox Caelum Alpha.
Floroen Black, Director General of the Assembly of Twin is forced to call for the Code of Review as war threatens to push both planets into obliteration. Aboard the ship C. F. Tharsis, power is taken from the assemblies of both Brother and Twin and is shifted to how the Planetary Commonwealth sees fit.
In an attempt to continue his fight against the expansive and industrious world of Brother, Floroen decides to make public his involvement with an underground agency called the Sovereign Alliance of Twin. S.A.T., an already loathed organization is branded as terrorist and Floroen scrabbles to assert his authority over its rogue members.
There are unknown forces at play not only on Brother and Twin but throughout Nox Caelum itself. Floroen struggles with his decisions and in his attempt to retain power he finds unlikely allies and hidden foes.
Brother and Twin is the first in a series of stand-alone novelettes surrounding the histories of Nox Caelum and plays out the miniscule events that can change the courses of billions of lives forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen W. Dunne
• Release date: May 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310637339

Stephen W. Dunne

As an emerging writer I am trying to get my work and my name out into the open, where readers can access and enjoy my science-fiction and fantasy tales.I am thirty years old, living in Dublin and becoming a writer has always been a dream of mine. Completing that first novel was an astounding achievement and I look forward to completing many more.I take my influences from all things fantasy. Tolkien to Feist to Jordan and Brett, they have each brought me to worlds and universes filled with colourful characters, magic, and inspiration.I hope you enjoy any and all work which I may soon publish here.Stephen W. Dunne.

Book preview

Brother & Twin

Published by Stephen W. Dunne

Copyright 2015 by Stephen W. Dunne

Smashwords Edition

For Carolyn. Without your help my books would not exist.

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Table of Contents

1: Floroen

2: The Commonwealth Flagship, CF Tharsis

3: The Sovereign Alliance of Twin

4: From Five Fountains

5: Marta Spell

6: About the Author and Brother & Twin

7: Sample Chapter from the Crystal & the Peak

1: Floroen

Floroen looked to the sky, Twin illuminating the night with its ominous blue and green reflections. The orbiting planet was restless, great explosions flashing silently across its surface through turmoil.

The trees above Floroen swayed gently in the breeze. The rustling leaves a peaceful contrast to his broiling emotions. He gazed helplessly at the orbiting world. His home being torn asunder. It had come to this. He had tried. Yet there he stood on Brother’s grassy earth, watching war cut through Twin like a knife, regardless of how hard he had tried to prevent it.

He hung his head, turning away from the destruction and walked down the hill to the Twin Consulate. He argued with himself about what to say or how to convince them that this wasn’t the answer but his anger won through and he found himself cursing them more often than not.

The smooth limestone streets of the Five Fountains were dusted lightly with a soft frost. He pulled the collar of his long black coat high to his chin and sunk his hands deep into its pockets. He tucked his chin and caught a shine from the pin in his lapel. The symbol of Twin, a spiral and knife. Few had ever received the pin and fewer still would ever wear it. Floroen found pride in it. It reminded him of things worth fighting for. As he walked, golden light poured from this window or that, music filtering through the night. It was too cold to be out and about in a clear night like this.

Floroen, they are waiting for you inside. A voice called as he approached the entrance to the Twin Consulate. What are you going to do?

Floroen stopped short of entering the building. What can be done? Brother attacks, their fleet turned against us and war begins on Twin. We hope, we stand against them peacefully. The Assembly will be seen as a failure and the Planetary Commonwealth must intervene. Twin cannot be forced into submission through warfare and murder. Too long have we been cornered and bled. He raised his arm, waving at the orbiting world above. Twin is dying. What can be done?

He stepped inside and made his way to the boardroom.

The corridors were long with white painted walls and fine blue carpets. Lit softly with spotlights, images of the landscapes of Brother adorned the walls. Brother really was a beautiful place full of life, rich with great forests, lakes, mountains, and plains. Floroen disliked it immensely for these images were not how Brother existed today. The industrious machine had built cities carved from the stone of those mountains. Those lakes cooled the reactors of massive power stations. The forests had been cleared long ago as a source of fuel and space made for the building of factories. The Five Fountains, as a city embassy of Twin, had resisted the industrialisation of Brother and it was here where Floroen felt it was most beautiful. However it was painful to see now that someday the Five Fountains may not be able to resist.

He arrived at the wooden doors