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Aberrant Ascension
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ABERRANT ASCENSION
QUANTUM LEGENDS – BOOK 3
BY ANDREW DOBELL
& M. D. COOPER
Just in Time (JIT) & Beta Readers
Copyright © 2020 Andrew Dobell & M. D. Cooper
Star Magi is Copyright © 2021 Andrew Dobell
Aeon 14 is Copyright © 2021 M. D. Cooper
Version 1.0.0
Cover Art by Andrew Dobell
Editing by Jen McDonnell, Bird’s Eye Books
Aeon 14 & M. D. Cooper are registered trademarks of Malorie Cooper
All rights reserved
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTINUITY
PREVIOUSLY IN THE MAGI SAGA…
PREVIOUSLY IN AEON 14…
AEON 14 CHARACTERS
STAR MAGI CHARACTERS
NEW MISSION
TRACES
NO REST FOR THE REDHEAD
FROM THE LMC
AN ACCORD
UNDERCOVER WORK
ARRIVAL
EXFIL
SKIRMISH
QUANTUM TRAVELERS
TO THE SPIRE
DOUBLE FIST IT
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
REGROUP
REINFORCEMENTS
BRINGING THE FIGHT
BAD TO WORSE
ARETE
LOOSE ENDS
FAREWELLS
AFTERWORD
BOOKS BY ANDREW DOBELL
THE BOOKS OF AEON 14
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
CONTINUITY
If you have picked this book up and you’re wondering where it fits into the larger stories of Star Magi or Aeon 14, hopefully this will clear up any confusion.
Star Magi
Abberant Ascension takes place just after the end of the Star Magi Saga, so the reading order looks like this:
Maiden Voyage: Star Magi Saga Prequel
Star Magi: Star Magi Saga book 1
Anomaly on Cerka: Quantum Legends book 1
Magi Nexus: Star Magi Saga book 2
War Magi: Star Magi Saga book 3
Crux Magi: Star Magi Saga book 4
A Bitch of a Paradox: Quantum Legends book 2
Void Magi: Star Magi Saga book 5
Abberant Ascension: Quantum Legends book 3
Wedding Vows: Tales of the Magi Saga book 9
Aeon 14
Within Aeon 14, the book slots into the Orion War series, taking place during the latter half of Precipice of Darkness, right before Tangel jumps to Aldebaran.
PREVIOUSLY IN THE MAGI SAGA…
Following the events of the Star Magi Saga, Amanda withdrew from the interstellar Nexus community of Magi and returned to Earth. She was keen to focus on her life and friends on Earth, and on Matt, who she’s recently begun dating.
This story picks up roughly two months after the end of the Crux War and her final confrontation with Anastasia. It is also two months after Amanda and Matt started officially dating.
PREVIOUSLY IN AEON 14…
When Amanda last met Tanis, the ISF admiral and her AI were separate people. However, in the intervening year, Tanis and Angela have merged into one ‘ascended’ being, and are known as Tangel. She now has the ability to directly manipulate matter and control the world around her, much like a Magic user.
Her most recent mission was to the Large Magellanic Cloud, where she stopped a plot to destroy the ISF colony in the dwarf galaxy. From there, she is headed to Aldebaran to meet with the leaders of the League of Sentients, but first, she’ll find herself facing a little detour.
AEON 14 CHARACTERS
Tangel – ISF admiral and field marshal of the Scipio Alliance.
Petra – Transcend ambassador to Scipio and consort of the Scipian empress.
Usef – Colonel in the Intrepid Space Force.
Brennen – Lieutenant in the Intrepid Space Force and leader of Tangel’s protection detail.
STAR MAGI CHARACTERS
Amanda-Jane Page – Arch Magus, Arkady’s captain.
Void – Arch Magus and multiverse traveler. She recruited Amanda to help fight the Reavers.
Matt Walker – Amanda’s new boyfriend. He is not a Magus.
Liz Fox – Amanda’ Magi apprentice.
Maya Van Guard – Amanda’s daughter, a Vampire.
Sabine Leclaire – A Magus and member of Amanda’s coven.
Howie Galton – A former nightclub bouncer and a long-time friend of Amanda’s.
Jinx – An AI originally from Tangel’s universe, who now lives with Amanda.
Samhain (Sam) – Amanda’s familiar
NEW MISSION
EARTH DATE: 02.03.3x1033
LOCATION: Terminus Station
REGION: Another Universe
Morden stood at the window, looking out across the surface of Terminus, into the starless void beyond, and one of the few remaining natural sources of light that remained in this universe: Sagittarius A*.
The black hole’s vast accretion disk glowed a fiery orange in the endless night, providing light and energy for this solitary base.
As he watched, another fading white dwarf eased into view as it slowly circled the ever-hungry singularity on its final journey before oblivion. Further off, several black dwarfs orbited, just black dots against the glow.
Morden had visited countless universes during his time with the Reavers, and had seen the Milky Way at many stages in its life cycle, but there was something intensely sad about this reality.
The stars were dead, all reduced to white or black dwarfs, having long since burnt out. Now, they were being slowly consumed by black holes, such as this one, or they’d long ago been flung into the void between galaxies.
Was there life out there, clinging on in the darkness? Perhaps a pair of neutron stars had collided somewhere, creating a star—one of the last sources of heat and light in the universe, an island of life and intelligence at the end of all things.
The thought was a melancholy one, and Morden didn’t have time for such self-indulgent nonsense.
He didn’t know why the founders had chosen this universe as the place to establish their base, but he could guess and speculate. There were likely no Magi here, for a start, so they wouldn’t need to deal with any interference from outside forces, leaving them to pursue their goals unimpeded.
How lovely for them.
Morden grimaced as he thought back to his last mission and the humiliation that the Magus Amanda had brought upon him. He’d been quietly seething ever since his hasty retreat from that universe, hating that he’d been forced to leave behind the results of his genetic manipulation experiments.
They would have made excellent cannon fodder against the Exval, but it seemed that this was not to be the case. All because of her.
Amanda.
He hated that woman and her constant efforts to fight him and the Reavers. But no more. He would deal with her once and for all…as soon as he resolved his current summons.
Behind him, the constant hum of the Reaver control room buzzed as the Riven technicians and analysts did their jobs, monitoring the various operations underway across the multiverse in the names of Drachen and Ashera, the founders of the Reavers.
He believed in their quest with all his heart and had always done whatever was asked of him. But right now, he had other issues.
Morden turned around and looked into the huge, circular room, its concentric circles of workstations facing the holographic display that hovered in the air above them, giving a readout of the various missions currently being carried out.
Toward the middle of the room, he spotted Athanasia, daughter to Ashera. As far as Morden was concerned, she was a sniveling weakling who would do well to follow her mo
ther’s example. However, others considered her powerful, and she far outranked him, so he smiled at her as she caught him looking.
She nodded back and continued on with her business.
“Morden?”
Looking up, he saw the door to Kyros’s office was now open, and the large man stood waiting for him as another Reaver left.
Turning, Morden walked into the spacious office. “Admiral,” he said in greeting.
“I heard about your latest operation,” Kyros stated.
Morden gritted his teeth and grimaced.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” the admiral asked.
“I will do better,” Morden replied, standing to attention and doing his best not to give in to the rage that boiled in his core. His heart raced as he thought about Amanda and what she’d cost him, the lives that had been lost.
“You’re damn right you will! Talk about a shit-show. What on Earth is wrong with you? Two failed missions in a row? This isn’t like you, Morden. What’s going on?”
“It’s a Magus, one of Void’s lot. She seems to have focused her attention on me, sir.”
“One of Void’s followers? Void is of no consequence to me or the founders. Only our goal is of any importance. I don’t want excuses, Morden, I want results. The fight against the Exval is unending and relies on Reavers like you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I don’t have to tell you what happens to those who fail us, I hope.”
“No sir.” Morden glanced toward the black hole and gulped.
“Good, then I have another job for you. We’ve analyzed some of the data from your first trip to U-84626, and we’d like you to return there.”
Morden raised an eyebrow. “U-84626?”
“That’s right,” Kyros replied.
The admiral began to brief him about the nature of the mission, but Morden wasn’t listening. Instead, ideas bubbled up about how he could turn this to his advantage.
U-84626 was where he’d first met that meddling Magus Amanda, on Cerka Station. It didn’t sound like he’d be returning there precisely, but maybe he’d be close enough that Amanda would show up, and finally, he could get the revenge he craved.
“Does that make sense?” Kyros asked.
“Of course, sir,” he replied, still unsure what Kyros required of him, and also surprised he’d realized he needed to respond.
“Then get to it, Reaver.”
Morden nodded and strode from the office, exiting the command center and making his way back into the corridor outside, where Lucilia, Zenobia, and Junius were waiting for him.
“Sir? How did it go?” Lucilia asked. “You look pleased.”
“That’s because I am. Come, gather the troops, we have a mission to embark on.”
“So we’re not going after that redhead?”
“Oh, no, we are. Don’t you worry about that. We are.”
TRACES
EARTH DATE: 10.02.8949
LOCATION: Imperial Palace
REGION: Alexandria, Bosporus System, Scipio Empire
Petra sighed and leant back in her office chair. After coming at the data seven different ways, it still presented the same impossible fact: someone was moving stolen goods through Kapalicarsi without starships—or at least, without any starships that she could find.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was magic,” she muttered aloud.
Alastar intoned,
“Yeah yeah, I know the quote. We’re clearly looking at ascended AIs here. But why are they stealing half this stuff? It can’t be tech that they aren’t able to make themselves.”
Petra rose from her chair and turned to the window behind her desk. She’d been sitting for the better part of three hours, so she took a moment to stretch her neck and roll her shoulders before spreading her wings wide, their nine-meter span blocking the light and casting the room behind her in a sinister, red glow.
Petra folded her wings across her back and turned away from the window. “Let’s speak with Diana first. She might be a little miffed if we reach out to Tangel before telling her about this.”
The ambassador snorted a laugh. “You live in my head, but you really don’t pay attention to the interpersonal stuff, do you?”
“Perhaps,” Petra shrugged as she strode across her office to the door. “Still, I’ll talk with her first. Tangel is in the LMC, so I don’t want to pull her back to the Milky Way unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Since a while ago, I guess. Looks like both the Transcend and New Canaan were hedging their bets…and now Airtha controls part of that galaxy.”
Fifteen minutes later, Petra stood in one of Empress Diana’s smaller audience chambers, watching her wife’s expression as she reviewed the intel.
“Well, this is troubling,” Diana finally said as she rose from her throne, light glinting off her gleaming black body as she walked down the steps to the floor where Petra waited.
The Scorpion Empress wasn’t wearing her full regalia today, appearing in a more human form—barring the sable chitin that covered her from sternum to clawed feet, and her long tail, which hovered overhead, darting side to side as she waited for Petra’s reply.
“That describes half of the things that happen around here,” Petra said. “This is beyond ‘troubling’. We don’t know who is behind this, but I can’t imagine it’s anyone good.”
“It’s such a tangled web,” Diana said, her tail still bobbing.
Petra glanced at it, arching a brow. “That thing is really unnerving.”
The empress craned her neck, looking above and behind herself. “Dammit…I try to keep it still, but the thing just loves to bounce around. Normally, I like it, since it’s vaguely threatening….”
Diana reached up and patted the side of the stinger on the end of her tail. “You think I keep this thing loaded?”
“I sure do.” Petra gave an emphatic nod. “You asked Danny to make sure it was ‘fully functional’.”
The empress stroked a clawed finger down Petra’s face. “Maybe I have it filled with love potion.”
“Can we focus?” the ambassador asked. “It looks like several large shipping interests are being hit, and they carry no small amount of military hardware. But it’s all run-of-the-mill stuff. Nothing I can see ascended AIs using.” Petra glanced around the room, re-confirming that only Diana’s guards, the Impera Protego, were present.
The empress nodded, her gaze growing distant. “But there’s a trail here, there has to be. That much cargo doesn’t just teleport from one location to another—ending up in the wrong hands, no less. It has to be some sort of payoff.”
“For access to gate tech?” Petra asked. “Two of the companies service supply installations that control gates in several systems.”
“So far as we know, the ascended AIs already have gate tech, though—plus, they’ve had centuries to steal it.”
“Which faction, though?” Petra asked. “Apparently they’re not a unified front.
”
Diana quirked a half-smile. “Who is? Alright, we don’t know if ascended AIs have picotech, nor if they have stasis tech. If it’s not general destabilization they’re after, they have to be going after one of those.”
“Probably in that order, as well. If one gets picotech, then making stasis shields shouldn’t be too hard—at least, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“Don’t discount destabilization. If they take out our gate network, the war with the Hegemony suddenly gets a lot trickier.”
Petra sighed. “That’s an understatement. What would you like me to do?”
“Oh?” Diana laughed softly. “I get a say? You don’t answer to me.”
A smile worked its way across Petra’s lips. “Not officially. You do have a bit of influence, though.”
“Oh yay! That’s so exciting.” The sovereign’s voice dripped with sarcastic mirth. “And yeah, you should send it up the chain to Sera or Tani—er, Tangel. Whichever makes sense.”
“I think they’re both in the LMC right now, but I’ll ping Tangel, let her loop in Sera as she sees fit.”
Diana turned back to her throne. “Excellent, let me know what she says. Now, I have to get ready for a meeting of the prelates. Care to join?”
“Uhh…no. I have to go compose this message. Very tedious, exacting work.”
The empress snorted as she lowered herself into her seat, taking care to let her tail have room. “Fine. Abandon me like that, but you’ll pay for it later.”
Petra turned toward the exit but glanced back at her wife before reaching the audience chamber’s exit. “I’ll hold you to that.”
NO REST FOR THE REDHEAD
EARTH DATE: 02.05.2020
LOCATION: Amanda’s brownstone
REGION: New York City, Earth,
The air snapped around her as she appeared in the entrance hall of her home. Amanda breathed a sigh of relief and looked around, wondering if anyone else was there.