Deep Time

Deep Time
Ian Douglas

The sixth book in this action-packed, New York Times bestselling science fiction series - STAR CARRIER.The clock is ticking in the struggle for galactic independenceOnce rebels themselves facing off against the Earth Confederation, the United States of North America is now the dominant force in negotiations with the interstellar Sh'daar Collective. But just as the Marines root out the last violent dissenters, an alien ship of unknown origin suddenly flees Earth's orbit. Is it mere coincidence . . . or a terrifying omen?President Alexander Koenig watches with great interest as USNA forces chase the runaways down. But upon first contact, it's not apparent where—or when—the crew is headed. For this bizarre species has somehow mastered the power to manipulate time itself. Now Koenig must decide whether he's dealing with angels of astonishing technological prowess . . . or the agents of humanity's destruction.

Only too aware, now, of the deadliness of his deceptively quiet surroundings …

… Gregory stood up.

Despite being insulated by the surrounding vacuum, he could feel his shipboard utilities—which with helmet and gloves doubled as an emergency environmental suit—stiffening around him, could feel the cold as though it literally were seeping in.

Impossible, of course. Heat was escaping his body, not cold seeping in, but that was what it undeniably felt like. His feet … he couldn’t feel his feet anymore, and his legs were starting to burn.

He felt oddly tranquil, despite the pain, despite the sudden realization that he may have just made a serious mistake. The landscape was serene, dark, utterly silent. It would have been easy to step out of the ruin of his Starblade and onto that flat, rock-strewn plain. That step, he knew, would have been lethal.

He also felt heavy. The planet’s gravity was dragging at him with almost twice the pull of home. But he managed to stand up straight … and raise his arms.

Overhead, St. Clair’s fighter descended like an unfolding blanket … the alien robots encircling it at a range of thirty meters. The blackness descended on him, scooped him up, folded him in …

And Gregory screamed with pain.

Copyright (#ulink_6bc775bc-aa9b-5f86-94aa-6578babfd7b3)

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 2015

Copyright © William H. Keith, Jr 2015

Jacket layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2015

Cover art by Gregory Bridges

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

A catalogue copy of 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, down-loaded, 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: 9780007483792

Ebook Edition © May 2015 ISBN: 9780007483839

Version: 2015-04-23

Dedication (#ulink_26a1acb1-4cae-5f77-9990-1cce5a5415d5)

For Deb, and, as ever, for Brea

Contents

Cover (#u7fa72bf2-c202-53c1-9ed3-977e3e6d29eb)

Title Page (#u96418869-7757-5273-8918-ba5d4dc70b20)

Copyright (#ub58be343-9fc0-5d53-8103-c0de3de7662c)

Dedication (#u872ae91a-7ceb-56fe-92b7-8779312ba44a)

Prologue (#u4bffba9b-a11b-53d4-83e3-af639f724756)

Chapter One (#uea6e3208-af83-5b7e-a237-58888f610497)

Chapter Two (#u7f50c53e-53d6-5767-ae55-ddf5d985bf00)

Chapter Three (#ue3796203-d413-53fc-a4b9-c690ce28cadf)

Chapter Four (#ub3b2c815-1c7d-5fdf-8ae0-fca6a3009456)

Chapter Five (#u5e5aa260-c6bb-5afe-b5b1-cc76776fde28)

Chapter Six (#uf41521e6-e9b7-5516-9ae8-3e06167d9a7a)

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)