Dissension: Heirs of Denuitia, Volume I

The Empire isn't as strong as it once was.

Founded by survivors of alien genetic experimentation that imparted superhuman abilities, the Denuitian Empire has been the premier military power in this part of the galaxy for thousands of years. No one has ever been able to challenge their military might—No one except themselves.

As head of the military caste, the Luren family has protected the star empire for thousands of years, but can they help the empire evolve from its feudal ways as it spirals into a civil war no one wants and no one seems capable of winning?

The imperial peace is fraying and order on the empire's borders is a distant concern for the court. Ten years ago, Nyren Luren petitioned the emperor for help and was denied. That didn't stop the young officer from stealing an Imperial Battle cruiser, leaving the empire, and blazing a trail of glory across the outlying sectors to save the woman he loved. This rebellion gained him a fearsome reputation in the frontier but brought him disgrace in the empire. Branded a traitor for his actions, he can never go home.

Maddirel Tovan was born into a high-ranking noble family. Disgraced for her affections for Nyren, her family had married her off to avoid scandal. Kidnapped by space pirates under suspicious circumstances and subsequently rescued by Nyren, she has a mysterious control device of alien origin still embedded in her head that prevents her from remembering who she is, how she ended up on the alien vessel where Nyren found her, and most importantly why?

Nyren and Maddirel have spent the better part of the past ten years wandering the outer sectors under various aliases in the employ of the criminal Syndicate fruitlessly searching for answers. However, their fortunes are about to change. They may be done with the Empire, but the Empire is not done with them.