Starlit Path: A Sci-Fi Thriller (Gunn and Salvo Book 7)

STARLIT PATH GUNN & SALVO BOOK 7 JOSHUA JAMES CONTENTS Get Free Books! Gunn & Salvo series Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Also by Joshua James Copyright © 2021 by Joshua James * * * Cover Artwork by Christian Kallias Edited by Scarlett R. Algee * * * GET FREE BOOKS! Building a relationship with readers is my favorite thing about writing. My regular newsletter, The Reader Crew, is the best way to stay up-to-date on new releases, special offers, and all kinds of cool stuff about science fiction past and present. Just for joining the fun, I’ll send you 3 free books. Join The Reader Crew (it’s free) today! —Joshua James GUNN & SALVO SERIES ALL BOOKS AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED Galaxy Run Friendly Fire Calypso End Bygone Star Infinite Grey Outward Sky Starlit Path Beyond Sol PROLOGUE Daedalus Grey sat in the command chair of his newly acquired ship. For the first time since he’d arrived on Ilium, he was very nearly content with the state of his mission. Regency Walker, the greatest thorn in his side, had been blown to pieces in the depths of space, along with that self-important little worm Nassos Uy. The pilot, Creek Gunnison, had been pulled into a black hole, along with that wretched pet alien of his. True, Okoli Adichie and Uma Salvo had somehow managed to escape, but it was only a matter of time before he caught up with them. Even more satisfyingly, Danaeca Brassius—a longtime enemy of the Dolus—had been waiting for him on Antillia. Oh, it had been such a relief to twist and crack her, to fracture and wreck her. General Black would be jealous that he had been the one to ruin their impertinent adversary. At the moment, Captain Oleus was charting a course toward Pasha’s safe haven on the settlement of Batana, while Danaeca Brassius stood behind Grey’s chair. “How much longer, Captain?” Grey asked. “Only a few hours.” The man looked over his shoulder nervously. The crew didn’t know what Grey was, not exactly, but they knew what he could do. It was enough to keep them in line. “I’ll make sure that you’re informed before we make our final approach.” It was obvious that he was hoping for Grey to grow bored and leave the bridge. Just for that impertinence, Grey settled in. Besides, he had nowhere better to be, and the sooner they reached Batana, the better. Once the last two members of that insolent little crew were dispatched, Grey would finally be content. The voice of the parasite whispered in his ear, urging him to reduce the settlement to little more than debris. Two more deaths would satisfy his sense of revenge, but his passenger wouldn’t be satisfied until everything else went with them. Darkness, after all, was the natural state of the universe, and the Dolus wouldn’t be satisfied until the natural order was restored as every life and star and settlement was returned to the stillness that had reigned in the beginning. It was only a matter of time. 1 Creek Gunnison heaved a few times as they approached the wormhole. The memory of his first trip through the event horizon was much too vivid for his liking, and his head spun as time began to warp and contort around them. In the seat next to him, his father didn’t look much better. Icarus was as pale and gaunt as Gunn had ever seen him, with a deep green pallor that made his face look ghastly in the bright lights of the Odiyan ship. The last few days had been an exercise in personal recalibration. Gunn was still struggling to grasp the implications of being reunited with his long-lost father. Now he was trying to get used to the fact that sweet little Hypatia had become an enormous leggy creature that would have made their old associate, Wells, quake in his theoretical boots. To distract himself from his nausea, Gunn reached over to take his father’s hand, and squeezed Icarus’ fingers in his own. “We’ll be back in Ismaros soon,” he said. “There are some people I want you to meet. Salvo and Regency…Okoli…and you can see Danaeca again.” Icarus relaxed slightly. Gunn had failed to mention Danaeca Brassius’ condition, and he saw no reason to start explaining now, when he didn’t even know for sure that they’d all survived the run-in with their enemy, Daedalus Grey. He refused to consider that something might have happened to any of them. He’d gotten it into his head that to doubt them would be the same as cursing them, even if that made no sense at all. Hypatia strolled over and nudged his knee with her blunt nose. Even when she was trapped between dimensions and could control her appearance, she’d preferred to manifest as something four-legged, and he could finally see why. “Are you ready?” she asked. Gunn nodded. “I’m just hoping I won’t pass out this time.” Hypatia sat down, flicked her tail, and sniffed. “That shouldn’t be a concern, the Odiyan ships are much m o r e a d v a n c e d t h a n y o u r s…” Time spooled out in a disordered thread, stretching and contorting just as it had on their first trip through the wormhole. The Odiyan ship and its alien crew blurred to smudges and smears across his vision. Gunnison pressed his eyes shut and swallowed hard as the ship shuddered beneath them. Only one thought kept him grounded: They were going home. Icarus stood with his face pressed to the glass while