Publisher's Synopsis
The Reglon Empire consists of a cluster of seven worlds - Reglon Major, Reglon Minor, Boldoon, Andalla, Ashtar, Vartuch, and Creedor. The inhabitants are descendants of 24th century Earth. As Earth slowly choked on pollution and senseless wars those who could, caught transpods and left winding up in those seven worlds. All of them were capable of sustaining human life and were pristine. However, some were more attractive than others. The farmers gravitated to Creedor for its lush valleys interspersed with flowing rivers and scattered with shifting sands - perfect for raising their tredon herds and produce. But Reglon Major was the largest and offered the most variety and was rich with ores, fruits, vegetables, and animals. So these refugees settled here, with the leadership establishing the seat of government on Reglon Major.
This first book chronicles the adventures of Dr. Simon Slogar and Commander Michael Camdus as they try to stop an epidemic that is killing the Creedorians by the thousands. They finally get there and discover that there is a far greater threat but are left to their own devices for handling it. Repeated requests of their Emperor, a man named Jarlod, get no response.
Dr. Slogar and his assistant Lieutenant Jacar Grunden must make their way through a wind storm across the shifting dunes to a small cottage they hope to use as shelter. When they arrive, they meet Mara Tonlin who has lost her child and now cannot locate her husband Ram Tonlin. She alternates between panic and despair, before her gritty determination to find Ram, no matter the risk kicks in.
With Camdus permission, Grunden and Mara set out leaving Dr. Slogar alone until an escort can catch up to him.
When Grunden and Mara finally reach shelter, their relief is short-lived. The howling, frigid wind and rocky cave floor make sleep difficult. But they finally drift off. Some time in the night they wake, stiff and cold. The cover Grunden placed over the entrance has blown over, letting the icy air rush in. Grunden stepped out only to be greeted by his deceased buddy Zander's ghost who tells him to go back inside. Assuming Zander knocked over the cover, Grunden is miffed. But when a quicksilver movement catches his eye, he hurries back in only to find Mara gone.
Now Commander Camdus has a delay in his original mission - finding Grunden and bringing him home.
Meanwhile, Grunden takes to the tunnels to look for Mara. He realizes he's not alone, but moves on as quickly as he's able through the sometimes narrow, always rocky passages.
Though Mara fears her husband is dead, he is not. He has been captured by one of the most despicable creatures imaginable whose wicked sense of play is pure torture for him. As the weeks pass, Ram is able to slip out undetected and explore. He finds his old friend Stadar still breathing, though he'd assumed he was dead by now. In an act of desperation, he scoops Stadar up and races out into the storm . The guards had only placed a temporary cover over the hole the slaves had made in the far wall in a clumsy attempt to escape. This made it easy for Ram to move it. He raced with the dying man into the storm and stumbled into a miracle bush that lived up to its name. When they were both rejuvenated, physically and mentally, they went back to find Mara.
Commander Camdus has no way of knowing what's going on, so puts together a search party and they go into the the belly of Creedor where they find an illegal mining operation and a fortress known as Q'Door Hold. In i, t they find a wounded mercenary, a rogue wizard, and enemy Q'Aron troops. The battle that ensues more Q'Arons than Reglons dead and Camdus to discover his true heritage.
