Novels by Jamiu

A man who absorbs an abyss will eventually find the abyss looking out through his eyes."Clear the pathway!" Elena screamed, her boots skidding across the slick glass deck as she helped two scouts carry Arthur's limp body down the primary corridor. "Get the medical pods online right now!""Medical bay prepared, ma'am!" the lead scout yelled back, slapping the access panel to slide the heavy bio-chamber doors wide open. "Lay him on the main diagnostic table!"They hoisted Arthur onto the central metal slab. The First Herald immediately projected a ring of intense blue scanning light over his chest, its light flickering in sharp, unstable bursts as it read the altered energy signatures."Herald, what is happening to his body?" Elena demanded, wiping a streak of sweat and dark soot from her forehead as she leaned over Arthur's pale face. "Why is his left eye still glowing like that?""High Commander's bio-signature has undergone a fundamental cellular rewrite," the Herald reported, its v

To destroy an absolute void, you have to let it swallow you whole."Outer hull integrity dropping to forty percent!" the First Herald screamed as alarm klaxons blared across the shaking deck. "The crushing gravity inside the maw is peeling away our primary armor plating!""Keep the thrusters pinned forward!" Elena shouted, grabbing the edge of the navigation table as heavy steel plates ripped off Starward One's bow and vanished into the swirling dark vortex ahead."The thrusters are burning at max capacity, but the gravity is too strong!" the lead scout yelled, his boots sliding against the metal floor as the ship tilted wildly. "We are being crushed before we even reach their primary reactor!""It is not about reaching the reactor with the ship," Arthur said softly, staring at the burning violet text glowing in his mind."What did you say, Arthur?" Elena asked, turning her head toward him as sparks rained down from the ceiling conduits."To slay the Void, the Bearer must become the V

Ten minutes was all it took for an army to turn on its own leader."High Commander, incoming priority transmissions from forty-two militia captains across the armada!" the First Herald announced, its blue light flashing erratically. "They are demanding an immediate audience on the main channel!""Open the channel, Herald," Arthur said, standing tall beside the glass console as the giant void-dreadnought hovered ominously over the view-port.A dozen holograms of pale, sweating militia captains materialized across the bridge."Arthur, you heard Malakor's demand!" Captain Vane shouted, his voice shaking with pure panic as he pointed a trembling finger at the display. "He has a long-range void-projectile locked onto the Iron Hearth! My wife and daughters are down on that surface!""We all have families down there, Vane!" Elena interjected, stepping up beside Arthur with her hand resting firmly on her dagger hilt. "Malakor is playing

Fifty-eight minutes was all that stood between a living galaxy and total extinction."Override the navigation lock!" Elena yelled, slamming her palm against the secondary console as the crimson numbers on the main view-screen ticked down to 00:58:12. "Herald, force the hyper-space drive to engage!""Unable to comply, ma'am," the First Herald reported, its blue form pulsing in quick, frantic patterns. "The hyper-space drives across all three hundred precursor warships are completely locked in stasis.""How can one ring hold an entire armada?" the lead scout asked, his knuckles white as he tried to manually pull the drive levers. "The levers are frozen solid!""High Commander," the Herald stated, directing a focused scan over Arthur's right hand. "The pitch-black ring is drawing power directly from your central nervous system. It is functioning as a living biological anchor, binding the fleet hyper-drive array directly to Malakor's master proto

The face staring back at Arthur from the red light belonged to a dead man."Grandfather?" Arthur whispered, his knuckles going white as he squeezed the flickering void-core in his left hand."Arthur, move away from that projection!" Elena shouted, gesturing for two militia scouts to carry the injured men up toward the lift. "It could be a trap!""Get the scouts to the medical deck," Arthur ordered, his voice remarkably steady despite the storm raging in his chest. "I am taking this core straight to the main command bridge.""I am coming with you," Elena insisted, stepping up beside him with her blade still drawn. "You are not talking to that phantom alone."Five minutes later, Arthur slammed the cracked void-core onto the central glass table of the main command deck. The red light flared instantly, projecting the dark, battle-worn hologram of the ancient man high into the center of the room."Look at you, boy," the holograph

A shadow that moves against the light is never just a shadow."Reentering normal space now," the First Herald reported as the stretching tunnel of hyper-space collapsed around Starward One.Outside the front view-port, three hundred golden precursor warships hovered in tight formation, their drive rings glowing softly in the quiet dark as they maintained their guard perimeter."Signal the armada," Arthur said, leaning over the strategic console on the bridge. "Tell them we are back, but keep all shields at maximum readiness.""Armada acknowledged, High Commander," the Herald replied. "They are holding the perimeter.""Gather everyone around the main console right now," Arthur said, turning to Elena and the militia scouts. "We need a war council. We have to figure out why my family's genetic code is embedded in a signal coming from inside the Null Void."Elena stepped up to the glass board, her forehead wrinkled in deep

Rising mountain floodwaters will sweep away the temporary river bypass in less than three hours if the mill fails to saw heavy structural oak beams for the bridge replacement.The roar of rushing river water filled the damp air inside the timber mill as Sarah and Ethan Vance hurried across the main deck. Outside, muddy mountain runoff surged over the banks, threatening to wash out the wooden bypass downstream. Inside the mill, panicked sawyers shouted over the deep creak of straining wood. Positioned in the center of the building, a multi-blade vertical gang-saw frame sat jammed halfway through a massive white oak log. The log carriage hung frozen on its track, while down in the pit below, the waterwheel drive belt squealed loudly against a stuck wheel."The river level is climbing two inches every ten minutes, Thomas!" a young sawyer named Henry shouted, pointing out the open loading bay toward the roaring torrent. "If we do not get this vertical gang-saw frame moving and slice these

Thousands of raw hides resting inside outdoor lime pits will rot completely into worthless scrap before sunset if an incoming midday heatwave hits the valley while the tannin mill sits dead.The sour smell of lime and wet leather hung heavy over the damp riverbank tannery as Sarah and Ethan Vance stepped onto the gravel path. Outside the open yard, bright sunlight baked down on the stone lime pits, where worker urgency was turning into pure chaos. Positioned inside the crushing shed, a pair of massive granite edge-runner stones sat locked mid-turn within a large cast-iron basin. Thick strips of dried oak bark lay piled underneath the frozen wheels, while outside the timber wall, the main waterwheel shaft squealed loudly against a bound drive wheel."The afternoon sun is already warming up those outdoor lime pits, Marcus!" a young tanner named Eli shouted, waving a wooden rake toward the open yards. "If we do not get these granite runner stones crushing dried oak bark to yield fresh ta

Tons of dried hemp fiber will turn into useless rotting mold inside an hour if fog rolls over the mountain ridge while the main breaker sits dead.Damp mountain air swirled through the high ridge-top barn as Sarah and Ethan Vance stepped onto the timber floor. Outside, thick valley fog rolled fast up the steep slopes. Inside the drafty processing mill, panicked workers shouted over the growing pile of unworked hemp. Stacks of dry stalks backed up against the feed rollers in dangerous piles. Positioned in the center of the room, a massive iron-toothed breaker frame hung frozen mid-stroke, while outside the building wall, the waterwheel drive belt burned against a locked pulley."The valley fog is creeping through the louvers right now, Caleb!" a young fiber dresser named Seth shouted, waving his arms toward the open window frames. "If we do not get this horizontal hemp brake crushing these dry stalks immediately, damp air will soak the crop, and mold will ruin

A four-hundred-pound iron head locked solid above a cooling anvil will destroy a valley harvest before the first rainstorm hits the wheat fields.The deep smell of burning coal and hot metal filled the riverside forge as Sarah and Ethan Vance hurried through the timber doors. Outside, dark storm clouds rolled fast over the mountain peaks, promising heavy rain before nightfall. Inside the smoke-filled smithy, desperate blacksmiths shouted over the hiss of cooling steel. Dozens of glowing red scythe blanks lay cooling rapidly on the stone hearths. Near the main anvil, a massive iron-shod tilt hammer hung completely frozen mid-lift, while outside the wall, the heavy waterwheel shaft groaned hard against its jammed drive gear."The harvest storm will strike the valley in less than two hours, Tobias!" a young scythe-smith named Gideon yelled, waving his heavy iron tongs in wild panic. "If we cannot get this tilt hammer pounding and drawing out these high-carbon ste

A single jammed flour reel overflowing with warm ground wheat will spoil an entire town's weekly bread ration in less than two hours when summer storm humidity hits the mill floor.The heavy scent of ground grain filled the humid air inside the riverside flour mill. Sarah and Ethan Vance hurried across the dusty timber floorboards. Inside the main sifting room, panicked millers were shouting over the alarming rise of warm meal spilling from the upper stones. Tons of fresh unbolted flour backed up into deep piles against the wooden hopper chutes. Positioned along the central wall, a long inclined silk bolting reel sat completely frozen mid-rotation, its delicate cloth frame clogged with flour while the main water drive shaft groaned loudly outside."The storm clouds are rolling directly over the valley right now, Martin!" a young miller named Caleb shouted out, wiping sweat from his white-dusted forehead. "If we cannot get this bolting reel spinning and sifting

A thousand pounds of wet pickled river fish will rot directly on the loading docks by sunset if one heavy iron lathe spindle fails to turn this morning.The river valley cooperage was a loud building filled with shouting men. Sarah and Ethan Vance walked quickly across the sawdust floor. A massive oak cask sat locked completely tight onto the main faceplate of a heavy stave trimming lathe. The wooden drive belt shifter hung in broken pieces from the ceiling. Outside, the river waterwheel groaned against a jammed pulley."The fishing fleet docks in exactly three hours, Elias!" a young cooper named Peter yelled out, holding a long steel turning chisel in his shaking hands. "If we cannot trim these oak staves and build brine tight casks right now, the entire river fish harvest spoils directly in the hot sun!""The drive mandrel is totally dead, Peter!" Elias, the master cooper, shouted back over the loud noise of the rushing river water outside. "The mai