An eons-long galactic war pitting man against machine. A federation of worlds that upends every notion of the novelty of humanity. A military institution struggling to hold it all together. And a mental ability that might save life itself.
Roberto Reed's childhood was marred by tragedy, yet he overcame his past only to become sick of the corporate life and hungry for adventure. When another tragedy forces Berto to leave Earth on a path of revenge in a war and life he doesn't understand, he receives more than he bargained for. He might be the key to winning the war, but can he trust the two women who've recruited him?
Can he trust himself?
An eons-long galactic war pitting man against machine. A federation of worlds that upends every notion of the novelty of humanity. A military institution struggling to hold it all together. And a mental ability that might save life itself.
Roberto Reed's childhood was marred by tragedy, yet he overcame his past only to become sick of the corporate life and hungry for adventure. When another tragedy forces Berto to leave Earth on a path of revenge in a war and life he doesn't understand, he receives more than he bargained for. He might be the key to winning the war, but can he trust the two women who've recruited him?
Can he trust himself?
With a gasp, Rasso came back to his body. The implant at the back of his neck felt white-hot from exertion, and it took him a second to understand he was back in his flesh.
A moment before, heâd been flying through space at speeds faster than the human mind could track. At least, one not augmented as his had beenâmentally interfaced with a Seraphim drone. Heâd been working with a squadron of six Sanctorum knights, Chevaliers, piloting Seraphim and the larger Mikkel drones to bring down a group of Syndroid Harpies. When the warning sirens blared, he hadnât even noticed them. His mind was elsewhere, picturing his wife and young sonâlong lost to the Syndroids.
On the bridge of the Kavach, Shepherd-class battleship, smoke poisoned the air and made Rasso cough. Sweat ran from the tight curls of his pigmentless hair to his pale eyes, reddened by strain. Alarms rang out unceasingly. Blaring alerted the crew to hull breaches in multiple locations. Chirping warnings of the decks where Syndroids had boarded the Kavach. Buzzing for the numerous enemy weapons locked on parts of the ship, ready to tear chunks out. But Rassoâs trained ears had no trouble discerning the cacophony.
The massive domed ceiling displayed the ongoing battle around them. Small explosions in the deep dark of space occasionally blinked into existenceâsmall and weak like a glow worm across a vast cavern.
But Rasso didnât let himself be fooled. There was nothing small or weak about those explosions. Most were fusion cores going supernova from well-placed magneto-beam shots. The actual blast zones would be larger than the Shepherd battleship he was on. The detonations were so energized they completely vaporized the drone they were attached to and created their own atmosphere as a medium for destruction.
Something must have taken out some of the shipâs sensors. Usually, the prime targets and mission objectives would flash onto his retinas as he stared into the dome. But there was only basic camera footage.
Whereâs the Ravager? Rasso wondered.
One explosion was surprisingly close to the ship. Close enough for bluish-green light to paint his nearly-translucent, white face. Similarly, the Vessel theyâd been charged with protecting shifted hues. Its sleek metal shell glowed like gold for a brief second, looking more like a sculpted piece of art than an ancient starship carrying the fate of billions. Minds for reincarnation, souls for the afterlife, simple planetary dataâwhichever of a million belief systems was correct, the future of a Federation planet depended on the Vesselâs continued existence.
Then the Ravager appeared, slowly edging in from the bottom of the domed ceiling to fill the screen like a sump monster rising from the cavernous lakes of Rassoâs home world. Contrasting with the Vessel, the Ravager was boxy and utilitarian. But the hull shifted and flowed angrily except where chunks of the ship had been ripped out by the Kavachâs weaponry. And magneto-cannons like pincers sprouted from the surfaces that remained undamaged.
Apparently, the grav-mine blockade had finally failed.
Rasso would have taken satisfaction at the sight of the damaged Ravager a few months ago. And maybe he still did just a bit. But times had changed. And the understaffed Kavach had taken far more damage than the enemy Syndroid ship.
It wouldnât be long now.
Iâm coming, my love.
Rasso extended his mindâseeking out one of the few remaining Seraphim Drones to continue the battle when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
Looking up, he met the kind old eyes of Captain Maharaj. His dark skin was crinkled at the edges of his eyesâscars of many lifetimes of love and happiness. His mouth set in a straight line, moated by a trim black beard. Somehow, he was still calm in the face of utter chaos.
Those around Rasso seemed to relax a degree in the Captainâs presence. Heâd been the rock of the Kavach longer than Rasso had been assigned to the ship. Through countless battles, Maharaj had been the one constant for the crewâthe fearless and just leader who ensured they would always return to their families.
But Rassoâs family was gone. And this battle was hopeless.
Captain Maharajâs fist, armored in the pinks and turquoise of his homeworld, squeezed Rassoâs shoulder. âI need you to get to a lifeboat. The Council and the Federation must know we failed our mission. This Vessel is lost.â
âIââ Rasso started but stopped when he saw Maharajâs expression. Heâd never seen the man display anything other than confidence and cheer.
Now, the Captainâs calmness showed cracks as he wiped a tear from his eye and stifled a neck tremor. âIâve never lost a Vessel before,â Maharaj confessed. âI was cocky. Told the Council we could spare some of the crew for other ships. This is my doing... All those souls⌠my responsibility.â
Rasso wanted to comfort the man but knew Maharaj wasnât the type that would find relief in words. âI want to stay and fight. You should send someone else.â
The Chevaliers around Rasso had connected to new drones and their attention was elsewhere; otherwise, he was sure half a dozen would have jumped at the opportunity.
âI have a feeling about you,â Maharaj said. âYou must evacuate. Tell the Council of our defeat. They must be ready for the enemyâs strength to grow. And thereâs something elseâitâs probably just the fog of battle.â
âWhat?â Rasso asked.
âIâve received a couple of reports of Chevaliers facing Syndroid Harpies that arenât affected by the magneto-cannons.â
âHow is that possible?â
âIt shouldnât be, and with the ship sensors down, I canât confirm the reports. But the Council must be ready to make preparations.â
More sump monsters, Rasso thought. Stories told at night on his planet to keep children in bed. Heâd even occasionally used them to frighten his son into not exploring the deeper, unmapped caverns near their home. But enemy Harpies were made from the same nanite technology prominent throughout the Federation. There was no inoculation against magnetic weaponryâonly a Chevalierâs irrational reasoning for the losing battle.
Grudgingly, Rasso accepted. He hated the Syndroids, and despite the preordained outcome, he was ready to dive in and kill more of the bastards.
But he was also ready to see his family again.
More than likely, the Ravager would ping the lifeboat, and a squad of Syndroids would be sent after him. Rasso would grant the Captain some measure of peace that his message might be deliveredâeven if it was a false hope.
Maharaj grabbed a couple of Chevaliers who had just lost their drones, pulling them out of their chairs and handing them magneto-rifles. âProtect this man with your life,â he instructed, pointing to Rasso. âThe fates of Chevalier Sanctorum and the Federation depend on it.â
They saluted. âYes, Captain.â
Rasso departed the bridge with the two Sanctorum knights in tow. As he moved, his clothing transformed, shifting from the lightly padded pilotâs jumpsuit to heavy armor. The nanomaterial grew in size, bulking up to protect his limbs from impact hazards while reaching up to cover his face and head. A moment later, he was a hulking juggernaut with the colors of his homeworldâearthy tans, grays, and reds of the subterranean planet.
Behind him, his guard detail was similarly changed until they became a trio of lumbering boulders painted a myriad of colors.
As he reached the outer door of the airlock that separated the bridge from the rest of the Kavach, Rasso felt his suit pressurize. Without hesitation, he mentally commanded the door open and stepped through.
Heâd expected the corridor to be filled with smoke and chemical fires, yet it was crystal clearâonly a few flickering lights indicated the ship was in danger.
This is bad, Rasso thought as he ran down the corridor towards the lifeboats. The reason for the clarity could only be the vacuum of space. The Syndroids have breached the hull so close to the bridge.
âDamnit,â one of the guards whispered, coming through Rassoâs implant directly into his brain.
The Kavach should have been able to fill the breach. Like Rassoâs suit, the shipâs skin was composed of nanites that could shift to the needs of the craft. The fact that it hadnât been repaired this close to the command room meant too many nanites had been sheared off during the battle.
OrâŚ
âWeâve got incoming,â one of the guards said, dropping to a knee and aiming his H-shaped magneto-rifle down an adjacent passage.
Rasso caught a glimpse and wished he hadnât. Half a dozen Syndroid boarding drones. Compared to the parent Harpy drones, the boarders were smallâbarely the size of a toddler. Their dark metallic shells glittered like insect carapaces in the flickering light above blue-glowing thrusters. One pinned a squirming Chevalier in place while the others brandished glowing, saw-shaped cutters.
A crimson mist sprayed the air around the squirming knight and the drones. Rasso noted with dismay the nanites in the manâs suit were racing to cover a spurting stump where his arm had been.
Then Rassoâs implant picked up communications between the Syndroids and the man whose comm line was open.
âSay the words and all this misery goes away,â the drones said.
âMay the Winged One feast on your dead metal heart!â the Chevalier spat back.
As one of the drones hovered towards the man, cutter glowing brightly, Rasso noted an egg-shaped device floating on the far side. The kneeling guard beside Rasso fired while the egg leaped back in synchronized movement. The drone exploded, peppering the others with burning metal shards.
The second guard pushed Rasso forward while the kneeling one exchanged magneto-beams with Syndroids. âWe have to keep going!â
Rasso sprinted forward. His suit sensed the urgency and bounced off the ground like a spring. Thank the Great Forager, we still have gravity.
As if the Kavach was reading his mind, the next step Rasso took forced him into the air as the shipâs gravity generators cut out. The guard, quicker to react than Rasso, pulled him to the ground, where his suit took over and gripped the floor.
Rasso trudged on down a series of rampsâhis running slowed to a jog with each heavy footstep snapping to the metal floor. Why is the Kavach so damned big?
Then he was there, standing at the entry to the lifeboat launch. Pod after pod after pod of empty lifeboats sat empty in neat little rowsânone had been launched.
A warning buzzed in Rassoâs mind from his implantâa communique from the shipâs captain. Emergency protocols had been activated. They had only moments left.
Rasso bounded into the launch room but stopped when he didnât hear footsteps behind him. He spun around and saw the guard standing in the entryway, facing the way they came. The direction of the man theyâd left behind.
âWhat are you doing!â Rasso screamed. There was no sound in the vacuum, but his implant transmitted the urgency. âYou got the message. Maharaj is going to detonate the ship!â
The guard looked over his shoulder. âYour orders are to escape. Not mine. I got a girl back home. Iâm going to distract these rusty fuckers as long as I can. Maybe I kill the one who someday would have gotten to her.â
With that, the guard disappeared, running down the corridor with his rifle pressed to his shoulder.
No time to think, Rasso ran into the nearest lifeboat.
It wasnât much as far as spacefaring vessels wentâa two-person sprinter lifepod, it was the variety that could enter jump space to bring back help for larger lifeboats with more robust life support systems. As Rasso climbed into the captainâs chair, he noted that the ship was already prepped for launchâjust awaiting a full-fledged Chevalier to grant permission for launch.
Rasso granted it.
Skreeeee!âThe engines flared to life. Immediately, Rasso was shoved back into his chair as the pod raced down a tunnel out of the ship. His suit melted into the seat, locking him in place. But still, it felt as if the skin all across his body was stretched taut.
A second later, he was out of the belly of the Kavach, and the force of acceleration lessened as the pod readied for jump space. He heard a clatter from the small storage space behind the seats, followed by a âGahhh!â
Rasso swiveled around and found a girl lying in the storage space behind the seats. She struggled to sit up as her ocean-blue armor resisted her pulling away from the stability of the ground. She brushed the pale hair out of her eyes, displaying cerulean-hued skin that made her look as if she had spent too long in an artic sump reservoir.
âAbout foaming time someone showed up,â the girl said.
Exodus by M. R. Parsons is a fantastic new science fiction series opener. Berto's story reeled me in right from the first few pages and didn't let go until the very end. Roberto had a rough life growing up, but now with his past behind him he is ready to take on a new adventure. When another tragedy strikes, he has no choice but to leave Earth and he finds himself right in the middle of a war that has been raging for eons. He's gotten more than he bargained for in terms of adventure, and even revenge. He might be able to help bring an end to the war, if only he can trust himself and his recruiters. Â
One of the things I loved the most about this novel is the fact that it drops us right into action. Everything comes head on at the cast of characters and us. It never feels rushed or confusing in the wrong kind of way as it feels like we're right there in the same boat with everyone else. The novel is fast paced with quite a bit of action, but it doesn't feel rushed but instead engaging. There are also plenty of complex and futuristic ideas, but there written in such a way that doesn't make the reader feel out of the loop. My only real issue is that I never felt terribly connected with the characters. They're all written well, but it seemed to me as that I was busy taking in everything else before the characters themselves, if that makes sense.
Finally, I highly recommend Exodus by M. R. Parsons to fans of high speed science fiction, especially sci-fi that's a bit on the harder side. It feels like I really flew through this novel and just devoured every crumb the author gave us. I'm honestly looking forward to whatever comes next in for these characters. Â