Dark Mind

Dark Mind
Ian Douglas

The seventh book in this action-packed, New York Times bestselling science fiction series - STAR CARRIER.The civil war might be over, but war for the galaxy might just be beginning…2425. The civil war between the United States of North America and the Pan-European Confederation is over. But before a new era of peace on Earth can begin, humankind must martial its interstellar forces as one fleet to engage in a war against an alien entity in Omega Centauri.Without provocation, it destroyed a Confederation science facility inhabited by 12,000 people, and it must be neutralized before it sets its sights on Earth.But Admiral Trevor ‘Sandy’ Gray of the USNA star carrier America has his own mission. The enigmatic AI known as Konstantin has convinced him that humanity’s only chance for survival is technology found in a distant star system. Now, Gray must disobey orders as well as locate and create a weapon capable of defeating a living sphere the size of a small planet…

“Keep moving, people! Don’t hold still for those lasers!”

Dolby and Jessop were down. Fitzgerald was down. Three other gun walkers scattered across the Temple platform all were struggling with overwhelming numbers of hostile machines. The Marines had now given up trying to provide cover for the walkers; there were so many alien fliers that every Marine had more than enough to handle just with the alien machines swarming around him or her.

A flight of black machines tumbled through the air toward Courtland. He snapped off three bursts from his laser, burning down two of the attackers but missing the third, which swooped suddenly, then slammed into his chest and exploded in a splash of black goo.

The impact staggered him back a step. He waved his arms wildly, uselessly, trying to shake or scrape off the liquid adhering to him.

Warning, his armor told him, the voice hammering in his head. Suit integrity compromised.

He was bleeding atmosphere. The good news was that the atmospheric pressure at Heimdall’s surface was less than half of what he carried in his armor, so his air mix was leaking out, and the ammonia and sulfur dioxide outside was not leaking in … yet.

Copyright (#ulink_b08ffa00-b235-5fec-b197-9c38ad17cc52)

HarperVoyager

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street,

London SE1 9GF

www.harpervoyagerbooks.co.uk (http://www.harpervoyagerbooks.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperVoyager 2017

Copyright © William H. Keith, Jr 2017

Jacket layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2017

Cover art by Gregory Bridges

William H. Keith, Jr asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008121099

Ebook Edition © June 2017 ISBN: 9780008121105

Version: 2017-05-04

Dedication (#ulink_c7add6f4-b9e3-593d-adb4-d0e57821e8c7)

For Deb and for Brea, bright lights illuminating my dark mind …

Contents

Cover (#u1d2baeb2-85fc-58d8-befb-496467e2d00d)

Title Page (#u34f71a5f-a739-55bc-bb22-8bcee26b7a72)

Copyright (#u0658b716-2968-53cd-8b71-b687ff59fc07)

Dedication (#u8aa45c28-2130-53e6-87d2-f2b42a754338)

Prologue (#u36267883-dce4-5681-97aa-bd9210416928)

Chapter One (#ufcb9ab57-8b1b-523e-a49f-193952acad73)

Chapter Two (#uc426e320-f5c5-5c4c-a3be-65f33e186313)

Chapter Three (#u5f58d5ac-152d-51c1-b6cf-a938e06e3c48)

Chapter Four (#uc8f2f2d1-8d76-5617-92a5-6f7e86e6867e)

Chapter Five (#ub115fb85-f8ac-5bb7-9cb1-d20fccb4db4c)

Chapter Six (#ue598a6db-4143-5128-8d97-e27f5fc544d8)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)