Prime: A Novella: Ziva Payvan, #0

By EJ Fisch

Twenty-two years before the fall of Dakiti, a great conflict rages on the edge of populated space. Known throughout local systems as the Fringe War, the fight pits the superhuman natives of Haphez against the sly, semi-amphibious Sardons and their allies. The Sardons' goal? Gain control of a powerful Haphezian healing agent called caura…by force, if necessary.

 

As Sardon tactics grow bolder and more desperate, cooperation between Haphezian military forces and domestic law enforcement becomes crucial. When two scientists affiliated with the Haphezian Special Police are captured by enemy forces, the agency knows it must take initiative. The scientists are heavily involved in the development of caura treatment, and the knowledge they possess must not be allowed to fall into Sardon hands.

 

Determined to get its people back safely, HSP sends a lone agent to join a special marine task force on a harrowing mission to retrieve the scientists and neutralize the Sardon threat.

 

That agent's name is Emeri Arion.

 

Prime is a prequel to Dakiti: Ziva Payvan Book 1 and can be enjoyed independently.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Transcendence Publishing
• Release date: May 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224680290

Book preview

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A full dramatis personae and glossary of series terms and locations can be found at

www.ejfisch.com/glossary

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View a full-size galaxy map at ejfisch.com

Part One:

THE BRIEFING

The massive, translucent hologram of a planet dominated the front of the small briefing room, casting its blue-green light on the walls and the faces of those present. A red beacon pulsed on the outer edge of the projection, marking the location of a bunker on the planet’s surface that had been unknown until the previous day. Not even the previous day, really—a mere ten hours had elapsed since recon specialists from the Grand Army of Haphez had confirmed the coordinates and finalized the intel package. No one could ever fairly accuse the GA of being slow to react.

That red beacon burned into Emeri Arion’s vision, reflecting in eyes roughly the same shade of turquoise as the hologram itself. He kept his gaze fixed on the steady blinking as the planet rotated slowly, paying little mind to the man in black fatigues who paced back and forth through the projection. The man’s commanding voice filled the room, but at this point it was little more than muffled noise in Emeri’s head. It wasn’t that what the man was saying didn’t matter; it was merely that it wasn’t new information. Much of the material being presented in this briefing had originated from Emeri himself. It was the reason he was here aboard a military ship and not working the problem from back home on Haphez.

The planet depicted in the hologram was Sardonis, a wet, swampy world with a handful of dense cities and even denser jungles that made aerial recon anything but simple. The ship aboard which Emeri sat was on course for Sardonis now, its FTL drive burning hard in order to deliver the company of GA marines in this room to the location marked by the beacon as soon as possible.

Wild to think this conflict between Haphez and the Sardons had persisted for six months already; the only reason it hadn’t ended long ago was because the Sardons had enlisted the help of the Biasi, a neighboring race that had managed to test the Haphezian forces with sheer numbers. Emeri wasn’t a true soldier, but even he could recognize how the enemy was like a swarm of insects—pesky and overwhelming at first glance, but ultimately easy to kill. There were just a lot of them, resulting in the occasional hole in Haphezian ranks the crafty Sardons hadn’t hesitated to exploit. Which brought Emeri to where he was now.

"Now you’ve heard the what, said the man in the fatigues. A couple of the marines had referred to him simply as ‘Command.’ Let’s review the why. Captain?"

Hearing the title was enough to pull Emeri from his thoughts. He stood, straightened his uniform jacket, gathered up the data pad from the seat beside him, and strode to the front of the room. The gazes of all the soldiers present shifted to him, but the wary glances they’d been throwing him since his arrival had already conditioned him for this moment. He took his position beside the hologram, unfazed by the renewed stares.

Presenting Captain Emeri Arion, Command said, Haphezian Special Police field operations. He will be joining us for this mission.

Emeri took one last glance at the data pad before placing it on the podium and adopting an at-rest stance. Thank you, he said, clearing his throat. I realize it’s not exactly orthodox for HSP personnel to be involved with a military operation—

A couple of the marines exchanged a glance, and one even nodded outright.

—but I can assume most of us are intimately familiar with the concept of desperate times calling for desperate measures. He turned and indicated the red beacon still blinking upon Sardonis’s holographic surface. Somewhere inside this bunker, there are two Haphezian citizens, which should be reason enough for each of us to go through with this mission. But these citizens happen to be two of the top minds associated with caura treatment development, and they are stationed primarily at HSP’s medical center. Which is why I’m here.

Emeri waved a hand over the data pad on the podium; the hologram of the planet shrank to the size of his fist, hovering off to the side as it was replaced by new projections of the two scientists—a man and a woman. Their dossiers were displayed beside their agency ID images, but the raw data was moot at this point. He wanted the marines to see their faces.

These people have plenty of experience handling highly classified information, but they are not like you or I. They are not soldiers. We have to assume they will not be able to withstand the Sardons’ interrogation techniques for long, and they will break. HSP considers them valuable assets, and we have been tasked with retrieving them with all due haste. In the worst-case scenario, we are to…ensure the knowledge they possess does not fall into enemy hands. At any cost.

Even speaking the words filled Emeri with righteous anger, and he was pleased by the looks of grim determination on all the