The Dark Horizon

The Dark Horizon is the final novel in the Crusader Chronicles trilogy. The first official eBook release reaches back to 2006, but the book would not be commercially available to the eBook market until 2012 when it was distributed through a large number of commercial eBook retailers (Apple, Nook, Amazon, Sony, Kobo, and others).

Title and Publication
The Dark Horizon was originally simply called "Dark Horizons" but as the story evolved the large vessel in the story earned the name of Dark Horizon, and as a result the novel gained a double meaning through the new title. The name both implies the dark horizon of Earth's future, and also the physical name of the Aldiramar ship featured in the novel.

Plot Summary
The Dark Horizon starts off with Benjamin Saranac on his way to see his daughter, Tiffany Saranac, who has recently returned from the Kujaen Empire and has been a guest at the Hylan Palace. In the Alliance Congress there is a murder and the tension between the governments of the galaxy begin to skyrocket. It becomes apparent that without the Kujaen War to focus on the governments within the Alliance are quickly turning toward inner conflicts that have for too long been ignored.

James Davis is revealed to have survived with the now cured Sionis Sepher. The two have been working to track down an individual who claims to be Gion Kasur. Sionis is concerned that having Kasur on the scene could disrupt the recent political upheaval and Seda Reeve's return to power as the New Koelshan Order is still young and fragile. After being attacked by a remnant of Kujah's supporters James is told that Kujah's SMP device was stolen from Kujaen hands shortly before the government collapsed. When they investigate it appears that the device was stolen by Crusaders, leading James and Sionis to return to the Alliance.

Meanwhile, it is revealed that a man wearing a plain metallic mask is coordinating a rebellion against the Alliance and has gathered the support of dozens of governments and systems. Meghan Theon, unable to condone another war, is powerless to stop as this "Leader" fractures her Alliance. On top of everything else, the Bermekans are forced to acknowledge that a nomadic species known as the Aldiramar have returned to Alliance Space and seem to be coordinating for military action.

Sentret V is home to the Crusader Headquarters and everything comes together on this world when the Aldiramar invade the Sentret System while at the same time the capital world of Sentret V undergoes an environmental cataclysm that forces mass evacuations. James and Sionis arrive on Sentret V to try and aquire the SMP technology but it is taken by what appear to be Aldiramar dressed in Crusader uniforms. Sionis' suspicions turn to Helios Advares and he confront the Terran about this but Helios says he's unaware. He also makes a public call to the Terrans suggesting that his people return to Terran Space in an effort to stop the powerful "Republic of the People's Universe". James Davis goes to Baltor to help prepare for an invasion while Cidonis Theon takes command of the Bermekan military and works to protect the Asirio System.

In the Battle of Balla City, James Davis is mortally wounded and only with the help of Hylan medical teams is he able to survive. In the process he loses his right arm, eye, several ribs and his liver. All of his parts are either replaced with lab-grown replacements or cybernetics.

Cid Theon attempts to tackle the Aldriamar Dreadnaught called the Dark Horizon, but after chasing it through a SMP he is overpowered and his ship is crippled. He offers himself up as a prisoner and soon after is shocked to find that Tiffany Saranac, apparently coming to investigate, is also a prisoner. When Cid is seemingly killed the Aldiramar turn Tiffany over to the Leader and she "escapes" back to the Alliance.

While Leader assumes Cid is dead, the Aldiramar secretly tend to his wounds and then demand to know more about the one named Helios Advares.

For his part, Helios responds to the RPU and the Aldiramar by fortifying the Terran military and seizing temporary control of the Terran political system citing a pressing danger as why he needs to be able to control the Crusaders quickly and effeciently. He also reveals to James that the Aldiramar are using a dreadnaught and he believes it is located in Outlas Space, even giving him a narrow set off coordinates where it was last spotted by Terran forces. James and Sionis are both concerned about Helios' knowledge of the events but good or bad the Aldiramar have the SMP technology and that's what Davis is after.

Against Helios' order, Sionis gathers up a large force of Crusaders and coupled with Cidonis Theon's Bermekan forces they hunt down and attack the Dark Horizon. The SMP device aboard the dreadnaught fails and the ship becomes and energy source for the resulting portal. A massive doorway to Earth is opened and desperate for a hiding place, the Aldiramar flee through it and almost directly into orbit over Earth. The Alliance fights to stop the invasion and James Davis is forced to fly to Earth to warn them.

The Aldiramar are stopped and the portal to the Alliance closes, leaving many Alliance soldiers trapped on Earth with James. While the human is glad to finally be home, he cannot help but worry about the conflict in the Alliance and how there are thousands of Alliance aliens stuck on a single planet in a galaxy that is not their own. The story ends with a bittersweet note and James' spoken determination to find a way to return them to their home.

Characters
See Also: List of Andromisa Characters