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Project Xerxes
Emra had always believed that the Galileo Space Force and the Marines didn’t mix. That was until Nizsm body flipped someone onto her tea.
Emra Telawani has worked her entire military career toward a single commanding her own starship. Everything appears on track until a miscreant Marine punches her commanding officer in the gut, sending her on a mad chase across the city of Nova Veritas to avenge a man she doesn’t really like.
The Marine proves elusive, however, forcing her to break a few rules that land her in trouble with the very person she broke them for. Emra soon finds herself facing a Court Martial that could destroy her hard-earned career. In a cruel twist of fate, her best hope of redemption may lie with Nizsm, the miscreant Marine with ambitions of his own, who may be far too charming for her own good.
Project Xerxes is an optional prequel to the Lost Colonies science fantasy series that explores the rich culture of Britta’s homeworld, and the birthplace of the Lost Colonies Alliance.
Emra Telawani has worked her entire military career toward a single commanding her own starship. Everything appears on track until a miscreant Marine punches her commanding officer in the gut, sending her on a mad chase across the city of Nova Veritas to avenge a man she doesn’t really like.
The Marine proves elusive, however, forcing her to break a few rules that land her in trouble with the very person she broke them for. Emra soon finds herself facing a Court Martial that could destroy her hard-earned career. In a cruel twist of fate, her best hope of redemption may lie with Nizsm, the miscreant Marine with ambitions of his own, who may be far too charming for her own good.
Project Xerxes is an optional prequel to the Lost Colonies science fantasy series that explores the rich culture of Britta’s homeworld, and the birthplace of the Lost Colonies Alliance.
142 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 12, 2024
About the author
Ryan Southwick
14 books48 followersRyan Southwick decided to dabble at writing later in life, and quickly became obsessed with the craft. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.
His technical skills as a software developer, healthcare experience, and lifelong fascination for science fiction became the ingredients for his first series, The Z‑Tech Chronicles, which combines these elements into a fantastic contemporary tale of super-science, fantasy, and adventure, based in his Bay Area stomping grounds. He has since published other science fiction works, including the Timeless Keeper Saga, Lost Colonies, and One Man's Trash.
Ryan’s skills as a Writing Coach have earned him a spot on the Coach Foundation, one of the biggest names in the coaching industry.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 12, 2024
I loved this romantic romp of a story. It’s a pleasure reading a bit of SF rivals-to-flirtation featuring characters with such strong, individual personalities. Both focal characters are people of burning ambition, tireless energy, and strong principles. Their attraction to one another is complicated not only by their circumstances but by their lofty goals, which lie in different directions. The story is about their goals: Niz’ drive to belong to the first mission to greet a newly found colony, and Emra’s goals as a legacy naval officer.
For one to succeed, the other may have to sacrifice – but it’s a gamble, and their willingness to do so depends on their feelings about the other person. While it’s rompy, passionate, and proceeds at an exciting pace, I think that this story is ultimately a book that will speak to people who understand what it is to have careers and goals of their own. Every attempt to secure sponsorship is a nail-biter, and our heroes’ futures hang in the balance.
This toothsome story is set against the gorgeous background of Southwick’s The Lost Colonies, in which the far-flung and scattered remnants of Earth’s peoples are just beginning to find one another. Excitingly different cultures flower in each of the worlds that have recently been found, and the promise of finding others – before the dastardly Uu’nok find them and eradicate them – is tantalizing. Niz’s wanderlust is as relatable as Emra’s dedication to Galileo’s colonial stability. I’ve read both titles in the series so far, Project Xerxes and Enigma, and I cannot wait for more stories from this wonderful universe.
For one to succeed, the other may have to sacrifice – but it’s a gamble, and their willingness to do so depends on their feelings about the other person. While it’s rompy, passionate, and proceeds at an exciting pace, I think that this story is ultimately a book that will speak to people who understand what it is to have careers and goals of their own. Every attempt to secure sponsorship is a nail-biter, and our heroes’ futures hang in the balance.
This toothsome story is set against the gorgeous background of Southwick’s The Lost Colonies, in which the far-flung and scattered remnants of Earth’s peoples are just beginning to find one another. Excitingly different cultures flower in each of the worlds that have recently been found, and the promise of finding others – before the dastardly Uu’nok find them and eradicate them – is tantalizing. Niz’s wanderlust is as relatable as Emra’s dedication to Galileo’s colonial stability. I’ve read both titles in the series so far, Project Xerxes and Enigma, and I cannot wait for more stories from this wonderful universe.
Displaying 1 of 1 review