{"id":10537,"date":"2016-05-13T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-13T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/?p=10537"},"modified":"2016-05-03T13:48:05","modified_gmt":"2016-05-03T19:48:05","slug":"captives-in-obscurity-excerpt-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/captives-in-obscurity-excerpt-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Captives in Obscurity \u2014 excerpt 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gulchina\u2019s private quarters were unlike any other place on the ship. A stunningly ornate rug covered the floor, its intricate woven design mesmerizing the eye. The table that sat in the center was made from authentic wood and inlaid with mosaic patterns of burgundy, teal, and mother-of-pearl. The wallscreens were set to show planetscapes viewed from the surface, mostly of deserts with ancient ruins jutting out like the bones of long-dead civilizations. The only sign that they were still on a starship was the single porthole on the opposite wall.<\/p>\n

The door slid shut with a faint hiss, making Reva flinch.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are wondering why I called you here,\u201d Gulchina said, waiting for Reva to take the other chair before resuming her seat across the wooden table. \u201cI have many duties to attend to, so we will not waste time with small talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d said Reva.<\/p>\n

Gulchina tapped the keypad on the armrest of her chair, and a server bot emerged from an unseen receptacle with two glasses of hot tea. Reva accepted one of the porcelain cups and held it in her lap while Gulchina took a sip from hers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the next twenty-four hours, I will leave the Temujin to oversee an operation several parsecs from here. I am leaving Commander Wolf in command.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you telling me this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I believe you have something to tell me\u2014a secret you have been keeping from me for some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reva\u2019s heart skipped a beat, and her legs went suddenly numb. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have already agreed not to waste each other\u2019s time. I advise you not to test my patience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sweat began to pool on the back of Reva\u2019s neck as her mind raced for some excuse. She set her cup down carefully on the table, her hand trembling noticeably. Gulchina eyed her with all the studied patience of a cat waiting to pounce.<\/p>\n

\u201cI-I didn\u2019t think you knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI make it a point to know of everything that happens on my ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just an innocent fling, I swear. We had a history together, and after you took us captive, our feelings for each other\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not talking about your bi-weekly make-out sessions in the fourth deck maintenance closet,\u201d said Gulchina. \u201cThat was merely a cover for your true intent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reva\u2019s fear quickly turned to panic. Her clandestine meetings with Isaac, their secret plans to escape\u2014there was nothing Gulchina didn\u2019t know. Corporal Sarnai\u2019s execution and Ensign Matsuda\u2019s ritual suicide flashed across her mind, threatening to break her.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you going to kill me?\u201d she asked softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t confess, I will be forced to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reva hung her head. \u201cIsaac and I\u2014we were planning to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gulchina rose to her feet and began to pace. The wallscreens shifted to display a panoramic deep space starfield. The room dimmed noticeably, with the milky band of the galaxy stretching all around the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all my idea though,\u201d Reva said quickly, surprising herself. \u201cI was the one who initiated it. If anyone should be punished, it\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since I took you on board this ship, I have been testing you,\u201d Gulchina interrupted her. \u201cBy now, it must be obvious why.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you\u2019ve been grooming me as your successor?\u201d Though Reva had always suspected as much, neither of them had openly said it until now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed. And I must confess, you\u2019ve performed quite admirably. In only a matter of months, you\u2019ve learned our language and become quite fluent in it. Your insights into history have been incisive, and your observations of the crew have demonstrated a remarkable understanding of the principles of leadership. You have consistently shown yourself to be resourceful, independent, adept, and intelligent.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what? What are you trying to get at?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have great potential,\u201d Gulchina continued. \u201cIf only you had had the ambition to match it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think I ever wanted any of this?\u201d Reva cried, her heart pounding. \u201cThat I wanted to be your\u2014your prot\u00e9g\u00e9?\u201d Now that her plot with Isaac had been exposed, she had nothing left to lose. It terrified and invigorated her at the same time to speak so openly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you are alone in this universe, Reva. You are a stranger, a vagabond. Your people are extinct, their culture and language forgotten. Without me, you are lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how can you change any of that?”<\/p>\n

Gulchina smiled. \u201cBy making you the mother of a great nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Captives in Obscurity,<\/strong> book 5 in the\u00a0Sons of the Starfarers<\/strong> series,\u00a0will be available in ebook form on May 15th. Pre-order or find out more below:<\/p>\n

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<\/a>\r\n
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Captives in Obscurity<\/h1>\r\n\t\t
\"Captives<\/div>\t\t
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There is no escape beyond Star's End.<\/h2>\t\t\t
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Isaac and Reva are running out of time. Gulchina's cruelty knows no bounds, and on the edge of known space, no one can stop her. But an unexplored planet holds an ancient alien secret that may prove to be a game changer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/div>\r\nOrder Now!<\/a>\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t
<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/a>\r\n
\r\n\t
About the Book<\/div>\r\n\t
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There is no escape beyond Star’s End.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The deadliest pirates in the galaxy have stolen the technology that will transform it. Now, on the edge of known space, they are poised to start an empire of their own.<\/p>\n

Isaac and Reva are running out of time. Neither of them knows the extent of Gulchina’s plans, or whether the madwoman will keep them both alive after she achieves them.<\/p>\n

But an unexplored planet beyond the Far Outworlds holds an ancient alien secret that not even Gulchina has uncovered. That secret will tip the balance in<\/p>\n

SONS OF THE STARFARERS<\/strong>
\nBOOK V: CAPTIVES IN OBSCURITY<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/a>\r\n

\r\n\t
Details<\/div>\r\n\t
\r\n\t\t
\r\n\t\t\tAuthor:<\/span> Joe Vasicek<\/a><\/span>
\t\t\tSeries:<\/span> Sons of the Starfarers<\/a>, Book 5<\/span>
\t\t\tGenres:<\/span> Science Fiction<\/a>, Space Opera<\/a><\/span>
\t\t\tTag:<\/span> 2016 Release<\/a><\/span>
\t\t\t\t\t\tPublication Year:<\/span> May 2016<\/span>
\t\t\t\t\t\tLength:<\/span> short novel<\/span>
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tList Price:<\/span> $9.99<\/span>
\t\t\teBook Price:<\/span> $2.99<\/span>
\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/a>
Order Now<\/div>
$1 off the ebook with coupon code: BUY DIRECT<\/a><\/div>
FREE ebook when you buy the audiobook direct!<\/a><\/div>
\"Buy<\/a><\/div>
\"Buy<\/a><\/div>
\"Buy<\/a><\/div>
\"Buy<\/a><\/div>
\"Buy<\/a><\/div>
\"Buy<\/a><\/div>
\"Buy<\/a><\/div>
\"Buy<\/a><\/div>
\"Buy<\/a><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
\t
<\/div>\t
\t\t
Joe Vasicek<\/div>\t\t

Joe Vasicek fell in love with science fiction and fantasy when he read The Neverending Story as a child. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Genesis Earth, Gunslinger to the Stars, The Sword Keeper, and the Sons of the Starfarers series. As a young man, he studied Arabic at Brigham Young University and traveled across the Middle East and the Caucasus Mountains. He lives in Utah with his wife and two apple trees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\t<\/div>\t

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>
Other Books in the \"Sons of the Starfarers\"<\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
Brothers in Exile<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
Comrades in Hope<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
Strangers in Flight<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
Friends in Command<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
Patriots in Retreat<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
A Queen in Hiding<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
An Empire in Disarray<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
Victors in Liberty<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/div>
The Complete Sons of the Starfarers<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Some of the links in the page above are \"affiliate links.\" This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. You will not receive any additional charge.\r\n\r\nAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.<\/div><\/div> <\/div> \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gulchina\u2019s private quarters were unlike any other place on the ship. A stunningly ornate rug covered the floor, its intricate woven design mesmerizing the eye. The table that sat in the center was made from authentic wood and inlaid with mosaic patterns of burgundy, teal, and mother-of-pearl. The wallscreens were set to show planetscapes viewed… Continue reading Captives in Obscurity \u2014 excerpt 8<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[964,855],"tags":[474],"class_list":["post-10537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ssf-v","category-ssf","tag-excerpts","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iXK-2JX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10537"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10557,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10537\/revisions\/10557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}