Story So Far

  The year is 2257, and Earth is dead. Following the collapse and reformation of the old world powers, the Combined Corporations of Humanity is one of three major factions leading the charge of expansion into the stars. Salvador Vigino, the troubled leader of his squad, The Torchers, within Henry and Huell Incorporated’s expeditionary fleet, works aboard the colony ship of Starheart. As the fleet reaches the end of their search for a planet to settle, they encounter a vast, unknown fleet of ships, and the other colony ship, Ruby Eye, explodes.

  After evacuating their own ship, Sal’s team arrive one of the alien vessels and encounter the curious race of the Cambiar. Unfamiliar with humanity and their many faculties, the crew of Starheart recollect themselves and undergo first contact with the blank-slate of a species. Salvador and his friends find each of themselves paired up with an alien companion of the Out-Han people, and spends time bonding and educating his inquisitive, and overly touchy, partner G9. After an excursion to the remains of Ruby Eye alongside a certain Dr Michaels, Sal uncovers evidence of both internal explosives and smuggled goreskins inside the destroyed ship, hinting at greater schemes at play than an accident.

  Now aware traitors are around them, H&H decides to wait for assistance from the CCH capital and restricts all movement outside the Out-Han fleet until the situation is resolved. Salvador spends time learning about the strange race of aliens as he comes to terms with his own future. Little by little, the Cambiar come to learn and adopt many of humanity’s aspects for themselves, developing personalities, feelings and sexual inclinations to better fit their new guests. G9, now renaming herself as Xeena, comes to define herself over time and develops feelings for Salvador whilst he uncovers some dark secrets regarding the mechanically augmented Keepers whom allow human FTL travel to function.

  Starheart is cleared and access is granted back onto the ship. However, before they can even settle in, the group of engineers are alerted to another, overlooked bomb still armed aboard the ship. In an act of defiance, Salvador located and disarms the bomb with Xeena’s help. Celebrated as heroes, Xeena expresses her feelings towards a drunken Salvador, who falls asleep before he can remember. As news of H&H’s relief fleet is announced, Salvador becomes withdrawn as he reveals his difficult past to Xeena. After familial troubles, he barely survived a traumatic disaster on board a space station during his teenage years, cementing his perspective on self-reliance and why he focuses on self-sabotaging future prospects. Relieved to have finally expressed his past, the two make love the night before H&H’s arrival.

  After docking, Salvador initially decides to leave his team to return to Titanlock, too afraid of an unknown future. However, as the traitors within the Out-Han reveal themselves, a mixture of Heaven’s Doctrine warriors and Paradisian cultists, he overcomes his past trauma and returns to save his friends. As he makes his way through Starheart and then the Cambiar ship of Fifth Spoke, he fights his way through both Doctrine and Paradise forces. Eventually, he is injured but saved by Dr Michaels, who reveals himself to be renowned Heaven’s Doctrine warrior Mikhail Olegovich. After meeting up with his team, they split up to deactivate the sabotaged S-Drive and Fusion engine of the ship to save the fleet. Xeena battles the warlord Zafar Ironskin as Salvador and his friend Able struggle against a maniacal Cambiar from the Ten-Tri. Just as all hope is lost, Thomas, the Keeper who revealed the secrets behind the Keeper profession, uncovers mysterious code within the S-Drive.

  In a burst of energy, Salvador becomes able to see into the future, and Xeena is able to speed up her adaptability dramatically through her connection to Sal. With the warlord defeated and the fleet saved, the pair reunite. In the epilogue, Salvador’s team celebrate their integration into the Out-Han as Henry and Huell collapses. With the future looking bright, Salvador reminisces on his past and his new outlook, friends by his side and a lover in his arms. Meanwhile, after publicly denouncing the Jade Emperor, Mikhail defects to the Ten-Tri and celebrates at signs of other life beyond the stars.

  With mysteries abound, the xenophobic Tylas on the horizon and secrets hiding within the S-Drive, what happens next can only be discovered in the next story in the Breaking the Surface series - Hot & Cold!

  Glossary

  CCH – The Combined Corporations of Humanity. Formed from a coalition of independent companies escaping the territory of Paradise and Heaven’s Doctrine. Controlled by a number of colossal megacorporations. Capital is the space station of Titanlock.

  Titanlock – The capital settlement of the CCH. Located in and around the asteroid Gaia, and originally composed of the two colony ships of Atlas and Sol’s Core. Has suffered from an increasingly hierarchical structure, with the lower sections falling into disarray, and the most wealthy living on the surface or on satellite stations.

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  GaltCorp – Gallant Corporation. One of the founding megacompanies of the CCH, and the most focused on technological advancement. Developed the S-Drive back on Earth in the 2100s.

  Heaven’s Doctrine – A violent, warlord-based state of feuding clans under the control of the Jade Emperor. Founded from a coup of the People’s Republic of China, the empire’s main rival is Paradise, though they are known to raid and attack the CCH on occasion. Undergoing a tumultuous civil war following Surrender, Surrender, with a Separatist faction attempting to seize control of the throne.

  Jade Emperor – Yuan Xie, the founder and powerful leader of Heaven’s Doctrine. Regarded as the oldest living human, due his usage of Evergreen, he has cemented himself as one of the most feared men in the galaxy. Betrayed by Mikhail Olegovich in Surrender, Surrender, exposing his frail state, and leading to his latest moniker of the Corpse Emperor.

  Paradise – An authoritarian nation formed during the second civil war of the USA. Their innerworkings are unknown the greater masses, and are believed to be the most powerful of all the human factions. Utilizes systematic oppression through mental conditioning and brain-altering surgery at birth to control a slave-like population. Has been quiet since Surrender, Surrender, and their current activities are unknown.

  The Council – The shadowy leader(s) of Paradise. Their identities are unknown, and the truth behind their existence is equally murky. Rumoured to reside in the hidden system of Watcher’s Rim.

  Goreskin – An artificially vat-grown human, often utilized by Paradise as a cheap shock unit. In recent years has seen more frequent usage by Heaven’s Doctrine. Known for their aggression and imposing stature, they represent what Paradise is willing to sacrifice for their goals.

  S-Drive – Also known as the Schr?dinger-Drive. An advanced device allowing instant teleportation between two points in space. Allowed humanity to begin colonising the stars. Requires additional equipment to permit safe travel without killing crew members.

  S-Field – The area of altered reality emitted by an S-Drive that allows the engine to collapse the waveforms of matter at one spot and to reform it at another.

  QIS Pattern – Quantum Identity Structure Pattern. A non-matter based structure that contains the memories, knowledge and consciousness of a living organism. Present in all sentient life. Disconnection between the QIS Pattern and a person’s body, as is the case with S-Drive teleportation, results in brain death.

  CAI – Copied Artificial Intelligence. A form of digitized personality produced by the copying of a person’s neural pattern.

  Borg – Slang. Short for cyborg, typically refers to anyone with significant cybernetic implants.

  Bary-plate – Shortening of baryonic gravitation plate. A metallic glass produced through S-Field insertion of regular materials that produces a form of artificial gravity. Used in the lining of ship decks.

  Proto-Wave – Slang. Refers to media or technology produced before the achievement of FTL space travel. Typically refers to the earlier half of the 21st century, as the latter half saw far more conflict and less stability.

  Neo-Wave – Slang. Refers to media or technology produced after the achievement of FTL space travel. In terms of newer media, though glossy and slick, they are often criticized for lacking substance or rehashing old media.

  Evergreen – A medicine that slows and reverses the effects of aging for the user. Incredibly expensive, limited to only the most privileged.

  Keeper – A person who has undergone a full-body replacement augmentation process for the purposes of allowing safe FTL travel using the S-Drive. Acts as an anchor point for the crews’ QIS Patterns during teleportation. As revealed in Surrender, Surrender, almost all Keepers were forced into their roles from childhood.

  Syraline – An exotic matter that takes the form of a prismatic, white metal. Boasts an incredibly high durability-to-weight ratio and increases the effectiveness of other exotic matter-based technology, such as S-Drives. Absurdly expensive, limited to paper-thin sheets for most applications.

  Cambiar – An alien race of quadrupedal adaptive lifeforms. Originating from Nexus Prime, the species is able to adjust their genetic code on the fly, allowing all manner of changes to the physiology. Originally unthinking, the species underwent a great upheaval following the Great Awakening, leading to their massive empire splintering into smaller groups. Encountered during Surrender, Surrender. Has a thick tail, four legs, zygodactyl digits, a long, tapering head sporting small tendrils to the rear, a wide jaw containing a singular digestive tubule surrounded by three vocal tentacles, and dozens of black eyestalks protected behind a visor. Other morphological features, such as size, colour, number of additional limbs and attitude vary on a per individual basis.

  Rexia – One of the traditional castes of Cambiar physiology. Tall and thin, they have an organic crown as part of their skull. Previously acting in a leadership role in the Cambiar’s past, though the requirements for such features have effectively been dismissed after contact with humanity.

  Out-Han – The Cycle of Outstretched Hands. One of the splinter nations of the original Cambiar empire. Underwent a first encounter with humanity during Surrender, Surrender. Has since reformed into the Out-Han Alliance, absorbing many of the employees of the liquidated megacorporation of Henry and Huell Incorporated.

  Ten-Tri – The Ten-Tools of Triumph. Another splinter nation of the original Cambiar empire. Was revealed to have been in contact with the Jade Emperor prior to Surrender, Surrender, though the nation has since cut ties with Heaven’s Doctrine following their attempted attack on the Out-Han fleet. Additionally acquired a sizeable number of humans from both the CCH and Doctrine since their recruitment of Mikhail ‘One-Shot’ Olegovich, ex-Doctrine warrior.

  Tylas – A mysterious race of floating, inorganic aliens. Currently undergoing diplomatic discussions with GaltCorp at their outer-most settlement, Kral’Thul. Time will tell what will happen between the corporations and the religious xenophobes.