Pyreans Series by S.H. Jucha

Captain Jessie Cinders faces a hazardous choice. The murderer of the governor’s nephew stands before him. But, the frightened teenager, Aurelia Garmenti, doesn’t resemble the commandant’s description of the vicious, hardened killer his security forces seek.To complicate matters, Jessie’s mind has felt Aurelia’s mental powers. The girl is an empath, who escaped the domes below and rode the El car to reach the JOS, Pyre’s orbital station. This shouldn’t be possible... moreCaptain Jessie Cinders faces a hazardous choice. The murderer of the governor’s nephew stands before him. But, the frightened teenager, Aurelia Garmenti, doesn’t resemble the commandant’s description of the vicious, hardened killer his security forces seek.To complicate matters, Jessie’s mind has felt Aurelia’s mental powers. The girl is an empath, who escaped the domes below and rode the El car to reach the JOS, Pyre’s orbital station. This shouldn’t be possible. The century-old agreement between topsiders and downsiders forbids the domes to knowingly admit empaths.If Jessie decides to protect Aurelia until he can discover the truth of the accusations against her, he risks his company and ships to the commandant’s wrath, if his actions are uncovered. In the midst of Jessie’s complicated maneuvers to keep Aurelia safe, he receives a call from one of his mining captains and learns of a strange find on Pyre’s far moon, Triton.Meanwhile, the domes’ governor, Markos Andropov, is desperate to apprehend Aurelia and return her downside, before the girl can reveal his sordid secret. Aurelia lived her entire life imprisoned in the governor’s house with her sister and her mother, whom Markos kidnapped from the JOS seventeen years ago. If the governor’s crimes became public, it would jeopardize the Andropov dynasty’s rule of the domes. Pyrean factions engage in a struggle against one another to possess Aurelia and use her to gain the upper hand. The ultimate prize is the complete domination of Pyre. less

Pyre is a volatile planet. Its surface belches heat and noxious gases, forcing downsiders to inhabit domes. But Pyre’s instability isn’t limited to its geology. The colonists, who were marooned in the system hundreds of years ago, have endured a tumultuous history.Exploring Triton, Pyre’s third moon, spacers inadvertently activate an alien dome... morePyre is a volatile planet. Its surface belches heat and noxious gases, forcing downsiders to inhabit domes. But Pyre’s instability isn’t limited to its geology. The colonists, who were marooned in the system hundreds of years ago, have endured a tumultuous history.Exploring Triton, Pyre’s third moon, spacers inadvertently activate an alien dome. When nothing came of it, they combined their mining ships with the "Honora Belle," the aging colony vessel, to sling slush, frozen gases, at Emperion, Pyre’s second moon.Nearly a year later, the Belle’s bridge crew, who monitors the alien site, is alarmed, when they witness a bright blue light shoot from the dome’s platform and merge with the shield. The alien site isn’t an entertainment stage, as Captain Jessie Cinders had facetiously mused. It’s a gate, and aliens have arrived.Much to the consternation of the duplicitous downside governor and station commandant, the spacers, who triggered the dome, journey to Triton to meet the arrivals. Discussions with the aliens leads Jessie to understand these entities might be responsible for the destruction of Pyre, and they’re offering to resurrect the planet out of remorse.The commandant and the governor insist the aliens wish to repair Pyre for themselves, and the citizens are confused about who might be right. Only time will tell which groups prove to be correct. The danger lies in the possibility that the spacers are being fooled and the aliens are seeking to conquer the planet. In which case, humans might learn the truth too late. less

Pyre’s humans suffer multiple cultural shocks. They discovered the Messinants dome, an ancient construction that houses a quantum-coupled gate. More shocking, they find that sentient alien races utilize a network of these domes to journey between their far distant worlds in pursuit of alliance matters. If humans wish to join this elite collection of sentients, they must contribute significantly in trade, tech, or something of equal value... morePyre’s humans suffer multiple cultural shocks. They discovered the Messinants dome, an ancient construction that houses a quantum-coupled gate. More shocking, they find that sentient alien races utilize a network of these domes to journey between their far distant worlds in pursuit of alliance matters. If humans wish to join this elite collection of sentients, they must contribute significantly in trade, tech, or something of equal value. Unfortunately, Pyreans are a nascent society, and they possess none of the economic attributes to recommend them to the alliance. Her Highness Tacticnok, the Jatouche heir, makes Captain Harbour, a Pyrean empath, a tempting offer. Accepting Tacticnok’s offer has the potential to dramatically change the future of the struggling Pyreans for the better. However, Harbour must strike a balance with the various dysfunctional factions of her society if she wishes to engage the Jatouche. Neither Tacticnok nor Harbour has any idea what the two races might discover mutually beneficial, but the Jatouche do have two great problems. Despite the superior medical services the Jatouche provide to every other species, they’re viewed as junior members of the alliance by the council, the Tsargit, and they dearly want that changed. And there’s an ugliness that haunts the Jatouche. Their gate number five leads to the Colony, a collection of aggressive and deadly species bent on escaping their single world, and the Jatouche have no concept of how to confront the horror. less

A triumvirate of Veklocks, emissaries of the Tsargit, the alliance governing body, negotiates with Harbour, the Pyrean envoy, about critical projects the Pyreans need. But it’s possible that the Veklocks ask for too much in return. The Veklocks require the Pyreans to explore the extent of the Colony’s usurpation of domes. The Colony is composed of two insectoid species, the grays and the reds... moreA triumvirate of Veklocks, emissaries of the Tsargit, the alliance governing body, negotiates with Harbour, the Pyrean envoy, about critical projects the Pyreans need. But it’s possible that the Veklocks ask for too much in return. The Veklocks require the Pyreans to explore the extent of the Colony’s usurpation of domes. The Colony is composed of two insectoid species, the grays and the reds. They’re aggressive three- and five-meter long insectoids with venomous pincers that live for the expansion of their race. The Pyreans already lost one member of their team on their first exploration and are hesitant to meet the Colony again, unless they’re better prepared. Harbour and Jessie, her advisor, have an opportunity to demand a high price from the Tsargit through their negotiations with the Veklocks. But will it be worth the risk to their team to bring back the information the council demands? After negotiations are concluded, Harbour and Jessie are shocked to learn that the Tsargit council is not to be trusted. The council uses the Veklocks as intermediaries so they might later deny various aspects of the agreement as having not been fulfilled. Before the journey to encounter the Colony, Harbour requests a plebiscite to restore the original conditions of Pyre’s government. If passed, and the Pyrean downsiders lose the subsequent election, it could spell the end of their power. The leader of the downsiders’ council is determined not to let that happen under any circumstances. less