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  Portait picture by Mark Rutley: www.markrutleyphotography.co.uk/

  Publisher’s Note:

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the author’s imagination.

  Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is coincidental.

  Solstice Publishing - www.solsticepublishing.com

  Copyright 2017 – Mark Iles

  Roar of Lions

  Darkening Stars Book 3

  Mark Iles

  Dedication

  To:

  The Royal British Legion

  Combat Stress

  Help for Heroes.

  For your unyielding help and dedication to the wellbeing of Veterans.

  My special thanks to the following Beta Readers: Annette Sindall, Peter Wilhelmsen, and Jason Kurt Easter. Also to The British Science Fiction Association ‘Orbiter 7’ writing group members, who critiqued this book through its many stages: David Allan, Dunstan Power, Alana Farrell, Rosie Oliver, Shellie Hurst.

  To Charlotte, a promise kept.

  Prelude

  A Pride of Lions

  As a young child, Selena Dillon’s world is torn apart when the planets ruler forces her parents to divorce. The Queen forces Selena’s father to marry her, but shortly afterwards he dies in suspicious circumstances, which fuels the belief that he was murdered for refusing the Queen’s demands. Overcome with grief, Selena’s mother commits suicide in front of her and sets in motion a stream of events that will change the fate of humanity.

  As an adult, Selena joins a band of freedom fighters, determined to rid the world of the Queen. When she and her comrades are caught trying to kill her, they’re tried and found guilty for the murder of the guards and attempted regicide. Given the choice of either the death penalty or twenty–five years’ service in the penal regiments, Selena chooses the latter, knowing that if she can survive then one day she’ll be able to come back and try again.

  Much to her surprise, Selena excels at basic training and, following an incident where she turns the tables on her instructors, she meets Commodore Van Pluy, who selects her for officer training. Passing selection with ease, Selena is promoted and posted to a small group of vessels on anti-piracy patrol, along with Kes Philips—her friend from basic training who serves as her sergeant. Her brutal reprisals against the pirates for their harsh treatment of their captives earns her a fearful reputation.

  When her suspicions are raised at the pirates’ successes, and their ease at evading Selena’s ships, she soon discovers a mole who had been tipping the criminals off. Planting information with the pirates that their spy has been discovered and has betrayed them in turn for her freedom, Selena leaves the unfortunate woman planet-side to be murdered. Selena tracks down the pirate horde, capturing them and their government cohorts.

  But something else is happening in the far reaches of the galaxy. Rumours say that the outer colonies are falling silent and it’s soon discovered that they’re being attacked by the alien Manta, a race hellbent on mankind’s destruction. Selena and Kes are called to a meeting by Commodore Van Pluy, where he informs them that unless something can be done about the Manta, and soon, mankind is doomed. Humanity’s weapons are ineffective against the alien ships and the military have had to resort to a scorched-Earth policy, destroying any human world captured by the enemy. With the Federation of Man’s fleet almost destroyed, and their colonies being overrun, the human race is facing annihilation.

  Van Pluy’s plan is simple. He gives Selena command of the Dutch Lady, a ship filled with planet busters and a one-way mission, to attack and destroy the aliens’ home world. But little does Selena know that she’ll fall in love with her pilot Bryn Clayton, that there’s a serial killer in her crew who’s responsible for the death of another crew member’s wife, and that this man is determined to get his revenge—no matter what the cost.

  During a skirmish with the enemy, the Magellan, their transport to the Dutch Lady, is damaged and they’re forced to land on Loreen, a planet of apparent little consequence. After helping to defend the military base from a joint force of rebels and colonists determined to seize the Magellan and make their escape, Selena calms the colonists with promises of the food and the aid they so desperately need. She sets them free, despite their crime of aiding the rebels.

  The grateful colonists reveal the existence of a strange building hidden within a hill. Investigating it, Selena and her team discover a maze of interlocking underground tunnels, which they call rabbit holes, that lead first to a world they name Eden and, from there, other worlds. Many of these planets were once inhabited by the mythical ForeRunners, a race of ancient humans who were defeated by the alien Manta in a long-forgotten war.

  Realising the importance of the discovery, Selena promises the colonists her utmost protection from the alien invaders, in return for citizenship for every penal soldier, past, present and future. With the agreement signed, Selena and her crew continue on their way in the Magellan and soon board their asteroid vessel.

  Having launched their attack on the enemy planet, the Dutch Lady battled its way through clouds of fighters and battle stations while the Manta break through the surface of their asteroid ship. Just before impact, Selena and the others escape in a lifeboat, only to be hit by enemy fire and they crash land on a backwater world.

  With Bryn mortally wounded during the landing, Selena finally comes to understand why her mother couldn’t live without the man she so desperately loved. When the Magellan arrives to rescue the survivors Selena stays behind, planning to die at her lover’s grave when the planet is destroyed. But at the last moment Selena is rescued by her teammates, Kes and Singh. They tell her that Hope, the daughter of friends on the planet Loreen, is now missing and that they need to find her.

  They also tell Selena that the Manta were not destroyed in their attack. Some of the enemy survived and have now invaded Selena’s home world. Realising that she must ignore her feelings and honour her obligations, Selena and the other survivors travel back to Loreen to find Hope and to help mankind in their battle against the Manta once more.

  The Cull of Lions

  Believing the Manta to be destroyed, the Federation of Man fear the power the Penal Corps have gained and ambushes their fleet, killing thousands of loyal soldiers. The bitter fighting that results between the opposing forces is short-lived however, as humanity is forced to unite once again when the Manta reappear and invade Selena’s home world, where they manage to build nests and begin breeding. The combined human forces attack the Manta and destroy them all barring one nest, planning their final assault the next morning.

  Capulet City is attacked during the night, as a ruse to allow Manta survivors to flee into the planet’s forests. F.O.M. regular forces are tasked with destroying the last nest, while Selena and her troops pursue the fleeing Manta.

  The aliens have booby-trapped the nest and the regulars attacking it are killed in the resulting explosion. During their pursuit of the enemy, Selena’s troops are set upon by a pack of Lenars, a race of catlike creatures who’d plagued Capulets first colonists but have long since thought to be extinct.

  In a bizarre twist of fate, the Manta come to Selena’s aid, and for the first time Selena finds herself facing the bug-like creatures with neither side firing in anger. The Manta are rescued by a strange amoebic
vessel piloted by the Sken, allies of the Manta that no one had heard of until then. Selena finds one of the Lenar cubs, which has been abandoned and, out of pity, adopts it—naming the black-furred, six-legged creature Shadow.

  With the Manta now out of the way, and the reason for the brief alliance over, the F.O.M. forces suddenly turn and attack the Penal Regiments defending Capulet in an attempt to grab the planet for themselves. When ForeRunner ships appear, and join in the battle on the F.O.M. side, Selena realises that these new foes have been behind much of the trouble that has plagued humanity. As fighting becomes desperate, a fleet of Manta and Sken vessels appear and help the Penal regiments defeat their foes.

  Selena learns that in a bygone age the Manta had fought, and won, a war with the ForeRunners, who were in fact ancestors of the human race. Fearing their old enemy had returned, the Manta had lashed out at Mankind, causing the war that had devastated so many worlds. Finally realising their mistake, they and their Sken allies came to the Penal Corps’ aid.

  In the past, many human worlds had been abandoned and left to fend for themselves against the Manta invaders. Dismayed at their treatment, these worlds have since left the F.O.M. and joined with the Penal Corps in their newly formed Alliance of Worlds. In a historic move, both Manta and Sken also join.

  When Selena discovers that the Lenars are an empathic, sentient race who can use their powers to detect ForeRunners, she instructs Lieutenant Jessica Roberts, a lieutenant in the Penal Corps, to create teams of humans and Lenars to unmask ForeRunners. In doing so she discovers one of them within her own squad.

  Selena speaks to her Aunt May and is told that, as she is the Queen’s step-daughter, she herself is next in line to the throne. Captured and accused of trying to kill the Queen, Selena is sent back to Loreen, demoted and given ten lashes—plus an additional five years’ servitude. Enraged, Selena finally begins to plan her revenge in earnest.

  Chapter One

  Clumps of dirt fell around Selena as she dug her alloy fingernails into the crumbling earth and dragged herself upwards. Breath rasping in her throat, she shoved her boots into the ground and tried to propel herself up the slope. The arid gray-brown earth coated her mouth and nose, making her choke and spit to get rid of the dusty taste in her mouth. Sweat poured down her face, making clear tracks through the grime. Cursing to herself, she pushed on.

  Around her, others slipped and slid passed time and again, their breath harsh as they too strove to climb towards the peak, determination painted on their faces. There the Physical Trainer waited impatiently with a disgusted expression, next to a lonely threadbare tree.

  Finally, Selena pulled herself over the ridge at the top and fell in with the few heaving, out of breath troopers who’d made it there before her. The acrid stench of sweat laced the air. Many were so exhausted they could hardly stand. Some were semi-supported by their comrades while others simply fell to their knees. The shaven-headed bulldog of a corporal’s lips curled back as he looked at them with contempt and snarled:

  “You’re supposed to be trained soldiers, the crème-da-la-crème. The universe is supposed to be scared of you, even God himself wary while the devil salutes you. But look at you, my grandmother could do better than you lot and she’s been dead for ten years. We’ll wait for the stragglers to get up here and then you can shift your sorry, lardy arses back down that hill and do it all over again.”

  His bright blue eyes narrowed as his gaze locked onto Selena. “You have something to say, Commander?”

  “No, Staff.”

  “Good. Think you’re something special, do you?”

  “No, Staff.”

  “That’s not what I’ve heard. Let’s see how good you really are.” His eyes shone with contempt as the last few stragglers dragged themselves over the rim. Without giving them a chance to rest he bellowed, “Get yourselves back down the hill, and take these sorry excuses with you – and that means now!”

  Without a word, Selena turned and leapt over the rim. They all knew that if they failed to make the grade the corporal was within his rights to recommend them to be discharged and shipped to the mines. There life was often short term.

  Selena slipped and slid in the loose earth all the way to the bottom. She took a moment to catch her breath, while the others landed in clouds of dust and falling earth beside her. They waited for the start whistle and, as its shrill call cut through the crisp morning air, Selena leapt towards the slope like a woman possessed, tearing at the soil and driving herself upwards. Seeing a root jutting from the hillside, she grabbed at it, but the root came free and she slithered further down the slope. Taking advantage of her mishap, one of her peers scampered past, using one of her hands as a stepping post. Selena clenched her teeth, spat out a mouthful of soil and fought her way upwards once again, grinning insanely as the poor unfortunate ahead of her made a mistake and tumbled past her all the way to the bottom.

  Using her anger and determination, she focused on the rim above and before long found herself standing in front of the corporal once again. Selena caught a glimpse of a half-sarcastic smile on his face, before it was quickly replaced by a scowl.

  “So, you’re first this time, Ma’am. A word to the wise, you need to remember good officers don’t just lead by example. They chivvy their soldiers, and physically drag them along if need be. We don’t leave troops behind. You’ve a lot to learn yet, Commander.”

  ***

  One of the few perks afforded Selena as an officer was her own room, which came with an ensuite shower. She stripped, dropping her clothes onto the white-tiled floor, pressed the power button and luxuriated in the two minutes’ hot water afforded her. Turning it off, she pressed the dispenser and rubbed its soapy solution into her face and all over her body, to rid herself of the ingrained dirt.

  An image of her mother flashed into her mind, followed by her father and Bryn—the only man she’d ever loved—all of them dead now. Selena shook her head to dispel the bitter memories and turned the shower back on again, to rinse herself. Once the water shut off, she tapped the blower. Hot air breathed over her from all sides, as she stretched and rubbed the remaining droplets from her body.

  Pushing aside the shower curtain, Selena stood in front of the full-length mirror. Wiping at the steamed glass, she stared at herself. She’d lost weight again. Her body was well honed, yet her ribs showed and those once full breasts were now shrunken buns.

  Picking up her garments, her nose twitched. Despite the retardants, they stank heavily of sweat and dirt. A flick of her hand sent the clothes flying across the room and into the wash bin. Striding back into her bedroom, Selena pulled fresh underwear and a uniform from a drawer and dressed rapidly, savouring the cool feeling of clean clothes. The mud and dust had fallen from the retardant material of her boots during the run back to their accommodations, yet she ran a clean cloth over them, quickly bringing them to an impressive gleam. Again, she looked at herself in the mirror. Smoothing the arms of the thin, black leather-like material of her uniform, she made a coffee from the dispenser and sat on a chair, looking out of the single window to the parade ground several floors below.

  Memories of Bryn crept in; along with a vision of his grave on a faraway world. A loud knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. “What is it?”

  “Commander Dillon, the Admiral wants to see you,” a rough voice said through the closed, wood-effect door.

  Interest piqued, Selena stood, before placing her coffee next to the pot and taking a long deep breath, before breathing out slowly. This had been a long time coming. “Tell him I’ll be right there.” She turned to check her outfit once more, in the body-length mirror painted onto the wall, and ran a finger through her tightly cropped hair. Satisfied, she left the room, strode out of the building and across the square parade ground, which was still damp from the light shower of rain a short time ago. Before long she stood in front of Admiral Van Pluy’s office. Selena knocked, loudly.

  “Come in.” The now white-haire
d, thickset admiral looked up, as she entered and stood at attention in front of him, eyes front. “Ah, Dillon, relax and sit down.” He looked across at her as she slid into one of the real wooden chairs in front of his desk. “I take it you’re all healed?”

  “You can’t see the marks from the lashes, if that’s what you mean, Sir. The cosmetic surgeons did a good job, although I asked them to leave a scar or two – you know, as mementoes. Apologies for my intrusion. I understand you wanted to see me.”

  “Yes, there are several things I want to talk about. First, however, is that I need you to know that we didn’t have much of a choice about the punishment you were given. Queen Miranda of Capulet insisted you be punished harshly, and to be honest, quite rightly too. After all, you did threaten to kill her. The cam and witness evidence was irrefutable.”

  Her sharp blue eyes narrowed. “I’ve never denied it, Sir; and that promise still stands. When all of this is over, there will be a reckoning.” She paused. “For your information, I know now that you’re her brother. You were also my father’s best friend, Aunt May told me all about it. She also said you all knew each other as children. “Personally, I don’t believe you being the bitch’s brother had anything to do with the punishment, because I know you have reason to hate her too. It must have sucked when she sent you to the regiments for trying to help her and failing, when she was forced to marry the former king. What I don’t know is why you helped in my career. Was it out of friendship for my father, or just so you could keep an eye on me for your sister, in the hope that she’d forgive you and rescind your sentence?”

  Van Pluy put a fat cigar in his mouth and sucked noisily until it self-ignited. He blew a long fragrant cloud of gray smoke to one side; the small aircon on his desk kicked in and battled the smoke valiantly. “I don’t have to explain myself to you and I’m getting a little tired of your attitude, but for your information it was neither. When you and I met for the first time I wasn’t aware of your history, nor that you were my friend, Raynor’s, daughter. All I saw was a good soldier. You were selected for officer training on merit, nothing more. Dillon’s a common name—how was I to know who you were?” He took another puff.