Crusader Chronicles

The Crusader Chronicles are a trilogy of novels written by Joel Stephens between 2003 and 2011. The stories follow the protagonist James Davis as he joins the galactic soldiers known as the Crusaders. The trilogy focuses primarily on the Kujaen War, the mysterious Keaira, the formation of the People's Republic of the Universe, the Aldiramar Invasion and ultimately, James' efforts to return to Earth.

Once and Again
In a distant galaxy, the threat of war is building between two mighty governments. As the tension between the United Space Alliance and the Kujaen Empire continues to build, both sides suddenly become interested in an ancient legend and a single planet called Earth. The Alliance’s military hero, Sionis Sepher, must put his hopes on a young human who may hold the key to preventing the worst war that the galaxy has ever witnessed.

The Pain Beneath
Picking up several years after Once and Again, The story follows ex-Crusader James Davis as he faces off against the Kujaen Empire in a last ditch effort to keep Earth and the United Space Alliance safe from the threats of an evil Emperor. Unfortunately, as James hurtles toward a confrontation with Kujah he begins to uncover a far more sinister evil on the rise.

The Dark Horizon
The final novel in the Crusader Chronicles, the story quickly picks up shortly after the cliffhanger ending to The Pain Beneath. The galaxy is reeling from the sudden end of the Kujaen War and now scrambles to handle this new notion of galactic peace. Meanwhile, the assassination of an Alliance Senator sparks a confrontation of governments in the United Space Alliance. Many begin to fear that without the war to unite them, the Alliance is beginning to turn against one another. As tempers flare on Hyla, a new threat known only as "Leader" emerges to claim his own power and reignite the fires of conflict.

Revisions
Though the Crusader Chronicles were not started officially until 2003, the story of James Davis began in 1996 after the completion of The Way We Fall, the first story set in the Andromisa timeline. During the development of the series, the written works went through several revisions and rewrites, with James Davis at one point being known as Keolo Stanton. The character of Keolo was eventually turned into John Stanton, who is featured in Once and Again as fellow Crusader. Each revision cut away unneeded plot gaps and helped to narrow down the focus of the story. At it's worst, the series was going to stretch over at least twelve books, all of which had extremely complicated story lines that even the author was having a hard time linking together properly.

As an eBook, the trilogy has been published off and on over the last six years with various revisions going to print. In 2012, the trilogy was switched to a Smashwords Distribution and the storyline has been locked down. While future revisions are still likely to resolve unseen issues, the storyline itself is now set in stone.