The dark days are over.

The secret religious police, Kesek, no longer hold sway over the Realm of Five. Freedom of belief is returned. Now Lieutenant Commander Brian Gaudette of Rescue Operations doesn’t have to hide his own beliefs – and he can read his Bible in peace.

Too bad he doesn’t even want to look at it most days.

He has a new, state-of-the-art starship ready for its maiden cruise – but the first officer is an ex-pirate and the crew fight over suddenly legal religious differences. The Crown Marshals want their people aboard to hunt down Kesek’s remnants. His wife has taken his daughter away for fear of his beliefs.

And Brian has to wonder whether his God — who never seems to be around — will ever give him a straight answer.

When he answers a distress call on a remote planet, Brian will find his faith and duty challenged in ways for which he thinks he is unprepared.

Because Kesek is not gone. They are biding their time. And they have found a weapon that can threaten the balance of power in the galaxy …

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About The Author

Steve Rzasa is the author of several novels of science-fiction, steampunk, and fantasy—with a bunch more in progress. He was first published in 2009 by Marcher Lord Press (now Enclave Publishing). His third novel, Broken Sight, received the 2012 Award for Speculative Fiction from the American Christian Fiction Writers, and his debut novel, The Word Reclaimed, was nominated for the same. The Word Endangered was recently nominated for the Realm Award presented by Realm Makers. Steve grew up in Atco, New Jersey, and started writing stories in grade school. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University, and worked for eight years at newspapers in Maine and Wyoming. He’s been a librarian since 2008, most recently earning his Library Support Staff Certification from the American Library Association in 2014—one of only 135 graduates nationwide and a handful in Wyoming. He is the technical services librarian in Buffalo, Wyoming, where he lives with his wife and two boys. Steve’s a fan of all things science-fiction and superhero, and is also a student of history.

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