SERIAL NOVEL

Sidereal Dawn, Ch. 4

Forking Paths

New to Sidereal Dawn? Start with Chapter 1: Mote of Dust

The frontier of night raced down the length of Helios. Jaxen watched the dark curtain envelop the towers ahead of him in rapid succession. The last oblique beams of sunlight flashed off each angular plate of glass, creating a procession of sparkles that dazzled the eye. Jaxen felt the warm glow of the sun fade from his skin as the cool night swept over him. Above, through the helical clouds and transparent panel of aluminum oxynitride, crisp starlight shone through from one of Helios’ three reflector mirrors.

Jaxen pushed through a crowd gathered outside a dimly lit bar. Inside, shadowy figures moved beneath anemic LEDs that flickered in fits. The intermittent lights undoubtedly a budgetary, as opposed to aesthetic, choice. Jaxen kept his gaze forward as he split the crowd with his leading arm. Something grabbed his trailing wrist, pulling him back.

Blood-shot eyes starred up at Jaxen from a pale face. They belonged to a stooped man with wild hair and tattered clothes. His rasp voice asked, “Buddy, wanna buy some opiocannabinoids?”

Jaxen instinctively twisted his wrist in a circle, freeing it from the gaunt man’s hand and unleashing a jab with his open palm. The response had become…