A star-faring religious cult has created an army of robotic zealots designed to follow holy scripture. As the robotic menace spreads across the galaxy, it takes prisoners to be 'excommunicated': hooked into a neural simulation of eternal torment. Captain Rolland Barron leads the Sol Federation Starship Excalibur on a diplomatic mission. Cassia LaCroix is a wormhole hunter, earning a living scouring the galaxy for valuable tunnels through space-time. Prince Zoojin, a psychic alien from a distant galaxy, must prove himself worthy of the throne of Paxis Prime. The paths of these characters converge as they pursue their own motives, leading them towards the mechanical legion that is sweeping across the galaxy. COVER BY: rentachi AUTHOR'S NOTE: this is an early draft of the novel. I am very grateful for your readership and your feedback, which I have taken into consideration for a major rewrite. The new novel is completely different. If you liked the book, then please look forward to the release of the finished novel.

Grand-commander Morath is dead, and the fragile peace between the Order of the Plains and their former allies in the northern mountains is close to breaking. The knights of Klinberg, riders of the madriel pride, are preparing themselves for the High-tourney, where the new Command of their Order will be decided, and with it, the future of hostilities. But this year the contest for the Orders' leadership will not be settled in the jousting ring. Four children will play a part in its outcome. Grifford and Tahlia Layne; brutish son and wayward daughter of the Order's finest Pride-commander, Maddock Jonas, a farm-boy who has heard his future told by a voice from the vault-weed, and Dakskansia, an Engineer's daughter, imbued with strength and intellect but not with courage. Their actions will set them on a course that will shape both the future and the past, but before they can do that, they must overcome their enmity towards one another.