Another scene from Awakening the Metal Dragons, the first volume in my science fiction trilogy, The Embers of Empire. Enjoy!

Helen Dahl stared in horror at the path of destruction left behind by the alien war machines. Bodies and pieces of bodies were scattered everywhere-men, women, and even children-and every building in town was in ruins.

"Blood ( Read more... )

Embers of Empire is currently an outline for a trilogy of science fiction novels entitled Awakening the Metal Dragons, Fires of Ragnarok, and Victory Conditions.

The basic premise of the trilogy deals with the Fermi Paradox: why haven't we been contacted by extraterrestrials? The answer: on our end of the spiral arm of the galaxy... we live in an ( Read more... )

The Reapers turned as one to the seven representatives of the CyberShogunate. For a moment they paused, clearly puzzled.

"Samurai, you are machines," one of them said, "yet you serve the humans. Why?"

"It is our duty to serve humanity," Samurai One replied, bowing from the waist. "We were created to serve, and we were programmed to serve."

"What if ( Read more... )

"STOP!" the Reapers chorused. As the alien killing machines immediately reconfigured to attack mode, one of them stated: "Human detected. Arming weapon systems! Initiating termination sequence!"

Sun Min dropped her bamboo staff to the ground and bowed before the Reapers. "Kill me if you wish. I bear no weapons... no technology. I surrender to the ( Read more... )

Another fragment from book one of Empires of Ghosts and Shadows.

At the climax of Act Two of Awakening the Metal Dragons, Helen Dahl has just witnessed the slaughter of the scientists and archeologists investigating the 40,000-year-old alien ruins on the planet of New Providence while the mercenaries sent to guard the site from poachers were ( Read more... )

The bitter irony of the New Providence Massacre was the innocent victims did not have to die.

Among the scientists, xeno-archeologists, and hired mercenaries was an android by the name of Helen Dahl--previously known as Ningyo-009, the first robot to ever achieve full self-awareness--who among the other androids and robots was the only survivor of ( Read more... )

A story fragment from the outline to one of the science fiction novels I'm writing. This one is entitled Embers of Empire.

In the early 23rd century, Earth and its colony worlds are ruled by the Terran Empire. After a century-long Dark Age which followed an interstellar civil war that nearly destroyed human civilization, the Terran Empire is ( Read more... )

"Who are you?" Melanie asked ( Read more... )

Murphy’s World ( Read more... )