Showing results by author "Joe Vasicek" in All Categories

The only remaining path for the last free stars is paved in blood and glory. War is all Danica has ever known. As captain of her band of Tajji mercenaries, she’s fought more than her share of hopeless battles against undefeated foes. War has been her way of life ever since their diaspora from their shattered homeworld. But when a runaway princess vanishes on the eve of war, the rescue mission quickly becomes more than just another payday. The last free stars are about to make their final stand against the Hameji Empire, and a young Hameji prince is determined to take the princess as his ...

They called him a lone wolf. Now, he has to lead them across the stars. Five years have passed since the Hameji conquered James McCoy's homeworld. The yoke of occupation has grown unbearable, and unless he can help his people throw it off, everything that he fought for will be destroyed. Light-years away, in the heart of the Good Hope Nebula, there is a place where they can start over. But the dangers are many, and the way is unclear. Only a strong leader can take them there. James once gave all that he had to save the ones he loved. To do so again, he must become the leader that his people...

In a galaxy ravaged by war, a young man must decide how far he’ll go—and what he’s willing to become—to save his sister. James never imagined that when his older brother and sister departed on planetside leave, it would be the last he’d ever see them. But as soon as they’re gone, a ruthless Hameji battle fleet invades their peaceful star system, transforming it into a war zone. Fleeing with his father on board the family starship, James can only watch in horror as the verdant planet below is reduced to molten slag. On the way home, James learns the devastating truth: his sister ...

When all he wanted was a cause to die for, he found one to live for instead. In a broken world where money is cursed and men care for nothing but coin, one man seeks to restore his name and sacred honor by facing the sorcerous powers that seek to enslave the world. In the heart of the forbidden desert, the ancient ruins of the city of Xulthar harbor the source of this great evil. No adventurer has ever returned from Xulthar alive. But Roderick cares little for such things. Honor means more to him than life, and freedom more than riches. He fully expects to die in the course of his quest, ...

Only those who stand united can bring peace from the chaos of war. The Outworld Confederacy has shattered—but the Gaian Empire is shattering faster. Treasonous elements in both seek to reshape the galaxy in their own image. With Isaac and Reva's telepathic abilities, only Mara is in a position to thwart the usurpers. But Reva opposes the weaponization of the collective, and Mara refuses to be open about the darkest parts of her past. Unless they can unite, the collective will shatter just as surely as the Outworlds and the Empire. In war as in peace, all things rise or fall on leadership ...

To wake a lost girl from the ice, two brothers must face an empire. Deep in the Far Outworlds, a derelict space station holds the bones of a long-dead people—and a beautiful young woman locked in cryofreeze. When the star-wandering brothers Isaac and Aaron Deltana find the sleeping girl, they soon realize that they are her only hope for rescue. If they don't take her, then slavers certainly will. With no way to revive her, they set a course for the New Pleiades in hopes of finding someone who can help. But a storm is brewing over that region of space. After a series of brutal civil wars, ...

Without redemption, there is no peace. Without forgiveness, there is no redemption. Reva never asked to be the queen of an alien-human hive mind, but she never shirked from it, either. Now, she and the survivors of Star's End share a telepathic bond that allows them to think and feel as one. But unity will not come easy. Isaac fears her growing power, and Tomas fears that if the others awake from cryo, their murderous natures will drag everyone down to their level of depravity. The only path back to civilization is held by the very same pirates who want them all dead. Gulchina commands them...

When all else is lost, the bonds of war become a cause all their own. It is the Outworld's darkest hour. Gulchina's betrayal has eliminated the Outworld Confederacy's only strategic advantage in their war for independence. As the full force of the Gaian Imperial Navy bears down on them, defeat is all but inevitable. Mara Soladze fully expected to lose the war. It is not her own life that she fears for, however, but the lives of her men. As world after world falls before the Imperial onslaught, those fears may soon be realized. No commander is ever fully prepared to watch their men make the ...

War brought them together, but only hope can unite them. War has come to the Outworlds. An Imperial expeditionary force has taken the frontier systems and threatens to strike at the heart of the New Pleiades. The only thing standing in their way is a ragtag flotilla of starfarers and merchanters, their motives as varied as the stars from which they hail. Aaron Deltana can barely speak the same language as his Outworld comrades, but he isn't about to let that stop him. Though he has no military training or combat experience, he's determined to prove his valor. Besides, the Imperials have ...

They say that going into cryo is the closest thing to death short of actually dying. I believe it. When Michael Anderson woke from cryo at a distant alien star, he had no idea how isolated he would feel—no idea, that is, until his sole mission partner nearly dies in the thawing process. Twenty light-years from the nearest human being, without anyone else to help him, Michael must act quickly to save her life. A 3,000 word excerpt from Genesis Earth. Won first place in the 2009 Mayhew short story contest at Brigham Young University.

To boldly go where no Earthfleet Academy Xenolinguistics major has gone before. Jane Carter never thought she'd be the first human in the galaxy to be sold at an alien slave auction. As a xenolinguics major, she always wanted to explore new frontiers, but not like this. As the bid price rockets to staggering heights, it becomes increasingly clear that only one man can rescue her: the one who sold her out. Thankfully, there are alternatives to being rescued.

Those who will not work to build the new world will burn the old one. In a post-apocalyptic world where humanity teeters on the edge of extinction, one lone scout for a snowbound tribe stumbles upon a pristine dome preserving the last remnants of civilization. Frozen in perfect stasis, the survivors await the birth of the new world. But the watchers have all fled, leaving one young woman behind to keep the lonely vigil. If she leaves, the survivors will be lost—unless one of their own will take upon himself the responsibility. Unfortunately, there are only two kinds of people in the world...

Ten stories that show why the freedom of truth is worth the price of loneliness. This is the fifth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: Love and Truth at Universe End Where have all the aliens gone? Calling Scam Likely An auto warranty scam he was sure to never forget! Prison of Dreams A boy, a girl, and a starship gone mad. Blight of Empire A dying world. A decadent empire. A discovery that can save them both. The Library of Fate He rewrote his past in the library of fate. Now, his kingdom is falling. In the Wake of Zedekiah Wight (J.M. Wight) Woe unto them ...

The future of the Outworlds now lies in uncertain hands. The war for the Outworlds is on. The Imperials may have lost the first round, but they're back—and this time, a ragtag flotilla isn't going to stop them. When Aaron recieves a captain's commission in the new Outworld Confederacy, Mara is his natural choice for second in command. But Mara never expected to live past the first few battles. She only joined the resistance to avenge her father, and fears the monster she's starting to become. The only thing she has left to live for now is her friends. The Imperials aren't the only enemy ...

The world that ended with a whimper is about to be reborn with a bang. In a near-future United States on the brink of total collapse, Mia Thompson leads her teenage nephew and grief-stricken step-daughter on a treacherous journey westward across a depopulated Midwest. Siphoning gas from ambandoned cars and hunting for game along the way, Mia is forced to confront the harsh reality: that she doesn’t have the strength to ensure their broken family will survive. And then, they encounter the bandits.

One last battle before the Outworlds are free. Edenia is under attack. The pirate queen Gulchina, together with all her forces, now threaten the main planet with utter destruction. Trapped on the surface, Reva knows they will stop at nothing to see her dead. Mara Soladze's frigate group is the only Outworld task force able to come to the planet's aid. But Gulchina's flagship, the Chinghis Khan, outguns all of their ships put together. Their only advantage lies in the telepathic bond of the collective and the rugged resourcefulness of the Deltana brothers. Reva is not powerless either. When ...

Shipwrecked on a hostile shore, the only way out is to harness the power within. All Alex ever wanted was to be a sea mage like his father. But though he is gifted with magic, the wind and the waves refuse to answer his call. So when a storm arises and shipwrecks his crew on the barren shores of the Lands of Desolation, it appears that their only option is to walk out. But the Lands of Desolation are no place for lost sailors. Once the seat of a mighty sea-faring empire, the ruins of the land harbor secrets—and dangers—darker than the depths of the deepest sea. And one of the crew’s ...

Tradition decrees that he must leave his homeworld forever, but destiny has other plans. From the moment Isaiah Edeni was born, the course of his life was sealed. As the firstborn son of a star wanderer, tradition decrees that he must leave his beloved homeworld aboard his father's starship, never to return. As the time for his departure draws closer, Isaiah grapples with the overwhelming weight of leaving behind all that he has ever known: the breathtaking natural beauty of his homeworld, the familiar faces he has grown up with, and his longtime childhood crush who only sees him as a ...

Is this the hill on which you want to die? That is the question on Garak-Nur's mind every time he draws his blade. A battle-hardened mountain orc, he knows when to turn from an unwinnable fight—and when to face death head-on, weapon in hand. Garak-Nur is ready to meet his fate, but the rest of his clan is not. A Witch King has risen to power in the north, enticing the mountain orcs to join his army. To preserve his clan’s freedom, Garak must lead his followers into the wilderness. But the challenges they face are great, and the lands they must cross are teeming with peril. Dwarves, ...

Eleven short stories and a poem that show us what comes after the end of all we know. This is the fourth volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes: The Manchurian Paradox We have met our timeline's enemy and he is us. A Fatal Rebirth Nothing in this world should live forever—not even civilization itself. The Final Turning This is how the world ends: not with a bang, but with a whimper—thanks to me. The New Covenant To restore a fallen America, an ancient and terrible covenant must be renewed. Hearken and Behold (by J.M. Wight) "Hearken, oh ye hypocrites, and ...