scrimscribes author

Those Who Resist by N. C. Scrimgeour

We are all Idran-Var. We are those who resist. A dark shadow has fallen across the galaxy. The curators—a hive mind made from the memories of countless past civilisations—have finally returned, ready to finish the experiment they started millions of years ago. A splintered resistance with a desperate plan is all that stands in the way of utter annihilation. As Alvera Renata and her old crew join forces with former enemies and unlikely allies, all eyes turn to the Omega Gate—a twisted contraption formed of the mysterious waystations. Destroying it might give them a fighting chance against the curators—if they don’t destroy each other first. To have any hope of succeeding, Alvera and her new alliance will have to overcome old wounds and fresh losses to gather the forces of the galaxy for a final stand. But even in the face of extinction, every disparate faction still has their own agenda, and bringing them together might be more trouble than it’s worth. As star systems fall and the curators close in, trust hangs by a single thread. Only one truth binds them together now: if they don’t stand united, the galaxy will be lost to all of them.

Sea of Souls by N. C. Scrimgeour

Dark be the water, and darker still the creatures that lurk within… Free-spirited Isla Blackwood has never accepted the shackles of her family’s nobility. Instead, she sails the open waters, searching for belonging on the waves. But when tragedy calls Isla home, she realises she can no longer escape the duty she’s been running from. Selkie raiders have been terrorising the island’s coasts, and when they strike at Blackwood Estate, Isla is forced to flee with her hot-headed brother and brooding swordmaster. To avenge her family and reclaim her home, Isla will have to set aside old grudges and join forces with an exiled selkie searching for a lost pelt. The heirloom might be the key to stopping the bloody conflict—but only if they can steal it from the island’s most notorious selkie hunter, the Grand Admiral himself. Caught between a promise to the brother she once left behind and an unlikely friendship with the selkie who should have been her enemy, Isla soon realises the open seas aren’t the only treacherous waters she’ll need to navigate. As enemies close in on all sides, she must decide once and for all where her loyalties lie if she wants to save what’s left of her family—and find the belonging she’s been searching for.

Those Once Forgotten by N. C. Scrimgeour

They were a memory once forgotten. For millennia, they waited. Now, they are coming. The galaxy has been plunged into chaos, left reeling from the trap Alvera Renata triggered around the ancient alien waystations. As the leaders of the allied systems desperately try to prepare for what might be coming, Ridley and Kojan go on the hunt in search of answers. But the one person who might hold the key—the rogue starship captain who started it all—is missing in action, and her old friends aren’t the only ones looking for her… Meanwhile, tensions between the Coalition and the Idran-Var are at breaking point in the aftermath of a brutal attack. The only hope for peace may lie in a fragile alliance between Rivus and Niole, old enemies thrown unwillingly onto the same side. But even if they can bury their past, what will it take to overcome the centuries of bloodshed dividing their people? As the mysterious signal coming from the waystations counts down, only one thing is for certain: something is coming, and if the fractured factions of the galaxy can’t find a way to stand against it together, it may be the end for them all.

Those Left Behind by N. C. Scrimgeour

SPSFC 2022

A dying planet. A desperate mission. A crew facing impossible odds. Humanity’s last hope lies with them… Time is running out for the people of New Pallas. Nobody knows that better than Alvera Renata, a tenacious captain determined to scout past the stars with nothing but a handpicked crew and a promise: to find a new home for humanity. But when a perilous journey across dark space leads to first contact with a galactic civilisation on the brink of war, Alvera soon realises keeping her word might not be as easy as she thought. Her only hope lies with the secrets of the ancient alien waystations scattered across the galaxy. The mysterious technology could be the key to humanity’s survival—or bring unwanted attention from the long-forgotten beings who built them. But remaining united in the face of annihilation is a lot to ask from a crew already splintering under the weight of their differences. A jaded pilot looks for a place he can start over. A young translator searches for meaning out in the galaxy's lawless frontier. And Alvera reckons with the aftermath of betrayal as she fights for a way to save them all. As they break apart to forge their own paths, Alvera and her crew all face the same question: what are they willing to sacrifice to save those left behind?

The Exodus Betrayal by N.C. Scrimgeour

SPSFC

The cybernetics in her head could save a planet. But when the man who put them there turns them against her in a deadly battle of wills, she’ll have to find a way to save herself. Alvera considers herself the best bounty hunter on New Pallas and with good reason – her cybernetics give her an edge nobody else can match. So when she’s tasked with investigating the ancient space station that has been silently watching the planet for centuries, there’s not a doubt in her mind that she’s the best woman for the job. As for the risks? Well, they only make things more interesting. But what Alvera doesn’t realise is by unravelling the station’s secrets, she’ll be forced to confront some of her own. When the same technology that once set her apart threatens to destroy her mind, what starts as a mission for credits and glory soon becomes a fight for survival – not just her own, but that of New Pallas itself. The Exodus Betrayal is a science fiction thriller with a dash of cyberpunk. Filled with adventure, deception and planet-spanning conspiracies, it’s a perfect read for fans of Altered Carbon, Blade Runner and Deus Ex.