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The Role of the Code: The Guardian Cycle - 1

by Jason C. Enders

527 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #00-0198; ISBN 1-55212-532-7; US$37.50, C$44.95, EUR31.00, £21.50

The mysterious Guardians return in a bizarre time of severe crisis and intrigue to take on four deadly perils in space threatening to take the galaxy by storm.

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about the book      about the author      excerpts      Coming soon! The sequel...      catalogue info

About the Book

The Guardian Cycle is a science-fiction series set in space. It will consist of six segments, five of which have already been created. Titles will include:

Book 1 - The Role of the Code
Book 2 - Redemption Through Retrieval
Book 3 - Dark Reckoning
Book 4 - The First Gleam
Book 5 - The Severity of the System

Read articles and a full chapter on Fiction-Fantasy.net.

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About the Author After completing a B.S. and M.S. degree in biology at Walla Walla College in Washington (1996, 1998), Jason C. Enders began building a science fiction series. The first two novels were written in 1999, the next two novels were written in 2000, and the latest one in 2001. The Role of the Code is the opening of The Guardian Cycle, which will contain eight books when finished. From Alaska to Taiwan, the author has lived in and visited a number of places. Yet to find him now, just enter The Guardian Cycle - and discover space is his home.

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Excerpt from Chapter 5

     "Well, my family," Rishc concluded, "it's time to prepare for battle. Let's go." They all walked back onto the bridge where Snok was conversing with his fellow Araphi.
     "We should arrive just before the robots attack," Megan reported, looking down at the scanning station readout. "I would transfer power in about fifteen minutes."
     "Okay, listen up," Rishc instructed. "The situation will be intense and difficult. Don't lose your heads. Remember your training. You can handle yourselves well. The enemy must be defeated and you are the ones who can help make it happen. Our fighters will fly in pairs. Watch out for your wingman. I don't want anyone to get hurt out there. Channels will be open, so report if you're getting into serious trouble. I want to celebrate with all of you this evening. I will be flying with Megan. Jen is with Teresa and Keiko is with Cindy. Commander Snok will lead the Interceptor into battle and the ensigns will handle the command center and primary weaponry. Any questions?"
     "Yes," Teresa replied. "Just what kind of a celebration would you like to have this evening?" A cute grin was on her face.
     Rishc gave her a broad smile. "Whatever you like. Let's go. Ensigns, the Interceptor is in your hands. Fighter pilots, to the flight deck." Rishc walked off the bridge and entered the vertical lift. The five lieutenants joined him. Jen and Keiko stood next to him and he put an arm around each of them to make them feel better. They held on to him as the lift descended.
     The pilots then exited the lift and walked to a horizontal lift, which would bring them out near the fighters. Jen and Keiko both leaned their heads against Rishc's chest. They were several centimeters shorter than he was. The lift opened and the pilots ran out onto the flight deck. Grabbing a flight suit from the selection hanging on the main wall, each officer donned one.
     "If you have any trouble, let me know," Rishc reiterated. "Stand by for orders and follow them without delay. If your fighter should become so damaged that you cannot remain within it, eject. Your flight suit and helmet will allow you to float in space safely for an hour and a half, by which time someone should have rescued you." The women nodded, though the speech was really just to quell any anxiety and provide reassurance for those who were not flight aces. "You're all very good. Don't worry." Rishc gave each sister a hug before she went to board a fighter.
     "Be careful, Keiko," Rishc told her while holding her snugly. "Focus."
     "I will," she promised. "I love you."
     "I love you, too." Keiko ran off to hop into an IP1.
     Jen walked up to Rishc and squeezed him fervently. "Take care of yourself out there, my love," she whispered.
     "You come back to me, my beautiful Jen."
     "How could I not when you are waiting for me when I return?" With a delightful smile, Jen sprinted away. Rishc then ran to get into a fighter himself. Jumping into one, he strapped himself in. He brought the IP1's hatch down and brought all of the fighter's systems online.
     "Captain, this is the Interceptor," Sana's voice called through Rishc's cockpit. "Do you read?"
     "Affirmative, Interceptor," the CO confirmed.
     "We are slowing down in preparation for engagement. The Araphi cruiser Coneshell is in command of the defense."
     "Acknowledged." They were almost in position. Rishc felt the Interceptor's deceleration clearly even within his fighter. The Interceptor's forward thrusters were firing to reduce the battleship's inertia readily. The capital vessel began to arc to starboard to face the incoming enemy.
     As the Interceptor continued to slow to almost nothing, six IP1s barreled away from the flight deck, joining the Araphi fighters waiting to do battle. The Araphi had an incredible number of fighters ready as well as several cruisers, which were much more challenging to face. The Araphi cruisers were oblong, distended, relatively wide and flat. A command tower rose up from the center of each cruiser, but even it wasn't particularly high. An enormous number of convex spheres gently jutted out from all over an Araphi cruiser. These partial spheres housed secondary dual laser cannons, which could defend the ship well. The Araphi destroyers weren't offensive ships like the cruisers and therefore wouldn't be participating in the battle.
     The number of oncoming robot ships wasn't too staggering. However, Snok warned that they were more dangerous than they looked. Still, Rishc didn't expect much difficulty in the upcoming battle. There were many more ships defending Chdok than attacking it. It ought to prove to be a fairly easy battle to win.
     Rishc saw that there were four types of attacking fighters. One was the robot scout fighter encountered the day before; the others were totally new to him. Unfortunately, Snok had not been able to provide many details based on the Araphi's previous clash with the robots. He had been overwhelmed and hadn't been able to see much aside from great maneuverability and firepower. However, he did see one robot eject into space as its fighter was destroyed, indicating the identity of the attackers. That robot had then fired two handheld lasers until it successfully crippled an already damaged Araphi fighter. Snok had destroyed the robot, which wasn't easy because the robot was the size of a person--a much smaller target than a fighter.
      Sadly, Snok had quickly lost that battle. His squadron was destroyed around him and he was nearly obliterated, too. He escaped by launching out of the area at lightspeed, without even checking for a good flight path. There was no time. The robots damaged his fighter first and sent it spinning away. The fighter's controls were jammed and Snok had been knocked unconscious.
     The Araphi awoke to find himself careening through space toward a medium-sized planet. His controls were still frozen, preventing deceleration. Snok struggled to restore his circuitry and finally regained partial control before falling into the planet's atmosphere. He could not help crashing into a sandy, desolated area. The rough landing injured Snok and trapped him in his fighter. He was fortunate to have even survived. As fate would have it, Rishc was flying over the area at the time and went down to investigate. And so, Snok came to temporarily reside on Rathos. He could have returned to his own right away, but liked what Rishc was doing and building and owed him his life besides.
     And now here they were about to resist the robots that had nearly taken Snok's life a year before. Slicing through the air like a lethal scythe, the robot fighters zipped around the two giant asteroids circling Chdok. The single robot cruiser brought up the rear of the enemy forces. It was approaching from a protected angle behind an asteroid. The ship had an almost complete sphere sitting atop a wide but thin base. Otherwise, the robots would only be relying upon their fighters.
     "We will fly in as a squadron," Rishc informed the lieutenants. "Interceptor Two, are you ready?"
     "Yes, sir," came Megan's instant reply.
     The robot fighters surged forward. The Araphi fighters increased speed and the IP1s were right beside them. "As soon as you've got one in your sights, take it out," Rishc instructed his squadron. The IP1s were the first craft to open fire. Rishc and Teresa both destroyed an enemy fighter right away, while Jen and Keiko managed to score some light hits, causing damage to a couple of lead robot fighters. Apparently, the Interceptor's fighters had a greater weapons range than the other fighters present. Then laser fire lit up space all around as robot and Araphi fighters alike tried to destroy one another. The Interceptor itself began strafing at the robot fighters streaking toward it.
     Explosions raked all around Rishc's fighter as he led his squadron into the fray. He flew his IP1 in along a spiral trajectory, which kept him away from the deadly laser blasts trying to send him into oblivion. The IP1s plunged in against the host of enemy fighters, which advanced in several waves. A hit rocked Rishc's fighter, but was absorbed by his shields. The robot fighters were also shielded to various levels depending on type.
     The fire spouting from the Interceptor and its fighters was lavender and more powerful than the turquoise laser fire of the other craft present. Rishc was thankful the IP1s were superior fighters, but sadly, there weren't many of them. He wished his crew were larger. Then all the IP1s could be sent into combat. However, for now, he was unwilling to send the ensigns out into a full-scale battle like this. They were not as skilled as the lieutenants. Thus, the ensigns were the natural choice to handle the safer and stronger Interceptor. Snok was undoubtedly happy to have such a powerful vessel with which to confront his enemy this time.
     Fighters were erupting into flames left and right as the Araphi struggled to protect Chdok. The robot fighters were swarming about everywhere. Rishc's screen was full of targets. He had imagined but never been in such a great fighter battle before. It almost seemed impossible not to ram into another fighter simply by accident, there were so many. This was an overstatement, but Rishc had never seen anything close to this before. Even in the simulator, the maximum number of opponents was usually limited to a dozen at most. He found that the current situation was similar if he just disregarded the slew of targets that weren't in his proximity.
     Rishc heard himself shouting commands to his lieutenants. He was watching them while protecting himself and trying to eliminate the enemy. It was all very natural for him now. His piloting skills were in control. And the only fighter he had to keep especially close watch over was Interceptor Two.
     The capital robot vessel was slowly drawing nearer to Chdok and the Araphi cruisers. That ship, the real threat, would undoubtedly attack shortly. Sounds of the lieutenants congratulating each other on their kills reached Rishc's mind. Jen and Keiko were both doing very well by the sound of things. "Interceptor One, help," Megan's voice urgently requested through Rishc's helmet. "I've got two fighters on my tail and they won't let up. They're trying to pin me into a maneuver where they can get me."
     "I see them," Rishc answered. "Hang in there." Two fighters were also trying to strafe Interceptor One. Bolting his fighter upward at breakneck speed, Rishc then arced around and came charging at Megan's fighter along a new axis. One of the fighters chasing him had not been able to follow his maneuver in time and had gone after an Araphi target instead. The other fighter was still on him.
     "Rishc, what are you doing?" Megan blurted out.
     "I'm going to pass right over you. Keep going, but don't let them get you." Rishc saw Megan's fighter take a hit and he pressed his IP1 to the limit, making his engines scream. He shot over Megan's fighter with almost no room to spare, while the fighter chasing him scored a hit on him, weakening his shields. He then flew into the faces of the two fighters chasing Megan. Their lasers blasted at him, but he was already firing, too. One of the robot fighters exploded, but the second one continued coming. Rishc held his fire while he tried to evade the robot fighter's laser barrage. Banking suddenly as the robot fighter behind him surged into firing position, he peeled off. The fighter in front of Rishc blasted away and scored a hit on the fighter behind him.
     One of the robot fighters was now in Megan's sights. She had swung back around hard, rocketing upward toward her target with her lasers blasting along a wide arc. The robot fighter disintegrated under her fire. Rishc heard Megan issue a little howl of triumph. They were clear. The final robot fighter was no longer in their vicinity. "Megan, be careful with your lasers," he warned. "You waste a lot of energy when you fire so much like that."
     "I got him, didn't I?" Megan challenged.
     "Yes, but there are a lot of other ships out here for us to stop, too."
     "I read you."
     Rishc was getting worried. That had been too close. These robots were pretty good and there were a number of them firing on the IP1s. If he could barely protect Megan, would the others be all right? Fortunately for Rishc, the pilot's seat was so natural that he could handle it almost without thinking, allowing him more time to reflect or focus on other aspects of the battle. "Interceptor fighters, report," he ordered.
     "Jen's going wild," Teresa announced.
     "So is Keiko," Cindy reported.
     "What?" Rishc contemplated. "Jen, Keiko, are you all right?"
     "Interceptor Three, doing fine," Keiko answered.
     "Interceptor Four, no problems here," Jen insisted.
     There was a tinge of something strange in their voices. Rishc wasn't sure what was up. He would have to question the four of them later to see what was going on. "Interceptor One to Interceptor. Status report."
     "Interceptor, secure and undamaged," Sana relayed. "Only a few fighter kills scored. It's too difficult to target them now that they're mixed in with the friendly fighters and we don't have our secondary batteries manned. The robot capital ship is closing."
     "Very well. Engage the robot command ship." Rishc could see that the robot fighters were harrying the Araphi cruisers a little, but weren't drawing too close. The robot warship kept approaching. The robot fighters were still everywhere, but their numbers were starting to drop off. The Araphi seemed to be fighting hard. A few more fighters joined the defenders from the Chdok surface. Apparently the Araphi had been able to get a few more fighters ready in time to help out. Rishc was pleased to see the number of friendlies increasing.
     Without warning, a launch was abruptly reported on Rishc's screen, alarming him. Normally, weapons did not read unless they were tracking his ship. However, major weapons did appear on his readout. Large missiles had just been launched from the robot command ship at the first of the Araphi cruisers. Hastily, Rishc checked the count. There were four of them. Each one split through space with startling, effortless speed. The Araphi cruiser fired at the missiles with the little time available. Rishc rolled his IP1 around and away from the cruisers as he moved in to protect Megan again. "Interceptor, Interceptor One. What can you tell me about the robot command ship?"
     "Our scanners cannot penetrate its hull," Sana informed. "It appears well shielded. Four armored missiles have been launched from it and are streaking toward the first Araphi cruiser."
     "The missiles are armored?" Rishc was surprised.
     "Yes. The missiles are taking hits, but are not being defrayed. Wait. The first missile has detonated. Apparently, enough laser fire can stop them."
     "Are the Araphi fighters going after the missiles?" Rishc checked.
     "They're only able to lend limited assistance because of the swarming robot fighters."
     "Interceptor, how long will it take you to engage that robot warship?"
     "About two minutes," Sana apprised.
     "Step on it."
     "The first two missiles have been taken out by the Araphi cruiser. A third has been finished off by an Araphi fighter," Sana updated.
     "And the fourth?" Rishc queried a little fearfully.
     "It has now thundered against the Araphi cruiser's shields."
     "Status?"
     "Checking." Rishc was concentrating on Megan at the moment. Handling herself well, she was flying like a great wingman, now acting in concert on the offensive. "The cruiser's shields are down to 55%," Sana's aghast voice announced.
     "From a single missile?" Rishc commented incredulously. "Watch yourself, Interceptor."
     "Understood."
     Rishc's screen revealed additional missiles being fired. The count kept changing. Finally, it stopped at eight. How many missiles did that warship have? "Interceptor fighters, it's time to relocate," Rishc announced. "Make your way over to that robot command ship. Let 's see if we can help prematurely detonate those missiles."
     "That's not going to be easy," Cindy's voice declared. "We're kind of pinned in here."
     "We can try to work our way out," Teresa ventured.
     "Change position when you can," Rishc granted. "Interceptor Two, we'll go."
     "Yes, sir," Megan responded.
     Above Rishc and to starboard he could see the Interceptor approaching the small, visible outline of the oncoming robot warship. His screen indicated that the Araphi cruisers were closer together than before, apparently in an effort to lend supporting fire.
     "Interceptor One," hailed Sana.
     "Here, Interceptor," Rishc answered.
     "The cruisers have shot down four of the incoming missiles, but the other four are about to strike the first Araphi cruiser."
     "Understood, Interceptor," Rishc responded. "Megan, let's see if we can pick up the pace." They tried to fight their way through the robot fighters as fast as they could.
     "They've destroyed it!" Sana's voice blared in Rishc's ears. Before she could say anything else, the Araphi cruiser disappeared from his screen. "The four missiles have impacted and the cruiser is shattering into pieces," Sana confirmed. "The remaining five Araphi cruisers are starting to close the distance to the robot cruiser so they can open fire with their lasers. The Interceptor isn't quite in range. Only a few Araphi fighters have gotten close enough to land a few light hits on that robot warship so far."
     "When you pull into range, you should divert all power from engines and shields to the weapons," Rishc instructed Sana.
     "But if we don't maintain some shields, Captain. . . ." Sana began to object.
     "The Interceptor's hull is strong. It can handle the robot fighters. You need to hit that command ship with everything you've got."
     "Stand by," Sana replied as she began talking with Snok. "The XO was about to issue the same order. He says you're right on top of things, Captain."
     "Interceptor One confirms." Another announcement on Rishc's console advised him of a third missile launch. This time there were six blazing toward the next Araphi cruiser. The Interceptor was closing fast--faster than the IP1s because of the robot entanglement. "Come on, Megan; we've got to push it."
     "I'm trying," came her harried voice.
     A fourth missile launch erupted forth from the robot warship. Rishc's scanner indicated an additional six missiles were tracking the third Araphi cruiser. Why hadn't the Interceptor opened fire yet? Yet another launch was detected. Not again! Wait. Where were they? It was a surface launch. The Araphi on the surface were using their planetary defense missiles against the robot command ship. They didn't want to see all of their cruisers destroyed by the enemy. The cruisers were nearly in range and would then be able to engage the single robot cruiser. The Araphi cruisers obviously were not armed with missiles. Lasers were the standard weapon of choice, but Rishc was impressed by the performance of the armored missiles in this battle.
     One hundred smaller yet effective missiles sliced space as they fled from Chdok like arrows. Rishc's scanner informed him of the count, though he could not examine them on his screen because they were smaller and farther away. But his focus on the missiles was interrupted by cries for assistance from his lieutenants.

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Coming Soon!

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Catalogue Information for "The Role of the Code"

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