Author’s Note:

  This episode is published here up to the 75% mark.

  The remaining chapters—including the climax and aftermath—are available in the complete episode on Amazon.

  https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0GCBV6R12

  Thank you for reading and supporting the series.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  ###

  Empire of Stars is a sweeping space-opera epic that follows former soldier and disgraced movie star John Drayton after humanity’s first contact with an ancient alien gateway—the Meridian Gate—catapults Earth into a brutal interstellar war. Elevated to the role of Arbiter, John commands the warship Hemingway as he navigates galaxy-spanning politics, devastating battles, and the terrifying emergence of the Hyperions: godlike beings who manipulate entire species as weapons. As worlds fall, secrets surface, and the line between heroism and exploitation blurs, John must reconcile his past, his hunger for meaning, and the crushing cost of leadership while racing to stop a calculated extinction that has been centuries in the making.