When The Stars Fade. Adam L. Korenman

      

      THIS IS A GENUINE CALIFORNIA COLDBOOD BOOK

      A California Coldblood Book | Rare Bird Books

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      Los Angeles, CA 90013

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      Copyright © 2015 by Adam Korenman

      FIRST TRADE PAPERBACK ORIGINAL EDITION

      All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, including but not limited to print, audio, and electronic. For more information, address:

      Rare Bird Books Subsidiary Rights Department,

      453 South Spring Street, Suite 302, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

      Set in Goudy Old Style

      Lt. Col. Mark Johnston’s quote for this book reflects his opinion alone and does not reflect the official policy or position of the US Army, Department of Defense, or the US Government.

      Cover art credits: Algol Vector Art and Illustration; Enrico Agostoni; Galyna Andrushko; Iurii Kovalenko; Mehmet Reha Tugcu

      Cover design by Leonard Philbrick

      Printed in the United States

      Distributed by Publishers Group West

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

      Korenman, Adam.

      When The Stars Fade / Adam Korenman.

      pages cm.

      Series : The Gray Wars.

      ISBN 978-1-942600-09-1

      1. Space warfare—Fiction. 2. Outer space—Fiction. 3. Science fiction. 4. Action and adventure—Fiction. I. Series. II. Title.

      PS3611 .O735 W54 2015

      813.6—dc

      DEDICATION

      To my parents, who inspire me to do better.

      To my brother and sister, who drive me to try harder.

      To my friends from high school, who gave me the characters.

      To my friends in California, who held me to a higher standard.

      And to Scott Tipton, who told me that writers finish.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      It feels strange to be back here so soon. When I finished When the Stars Fade a few years back, I told myself it was ready for print. I moved on. And yet, some part of me never quit dreaming of how it could be changed and molded into an even better product.

      Shortly after I proposed to Corinne, I met with a dear friend, Robert Peterson. Bob had written about a million books at that point and was something of a mentor/business partner to me. He impressed upon me that there was a chance to take When the Stars Fade to a new level, starting with a real, live publishing deal. The catch? I had to revisit the recently completed novel and break it up into two books.

      At first I was terrified. I thought then that I had already bled everything onto the pages. I was sure there could be no more gold spun from straw (and yes, I know how egotistical it sounds to compare my writing to gold, but this is my foreword, so there). After a while, however, I realized that this new opportunity would afford me the chance to correct what so many fans had commented on: the science.

      Then I remembered that this was science fiction, so I decided to focus on characters instead.

      This is my definitive edition. This is The Gray Wars as it is meant to be. From an epic, if flawed, trilogy to a (hopefully) driving and emotional hexology. Everything I could squeeze out of my veins went into this, and all I can do now is hope it is enough.

      So, without further ado, here is some stuff I wrote.

      –ADAM KORENMAN

      FOREWORD

       BY SCOTT TIPTON

      When you start to see a little success as a writer, a curious thing happens. Suddenly everyone you know is also a writer, even if they’ve never published a thing in their entire lives. Sometimes they’ve never even finished writing a thing in their entire lives. And now they want you to read what they’re working on, as if you’ve somehow cracked the code and can just swing open the door to a life of book tours and movie deals, canapés and caviar.

      We all know it doesn’t really work like that.

      Sometimes, you can politely beg off, explaining that you can’t read their knockout, can’t-fail idea for a Star Trek/Land of the Lost crossover series, because you’re working on Star Trek already and don’t want to risk being accidentally influenced by their work. Sometimes you agree to look at something and have to find a way to be polite about the work, because you know your friend doesn’t really want to hear the truth. Sometimes they insist, and sometimes you lose a friend.

      And sometimes, if you’re really lucky, someone will hand you a book and you realize you’ve already been friends with an incredibly gifted writer; it’s just that nobody knows it yet.

      That’s what happened to me when Adam Korenman handed me a copy of When The Stars Fade.

      What Korenman has done in the pages that follow is take a lifetime of influences in science fiction, film, video games, comic books—all the things he loves—and masterfully fused it all with the kind of real-world insight, fears, and experience that only come from being at the controls of a three-million-dollar M1A1 Abrams battle tank (Mr. Korenman’s day job, believe it or not). The result is a tremendously ambitious first novel, a galaxy-spanning tale of “hard science fiction” that tackles interplanetary diplomacy, the realities of combat in the vacuum of space, and most of the other tropes you see in countless “war in outer space” stories, only here it all feels so much more…tangible. It’s approachable, even identifiable, thanks to Korenman’s keen ear for dialogue and dead-on instincts about character.

      Sure, it’s a big outer-space war epic. But it’s about people. And it’s got heart.

      One of the best compliments a writer can get from another writer is a simple “Damn, I wish I’d written that.” As much I’d like to be able to say that, I know I’d never have been able to write When the Stars Fade. But I’m delighted to have it here to enjoy.

      And Korenman will get the book tours and caviar all on his own, no doubt.

      – November 2015

      PROLOGUE

      THE KING’S FLEET

      The King gazed out at the stars of creation and rejoiced. In his galaxy, one hundred billion twinkling lights hinted at the possibility of a trillion unknown worlds. Somewhere in the endless spiral were creatures rising from the dirt and seeking out the truth. All He needed to do was to find them and bring them into the fold.

      At His command, the Armada left the safety of the Home System and began the journey outward. Watching the massive ships tear free from the planet’s grasp and ascend into the black night, the King stirred with emotion. He would see the end of this crusade, and the banner of his kingdom would rise over countless worlds in triumph and glory, but this galaxy would be his grave. He imagined what could exist in the Far Keeps, the blossoms of white and blue and yellow that floated just out of reach. In the end, He accepted that even Gods must have their limits.

      In the sky overhead, the Elder Star churned and tumbled. It had long ago collapsed into darkness, well before the Horde took a single step on dry land. The King gave his thanks to the True Father