Proteus - Of Darkness and Light (Book Six)

By Alexander Nassau

"The Apeyron have returned to our galaxy with the threat of wiping out all intelligent life on Earth and the Demon home world of Aemus to reclaim what they see as their Empire however thing have taken a surprising turn with the defection of the young Apeyron warrior Tath now providing his insights and assistance to stop this madness before it begins.
With the creation of new defensive and offensive capabilities for the Proteus ships and the arrival of the Aemon's and human forces on Beletrix, the stage is set as three worlds are ready to fight for their own survival against overwhelming odds.
However the story is not complete as the hidden history of the Apeyrons is decoded with surprising revelations and twists buried deep in their past as the truth about the their history is revealed. Their plan is simple. Stop General Razon's insanity by invading Apeyra itself to revive the Emperor of the Apeyrons in the hope of restoring order.
With only four Proteus ships at their disposal facing a fleet of hundreds of Apeyron warships, will Zenni and Saya be able to put a stop to General Razon's threat of genocide and end this war before it begins?"

Of Darkness and Light is the epic conclusion to the Endless saga as the fate of three worlds hang in the balance. With the unexpected generosity of allies and surprise revelations from people they thought were their friends this is full on action adventure and the Alphians are playing by their own rules of war in an effort to bring peace.
Of Darkness and Light is now in its Second Extended Edition with over 30,000 words of new content, heavily reworked and revised. Taking the original story this reworked edition paints a far more vivid picture as you follow the cast of Proteus as they fight for the worlds of the Empire while also facing their own inner demons as they try to come to terms with the fallout of events.
The book also features a Proteus Unhinged mini story "Paved with Good Intentions" featuring Koli and Flip as they face a shocking revelation and meet someone they never expected.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alexander Nassau
• Release date: Aug 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370429523

Alexander Nassau

November News: I know it has been a while and this is probably a surprise, but I have finally released a new book. Alphius Prime - Of Beasts and Monsters is an epic fantasy style book set on the world of Alphius Prime more familiar with my fans for being in Symbiotica and Proteus. Set in a medieval world you follow the epic journey of Echo Sana and her rather unusual family she was adopted by... unusual in that they are Kinar Beasts. There is a free preview to be had, so take a look and I hope you enjoy! I am pleased to see that I am currently rated as a 4.5 out of 5.0 Author on Good Reads. Thank you to those who took the time! It is really good to see the appreciation my fans have and that does spur me on to do even better for you! If you have any questions I am on Good Reads so throw me your thoughts and I will be happy to answer! Thanks for reading! _________________________ Finally, I am very pleased to say I actually produced a proper website and blog. Covering all my titles, with artwork, sneak peaks and so much more, it is the best place to find out exactly what I am up to and what books are coming soon. Like me on facebook now too! The link is easy enough to find on the page. Enjoy your reads! Alexander Nassau is an established science fiction author and artist with many well known mainstream works to his name, best known for his detailed and strong character driven stories. With a keen scientific mind and a strong attention to detail, he also is a commercial artist with a strong creative drive. Living in the UK, he spends his down time with his family and has something of a passion for classic Volkswagens.

Book preview

Proteus: Of Darkness and Light

The Sixth book in the Proteus Series

and the final part of the Endless Saga

Second Extended Edition

Copyright © 2017 / 2018 Alexander Nassau

Published by Alexander Nassau at Smashwords

ISBN: 9781370429523

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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.

"For my Father.

We may not have gotten on when I was younger, but as I have grown I have seen you only wanted to teach me and being a parent myself I now see that a person is not given the tools they need to take that responsibility, there is no instruction manual and nobody is perfect. In fact the world would be a very boring place if we were. We all learn from our mistakes, and the mistakes of our parents and perhaps that is what is important. Not how a person sees their parents, but the lessons they teach and how they are remembered."

See More from the Author on my Blog

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Previously

Prologue

Chapter One - Endless Empire

Chapter Two - The Defector

Chapter Three - Grave Choices

Chapter Four - Know you Enemy

Chapter Five - The Die is Cast

Chapter Six - Order and Chaos

Chapter Seven - Power Play

Chapter Eight - Fall Out

Chapter Nine - Silence

Chapter Ten - A Strange Afternoon

Chapter Eleven - Peace and Disquiet

Epilogue

Preview of Proteus Ghosts

More books from the Author

Proteus Unhinged - Paved with Good Intentions (a Proteus Short Story)

Authors Retrospective - A Story of Empires

About the Author

PREVIOUSLY

It should have been a day to celebrate for Zenni and her team as both Saya and Miras were destined to return to their mission of exploring the galaxy, but when Lunar, the youngest of the fleet, suffers what seems to be a horrific accident, mother and daughter are rushed in to service to rescue Miras's little sister and her crew. There are however problems in that Lunar is stranded in the dark and unforgiving Universe known as subspace, a strange realm where the laws of physics do not apply.

A plan is formulated and things appear to be going as well as could be expected as Saya reaches Lunar to find her in a terrible condition, both Lunar and Loren comatose suffering from the effects of a bizarre energy discharge that is threatening their lives. When a powerful warship approaches them with the offer of help, Zenni is forced for Lunar's safety to take their offer of assistance while not in the slightest trusting this dark and menacing alien race.

Arriving at the Apeyron's home world they find almost all the planet to be a giant and astonishing city stretching across the surface of the world, hundreds of war ships in orbit guarding this dark planet. However Saya and Talishia have analysed their new friend's ships and have learnt something disturbing. Lunar's critical injuries were not an accident, but the result of being fire on by these Apeyrons.

Forced to landing on Apeyra, Zenni and Talishia are abducted and come face to face with the General Razon, a dark and sadistic warrior however Talishia is in awe of the facility they are in, as she realises the Apeyrons did not originate in this dark universe. They learn that the Apeyrons in an effort to save their people from a passing black hole jumped their entire planet in to subspace, finding a safe port, but in the process the staff manning their Great Machine were killed by the exotic particles the machine generated during the jump, leaving only the Guardians of Apeyra, their warrior cast as caretakers of their people. They do not know how to operate the Great Machine to return them back to their place in our Galaxy and reclaim their great empire.

Razon threatens to destroy Saya and her friends so Zenni must work with Talishia to comply with the General's orders however it is also giving Saya and Nessa enough time to analyse the limited sensor readings and create countermeasures against the Apeyrons devastating weapons systems. Zenni knows considering the violent and elitist views of these Apeyrons they cannot be allowed to return as they will threaten all life they encounter so with Talishia they formulate a plan.

Talishia tricks them in to believing she is returning them, activating the Great Machine however it is a ruse designed to give them enough time to escape their captors. With Saya having already worked out how to protect herself from the Apeyrons weapons they put the plan in to action, the Apeyrons attempting to stop Saya, however with her antimatter fuelled Null Core reactor and her new ability to protect herself from their weaponry they are safe from the Apeyron as they race to rescue Zenni and Talishia.

Everything seems to be going as expected until at the last moment as they scramble in to Saya, Talisha is shot in the back, falling to the ground leaving Zenni with a terrible decision. To escape or to return for her, however considering the superior forces they are facing she has no choice but to leave her behind and protect Saya and her crew.

In a daring escape from the Apeyron's home world, Zenni and Saya race back through this unforgiving space hoping that Lunar has managed to make it back, however with Lunar still attempting to traverse the nightmarish space and with the General flagship and another warship in pursuit, their prospects are getting bleaker by the moment.

Reaching Lunar, Saya has no choice but to draw the Apeyron's fire, taking a beating. Just when things are at their darkest with all hope exhausted, Saya's reactor core overheating and on the verge of failure, Lunar's twin sister Terrik jumps in to subspace and saves the day in the most terrible way.

They escape but at a cost to them all. Saya is seriously injured, Lunar and Loren are in critical condition and Terrik under reprimand for her unexpected and violent behaviour having destroyed one of the Apeyron warships and crippled the Generals flagship to the point it is beyond repair.

Zenni and her team are faced with the impossible. They have made a dark new enemy who have captured Talishia Betar, one of their leading scientists and it will only be a matter of time before the Apeyrons return to our Universe and reclaim their dark empire and take their revenge.

Meanwhile back on Earth at the Dystopian Detective Agency, Ella seems to have made some new and unexpected friends with an ancient race that seems to have been living on Earth for thousands of years. After their first real case they return back to the Forge in Manchester with their new demonic allies, Ella is shocked to find Sabine and Aeon, learning of Sabine's experiences and serious injuries at the hands of the Apeyron and the threat to her people. However perhaps more of a surprise is the Aemon know of the Apeyrons from their own worlds past and with this shocking revelation may be the first real lead as they realise that both Earth and Aemus may well be part of the Apeyron's Empire.

Pulling together, Regent Namah of the Aemons on Earth and Ella travel to Beletrix with a mission to locate the world of Aemus where they will hopefully be able to analyse the Temple of Apeyra, a religious site on the Aemon home world with the realisation this dark place may well be the remains of an Apeyron Warship buried in the sands of the Fire Deserts.

Dealing with the Dark Assembly, Zenni negotiates with Great Lord Asmodeus and beyond all expectations they manage to recover a complete database from the ships with details of the Apeyrons shield and weapons systems as well as their history however with sections of the database missing or damaged it is not everything they had hoped for. Their efforts come at a cost as this dark religious site collapses and is destroyed, infuriating the Dark Assembly. Regardless of the deteriorating state of relations, they do reconnect Aemus to Earth once more offering a binary matrix to the Dark Assembly, as well as a way to get to Beletrix before leaving to return home.

Back on Beletrix things are not much better as everyone fights to save Lunar and Loren lives without success. However when Koli returns to Beletrix with one of her hastily assembled contraptions Tie and her team realise the eldest of the Proteus ships may well have created a game changer, a way to transfer Lunar's conscious mind from her body in to the main Beletrix network while they purge the destructive energy in her nervous system.

The plan takes shape and in a last ditched effort they try. They fail, Lunar with her last breath releasing Loren from their shared fate.

Everyone is broken and distraught as Zenni and Saya arrive back from Aemus however there is no time to grieve as they break down the database and create countermeasure against the Apeyrons technology in the shape of none destructive mines to nullify their engine cores.

The news only gets worse as Earth is struck with violent volcanic activity. The Apeyron's network has reactivated although malfunctioning only meaning one thing. The Apeyron have returned to our galaxy and the final game would be played out as General Razon enacted his plan to wipe all the sentient life out on all the worlds of their Empire including Earth and Aemus, from there restoring their farming worlds to support the Apeyron population.

The team are surprised when Great Lord Asmodeus arrives on Beletrix offering the Aemon's support as his people have finally accepted the fact the Apeyron have returned, their world ravaged by volcanic activity and their scientists realising it is the Apeyron Rift that are causing the geological instability.

With new allies at their side, Grand Council Solais decides she must warn the people of Earth about the threat the Apeyron pose, Asmodeus sending his daughter Namah with her to press the human governments on the matter and try to prepare them for what is to come and to put a mine field in orbit of Earth for their protection.

Just when things are at their darkest though, the team get a shock as a badly damaged Apeyron ship appears above their world carrying the young officer Tath and Talishia Betar. Tath cannot allow Razon's madness to continue, defecting to their cause and offering a current and complete database.

Armed with this new data, they now know the communications channels, fleet design and deployment and the location of Apeyra itself. More over they now have an Apeyron at their disposal, giving them an insight in to the way they think.

Their time is up though with the Apeyrons moving to destroy the life on both Earth and Aemus.

The future is of so many worlds now lies with our friends.

Follow the story from the beginning in:

Proteus Book 4 - Dark Universe

Dystopian Detective Book 1 - The Ancient Girl

Proteus Book 5 - Dark Empire

Pentalore Book 2 - Awakening

Symbiotica Book 6 - Monsters of Tokyo

PROLOGUE

Threaska Island, somewhere in the Mediterranean

He was tired, hungry and covered in some secretions he really wanted to get off him as he walked through the corridors, their strangeness still somehow managing to rattle him.

Really, why did they need floor plating on the wall and the ceiling? It just didn't make any sense!

Still, they had made more progress in the last four months than they had in the last seventy five years when it came to Aurora. She was finally starting to come together and showing signs of life. The full power tests were going well, the reactor core was stable and while this was being left out of the official reports for the time being, they had even managed to get her anti gravity systems up and running. She was able to alter her mass and even invert it to create lift!

He was tired and hungry and really need a shower, but he was happy for a change although he had to question how much longer that was going to last as he reached the conference room, the monitor sitting on the table expectantly. Smith had come down from the bridge to tell him there was an urgent call coming in from Sanchez and usually that meant something had changed and more often than not, that involved him losing a little more of his hair.

He didn't have that much left to spare and he couldn't help but feel she was about to ruin his day. Sitting down in the chair he took a moment to compose himself before pressing the keyboard, the screen springing to life as he was met by Sanchez frowning at him.

I need an update on Aurora, she barked in her usual disrespectful tone.

Things are progressing exactly the same as when you spoke to me two days ago Secretary, he sniped back frowning at her, The reactors that our Alphian friends gave us are still going through their testing phases. Results are promising and now with everything fully powered, we are getting the other systems back up.

You have four day to deliver Aurora to the Island Bailey, she said to his utter horror and disbelief, That order has come directly from the Secretary General.

Oh, do not do this to me Vanessa, he stammered shaking his head, This technology has not been used for over seventy five years. I said things were promising but we are a long way off getting Aurora functional. Hokido is still training her team on its operations. I can't magic this out of my backside you know.

I have just spoken with Hokido about this and impressed on her how urgently we need this to happen, she replied as he noted the troubled wrinkles in her forehead. Our Alphian allies have been trying to persuade me that a hostile and technologically advanced alien race will possibly be arriving in orbit of our world with a single goal. Our world was apparently once part of their Empire and when they find us here, they may well attempt to wipe us out.

That's a hell of a stretch even for them, he sighed frowning at her dismissively.

I would agree with you but it leaves me with only two conclusions. Either they are planning something, a possible invasion of our world in some way or they are telling the truth and our world faces a grave danger, Sanchez replied dropping her adversarial tone. I think you see why this request I am making is urgent and dire. We need the power of Aurora no matter which way you look at it. Regardless I am leaving to discuss this matter with their Grand Council and to impress on you how serious this is, she will be arriving aboard one of their Titan class ships. We had reservations when it came to Koli and Terrik. This ship dwarfs them and could well be capable of unfathomable acts of destruction.

He sighed seeing the logic of her words. Either way, they were in trouble.

I can't make any promises, but I will have every single member of the team working round the clock on this, he said trying not to sound annoyed, I really must caution you though. This technology is light years ahead of anything terrestrial and we only have the most rudimentary of understandings. This may work, but it could just as easily blow up in our faces.

I have faith in you and your team Chief, she replied nodding to him This has to work otherwise our world may well face a disaster even greater than what we face now.

As the screen shut down he let out a long protracted sigh.

She has faith in me... he muttered rubbing his temples, Hells bells...

She has read you the riot act as well I see, Hokido's voice came from the door as he looked up to see the young Japanese officer standing in the door frame.

Oh she is out of her mind, he sighed trying to keep a level head, A year's worth of work to do in four days? We still haven't thoroughly tested the power transfer conduits to the ion drives yet. Aurora didn't come with a manual... well, if she did we haven't found yet. Every time we fix something aboard her I'm having to write my own Aurora for Dummies manual. Worst thing is most of it is theory and guess work. There are still elements of her systems I have zero clue on. I feel like a caveman trying to fix a laptop.

Well, for a caveman you have been impressing me chief, Hokido replied laughing a little, We have made so much progress I'm almost starting to believe she will fly.

Keep the faith because in four days we are going to be putting that theory to the test and I just hope we have got luck on our side as we are going to need it. If this goes up, the world will think we were a rogue nuclear bomb going off, he replied standing up.

Ever the optimist I see.

I am not an optimist or a pessimist. I am a realist, he replied rolling his eyes, How's your bridge team getting on with deciphering the weapons systems?

Slowly. The phased particle weapons are fairly intuitive, although the torpedo control systems are going to need a great deal more work. I did find something odd I wanted you to look at. The rough translation is starburst, but the system is disabled. I was not sure it was something that had been shut down deliberately or if it simply wasn't installed, she replied.

Item nine hundred and eighty seven on the to do list, he replied, All a matter of priorities right now. Four days and we will be taking her out for a spin. See what you can find out on the torpedo system. We are probably going to need it if Sanchez is right. I have to tell my engineering teams that they are going to be getting two hours sleep a day until we can get her up in the air.

I will have my team go through the operational systems and get everything ready, Hokido replied shaking her head as she looked to him. Do you think there is an alien fleet coming to Earth?

When it comes to matters beyond these walls, I try not to think Hokido, he replied pausing at the door, The second I think about what's going on out there is the second I need a new pair of shorts.

Heading out back in to the disorientating halls, he was tired, hungry and still needed a shower, but that was all going to have wait. In four days, he had to have Aurora ready to fly and he had no clue even if it was possible, but somehow he had to make it work.

The future of Earth was now resting on his shoulders and considering that, perhaps it was time for a change of shorts....

CHAPTER ONE

Endless Empire

She looked out of the window for a moment as the Lyrr Institutes positronic matrix processed the Apeyron database, translating the information in to readable formats. Brie had gone to get them a coffee and looking down over Verlon city from this lofty position in the Lyrr Institute it seemed far too peaceful.

The Apeyron warrior that had arrived had really upset things and while she was trying to keep her mind off what happened to Lunar, she could not help but want to take a pound of flesh from him, something that seemed to upset Coras greatly, but hell, she was only human.

This whole situation was a disaster but the key to the solution was held somewhere within the database Saya had recovered from Aemus, the secrets of the Apeyron. They had already pilfered what they needed from the technical archives, but as the human saying goes, know your enemy. There was so much they did not know about the Apeyron, about their society, culture and history. What was the truth of their Empire, what was the cause of this disaster they spoke of and what was the truth over why had they fled, taking their entire world in to subspace?

The computer chirped at her as she broke her gaze, the screen filling with enormous amounts of data and records spanning millions of years.

Computer, she announced with a sigh, search the database for references to the quantum singularity that was affecting the Apeyron system and the events that led up to its discovery and formation.

The computer burbled back at her as Brie came back in with two cups of coffee giving her an affectionate if sad smile.

This is one gonzo big database, she commented as Brie laughed at her, It covers millions of years of records. Their data compression algorithms are quite spectacular.

Any luck? she commented in that posh English accent of hers.

It's scanning the database now, she replied as the computer burbled at her again, the screen filling with a series of records, and... maybe it has found what we were looking for.

She sat down, rolling her eyes as Brie sat on her lap snuggling in to her as they looked, the personal data entries of the Emperor of the Apeyron displayed on the screen.

Come on then, get it open, Brie said as she pouted up to her, fingers working on the keyboard.

Let's see what really happened, she said as the screen change, records appearing being translated in to English for them, the notes of the Emperor himself appearing on the side of the screen.

* * *

Approximately one million years ago - The end of the Age of Light

Finally, a satisfying end to that dark chapter, Nai commented as they walked through in to the science station, Perhaps now we can focus our efforts on quelling the public unrest on Apeyra and restoring the balance within the Senate.

I believe that a long road is before us. To undo the unrest and mistrust she has caused will take centuries, however at least now with her imprisonment we can turn the page and move forward, he replied looking to the Prime Minister. I must say I find myself perplexed as to why Science Minister Qrel has asked us here. Although Sola is an important world within the Empire, my natural environment is serving the people of Apeyra.

All I understand is that a sensitive matter of importance to the Intellecterum which has arisen and they seek your wisdom and guidance, he replied as they walked past the windows overlooking this rich forest brimming with life.

He paused, something deep within him considering this forest of green, so different from his home where the forests were of metal towering in to the sky. There was something about this place that made him yearn for simpler times.

"I wonder sometimes if our ancestors realised