Defender of the Empire Series by Catherine Beery

Welcome to the Spectral Empire. A galactic empire enfolding hundreds of colony worlds governed by the Twenty-Five Prime Worlds who are in turn ruled by the Imperial Council and the Emperor. A society of great advancement but broken and under threat…My name is Rylynn Sinclair of Colony Lenti. I have lived there with my Aunt Sylvia for as long as I can remember. We were by no means rich, but we were happy. We had a roof over our heads and food on the table... moreWelcome to the Spectral Empire. A galactic empire enfolding hundreds of colony worlds governed by the Twenty-Five Prime Worlds who are in turn ruled by the Imperial Council and the Emperor. A society of great advancement but broken and under threat…My name is Rylynn Sinclair of Colony Lenti. I have lived there with my Aunt Sylvia for as long as I can remember. We were by no means rich, but we were happy. We had a roof over our heads and food on the table. So what if the neighbor was a mean drunk and I was often bullied by the resident gang? I had a home.My simple life had a hole blown into it when I was thirteen. My home was destroyed the day before the mercenary scourge of the Empire came. War, in all but name, began. And because certain interests were left alone, no help was forthcoming from our noble Prime World. Survival became the only playable card. When I saw that my group of hopeful escapees were in danger of being killed by a pair of hunting Telmicks I traded my life for their chance to escape…And that is when everything… well…went weird. I was saved and given a new life as a cadet in the illustrious Legion Fleet Academy: a position never before held by a mere colonist. Not only that, I became involved in the Admiral’s Competition. And to add to the weirdness that my life had become, I started hearing voices. Many voices. Some helpful. Others just cryptic. And all of this on top of being the only witness to a serial killer… less

My name is Rylynn Sinclair, and I have survived the Admiral’s Challenge and my first month at the Legion Fleet Academy. I was even made a crewman, along with my friends, stationed on the Hail Mary. I was moving up in life and my focus was on the future.Unfortunately, my past wasn’t finished with me.It all started with Ace showing up in my room talking with my roommate, and the letter he had... moreMy name is Rylynn Sinclair, and I have survived the Admiral’s Challenge and my first month at the Legion Fleet Academy. I was even made a crewman, along with my friends, stationed on the Hail Mary. I was moving up in life and my focus was on the future.Unfortunately, my past wasn’t finished with me.It all started with Ace showing up in my room talking with my roommate, and the letter he had. From that point on, everything in my life started to pull me back to Colony Lenti and the secrets that surrounded it. It is truly bizarre to find out you know so little about your own home—that you had been naively believing all the facades were real. Somehow, I still had to figure out how to save my Spectral from ex-Admiral Knight.Armed with only questions, I found myself back where I had started and thrust into the arms of an enemy I hadn’t even known I had… less

Three cycles … Three cycles is both a short length of time and a long one. Longer when the jackals howl and the storm batters against your flimsy shelter…The enemies of the Spectral Empire have arrived and traitors have shown themselves. But so, too, has an ancient enemy most have forgotten. Besieged by three distinct attackers, the Spectral Empire finds itself clinging to existence... moreThree cycles … Three cycles is both a short length of time and a long one. Longer when the jackals howl and the storm batters against your flimsy shelter…The enemies of the Spectral Empire have arrived and traitors have shown themselves. But so, too, has an ancient enemy most have forgotten. Besieged by three distinct attackers, the Spectral Empire finds itself clinging to existence. As tough as two of the enemies are to fight, the third is impossible — the one who you can’t see, yet who devours you and any other living being before it. To have a chance against the traitors and Zar’dakens, the Soul Shadows must go.But how does one fight a Shadow?My name is Rylynn Sinclair and I don’t know the answer to that … at least, not yet. less