Deracine Sun (Slip Runner Book 5)

J. N. Chaney Copyrighted Material Déraciné Sun Copyright © 2023 by Variant Publications Book design and layout copyright © 2023 by JN Chaney This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from JN Chaney. www.jnchaney.com 1st Edition For Joe Zastrow and Unicorn Girl. Thanks for going on so many Renegade adventures. Strap in, we've got plenty more slips to run! CONTENTS Don’t Miss OutPreviously In Slip RunnerChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25EpilogueAcknowledgmentsGlossaryJoin the ConversationConnect with J.N. ChaneyAbout the Authors Don’t miss out on these exclusive perks: Instant access to free short stories from series like Backyard Starship, Sentenced to War, and more.Receive email updates for new releases and other news.Get notified when we run special deals on books and audiobooks. So, what are you waiting for? Enter your email address at the link below to stay in the loop. Click Here PREVIOUSLY IN SLIP RUNNER BOOK 4, BAD OMENS Cole and his crew traveled to a new corner of the galaxy using August Walton's diary. More mysteries arose from the moment they exited slipspace. A distress beacon led them to a graveyard of inactive ships. Gray identified the doomed fleet to be Anypsian war vessels that created more questions than answers. Morbid as the finding was, it left no doubt that Cole and his crew were on the right track. After tracing the beacon to one of the ships, they found a single surviving soldier amongst the dead. It was just the beginning. Shortly after making contact with the Anypsian, it became clear that not all was as it appeared to be. A parasitic alien race capable of suppressing the consciousness of their hosts set their sights on Gray's people and proved they would stop at nothing in their pursuit of ultimate power. August Walton's diaries led them to the Circle of Knowledge. Run by a group known as Keepers, there they finally obtained the location of Gray's homeworld, Anypsia. That victory was short-lived thanks to an ongoing battle around the SG Point that would take them to their destination. Gray was arrested by Anypsian military command after sacrificing himself for the crew. Cole and the rest of the Star Treader's crew refused to abandon their friend and found a temporary ally in one of the keepers, a cocky AI robot named Sunny. With his help, they traversed the treacherous Hellmouth system, nearly dying in the process. Though they made contact with Gray, he was attacked by a Controller and trapped on an Anypsian warship. Another Keeper named Aaron met with Cole and revealed vital information. Gray was (and still is) unaware that he belonged to an organization dedicated to fighting chaos. Cole learned that his friend has secrets within his mind that cannot get into enemy hands. In book 5, it will be a race against time as Cole embarks on his most important mission yet: saving his friend from a fate worse than death. Oh, and the universe, while he's at it. 1 Schwiiing. Gray’s weapon sliced cleanly through the other Anypsian’s neck in one deft motion. The feed focused on the head’s movement as it began to fall, slowing down to provide an up close and personal view. It was clear that the space slug had reacted quickly enough to disengage from the brain stem and avoid instant death. Both macabre and informative. “Now we know how it survived,” I said, pushing back from the desk. “Which is great and all, but I’m ready to get my friend back. It’s already been an hour, and we don’t have time to waste.” Aaron, the Director of the Keepers, watched me from across the desk. We were still in his office, which was ruthlessly organized for someone who ran a secret society and created super AIs. No pads or works in progress scattered around, no plethora of holo screens scrolling data, and not a single speck of dust in sight. Impressive, since most scientist types were surrounded by clutter. He held up a hand in a stopping motion. “Hold on a second, Riker. While I appreciate your tenacity and go get ‘em attitude, you’re not ready. Frankly, I expected you to be more surprised.” I supposed that his reaction to my hastiness was to be expected. Sunny, the mouthy robot who took us through the Hellmouth and almost got us killed, had confirmed that the gray-haired man sitting across from me was his father. Creator, if you wanted to be technical. And Aaron had just informed me that Gray wasn’t your everyday Anypsian. He belonged to an elite organization that kept the universe in balance, or something along those lines. An Agent of Chaos. It sounded like fiction on the surface. Anypsians were a peaceful race who only fought to defend themselves, making it unbelievable that one of their own could be a super soldier that helped keep the universe in balance. If not for the few times I’d witnessed my wayward friend in assault mode, I’d have laughed in Aaron’s face. “You seem to be under the impression that your news—which is interesting, don’t get me wrong—is a factor in whether I go or not.” I leaned forward and tapped my index finger on the desk impatiently. “Truth is, it isn’t. Gray’s part of my crew. That means I’d go after him whether he was a Chaos Agent or just another petty thief.” Apparently finding that humorous, Aaron laughed. “That’s good. Perfect, actually. I contacted the Agents when I became aware of Gray’s current predicament. The use of Chaos in their name