Two different worlds are set to collide: one is a technological marvel and the other, a tribal paradise void of modern conveniences. When Dodger, a Dythian soldier, crash-lands with his captain on the planet, Skrikti, he throws a local village into chaos. The Grushtun are all for killing him until Sky, an outcast with unusual abilities of perception, takes a gamble and claims him as her Chosen. Their union ultimately unleashes the hatred of would-be leader, Janus, and unlocks a plethora of secrets hidden since the age of Thrunfomar. But is Dodger's awareness of this strange, tribal planet real, or is Skrikti just the imagination of a tortured soldier desperate to be free from the wars of Dythia?
CHARACTERS
Sky
Sky was born with a rare gift - the ability to read a person's soul in their face - leading to ridicule and discrimination. Only the blind Mother Graffa makes her feel welcome; otherwise, she remains an outcast, living in isolation while dreaming of life beyond Skrikti. When a strange ship crashes near the village and two men are discovered in the wreckage, Sky finds that the fate of an entire planet hinges on her ability to decipher the secrets of the past.
Dodger
Dodger is trapped in the Dythian war machine, an unrelenting mechanism structured to control a submissive society. Although much of his training is spent in the torturous Mind Cube, leaving him psychologically scarred, he manages one final shot at redemption. But everything goes awry when his test shuttle crashes onto a foreign planet, cutting his ties to Dythia and blurring the lines of reality in Dodger's already unstable mind.
Cresp
A model soldier, Cresp longs to be promoted to captain in the Dythian Army. He has never doubted his government's core beliefs, viewing misfits like Dodger as an embarrassment to the state. This puts the two men at odds, even as they secure a joint mission: one to prove himself and the other to escape inevitable torture. Can their resultant crash on Skrikti change the hardened captain's one-sided worldview?
Janus
The Grushtun view this handsome and fearless hathwan as the obvious successor to Ognot Forson. But Janus harbors dark aspirations of his own. Obsessed with Sky for more than just her beauty, he persuades the Prime to sanctify their union. But when she resists due to a horrifying chain-of-events, Janus is forced to reveal his "other face". In order to win her back, he must eliminate his competition - and perhaps the entire clan.
Na'ie
The only daughter of village leader, Ognot Forson, Na'ie is both kind-hearted and obedient. She does little to challenge the status quo, even though she is vaguely aware of the secrets buried by the Grushtun. Na'ie pities Sky but keeps her distance, until two strangers from Dythia force her to break out of her shell. In order to face down the demons of her clan, she must first open her heart to the power of love.
Mother Graffa
No one is more revered among the Grushtun than Mother Graffa. Though nearly blind, she chooses to live alone, her children long since dead from the litany of wars that have ravaged Skrikti for generations. Gifted with a keen spiritual awareness and a mystical power, even the Prime is reluctant to question her authority; so when she takes it upon herself to shelter Dodger and Cresp from the angry villagers, a battle of wills ensues.
