The Imperium is collapsing under the attack by the Goth Alliance and the hands of an evil mind controller. the Landsman noble family, led by Duke Michael and his cousin, Baron Mitchell, must rally the Human star systems to hold on to what is left of the Imperium.
Earth is destroyed by the Goth Alliance. The Emperor of the star-spanning Imperium dies in the attack and thousands of worlds face an interstellar Dark Age as Pretenders compete for the throne and the Goths run unchecked.
The Goth Alliance is led by a High Priestess under the influence of a parasite inhabiting her brain, giving her mind control powers over humanoids, but requiring deaths of humanoids to survive and procreate. Unfortunately, Humans taste best of all humanoid species, particularly when they die during sex. Her visions of future timelines show Humans as her biggest threat. Her offspring have spread across much of inhabited space.
Duke Michael of the planet New Meyer struggles to keep his world and those of his space-jump chute safe in the increasing chaos as the Imperium disintegrates. He’s faced with the choice of trying to defend his world or a long shot attempt to save the Imperium that makes New Meyer an even bigger target.
Then a billion year old race with the ability to bend space and time and who consider Humans as one of their Chosen Races, intervenes to protect their investment.
Excerpt
Earth is going to die.
The phrase hung fluttering in his mind, a banner to the Imperium’s malaise. Duke Alexander Landsman of the planet New Meyer scanned the opened tactical data windows projected through his optic nerves by his neural implant. All of Sol System lay before him. The Goths had breached the thin defenses at the two jump points a month ago and were advancing on Earth like a tsunami approaching a seaside village. Behind the advancing fleet he made out huge Goth tugs towing hundred-meter diameter asteroids. At least two hundred of them. I watched them gather the asteroids as they closed on Earth. It was like watching the assembly of a firing squad. Five hundred Goth cruisers led the armada, each armed with deadly rail guns and their smaller ship-killing kinetic projectiles.
Pieces of Eight, Part III is a collection of eight novellas to complement the eight in Pieces of Eight, Pieces of Eight, Part II and Pieces of Eight, Part IV.
