Mark J. Schultis – författare

Finding their footing has been no easy task for the few remaining survivors of the Sacramento. Melina Beetary's brother Ethan has been missing for months, and Terik Donato, still haunted by sins of the past, is reluctant to lead the men and women he helped save. Both Melina and Terik find themselves surrounded by conflicting loyalties, including a man who has been both a friend and an enemy, and a mysterious warrior who is more than meets the eye. To survive, they must brave enemy lines in a gamble to procure powerful allies - a reconnaissance mission that could change everything. But Garett Soness seeks revenge. Warlord Favan of the Fokot has given him resource and opportunity to hunt down his former crew and bring them to justice. If he is not quick, an alien blood feud and a power hungry face from the past may just do the job for him.Bonds are shattered in this second volume of The Dawn Cluster.

"e;Military SF, galactic intrigue, and a fight for survival: The Dawn Cluster I: Detriment is action-packed with twists and turns. The start of an exciting series."e; —Tom Sweterlitsch, author of The Gone World and Tomorrow and TomorrowTerik Donato has lost his place in the universe. Casting aside a promising career, years spent in fleeting pursuit of truth has left him with nothing. But an ill-timed visit to the Sacramento, a space vessel well past her prime, could change everything for the former Mako-6 agent. Terik's arrival vexes many on board, including Captain Garett Soness, but when both a terrorist attack and a bizarre anomaly catch the skeleton crew off guard, all onboard must band together. Soon the surviving crew members of the Sacramento find themselves halfway across the galaxy, stranded on a planet where humans are not as alien as the crew would think.  Their stay may be brief, as a brutal species seeks to enslave all in its path and kill all that resist. Terik Donato and Garett Soness will find themselves tested in the face of death, forced to become either the men they were meant to be, or the monsters they always feared they were.Survival takes its toll in this first volume of The Dawn Cluster.

They escaped planetary annihilation, helped end a centuries old civil war, and joined a defeated militia to their cause. Terik Donato and Melina Beetary's chances of bringing down the oppressive Fokot army were prospering until a cunning betrayal and a lone shot ripped apart their coalition. But as relics of the past begin to appear, transforming despair into determination, Terik and Melina now have a plan to engage the Fokot in all-out war. To stand a fighting chance they will need to rely on the only thing they have left: their resolve. The hardest task Terik and Melina must face is letting go – of each other, of their past, and any chance of saving Garett Soness. Because all fates lead to the planet Opus, and its caretakers, the last Azonka Mah, who may be the key to the Sacramento crew getting home. It may also be the key to many of Terik's questions, as well as the key to Warlord Favan's endgame, ultimately positioning Opus to be either the crux of their triumph or the catalyst of their defeat. All questions will be answered in this final volume of The Dawn Cluster.

"e;Mainstream Sci-Fi masquerading as Space Opera and giving us all the advantages of both."e; - Reedsy DiscoveryAbandoning another man's conflict is a choice. Abandoning your own conflict is not. Recently discharged from the Aeronautical Expansion Defense and secretly suffering from PTSD, Vio Recarey arrives on the frontier world Obcasio II with nothing but the clothes on his back. All Vio wants is an opportunity to forge a life for himself in the wealthy city of New Luucrum, but with no money and no connections he instead quickly makes acquaintances in LowLuu, the vagabond city formed in the abandoned mining tunnels below New Luucrum. When Vio saves the lives of an influential philanthropist and his stunning wife, Vio seizes the opportunity he's been looking for, much to the disapproval of his LowLuu friends. This new lifestyle attracts complications, ones which set Vio on a path that anchors him to the planet, thrusting him into situations where his actions, or inactions, could have long lasting and grave circumstances for everyone on Obcasio. Vio begins to realize he's traded one life of loneliness and violence for another, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't outrun his trauma.

"e;A universe of unique planets, aliens, robots and political intrigue slowly forms in an almost poetic way..."e; - Reedsy DiscoveryThe ten-episode Kindle Vella series collected here for the first time! Ciras, an advanced race of artificial humanoids, populate the distant world of Dialectica, working in unison to propel their society forward. Their prosperity is due to a set of edicts that drive every action, and because of these rules, there is no violence, there is no poverty, and there is no doubt in their leadership. But when an important Cira stumbles into an emergency ward on the brink of core failure, one Cira will have to make a rash decision, a choice that puts him on a path to uncover the one thing the perfect Cira society doesn't already have: the truth. This collection also includes eight other short works, several long out-of-print and a few never before seen, all set in the literary universes of The Dawn Cluster and The Shirker!