Nebula Express: Pocket Edition (DarkSF)

Never before has a ship so far from home been in so much trouble. Hurtling through space and time like a blur, the starship Nebula Express gives truth to a darkly bright motto out of a nightmare: “Nothing seems right…near the speed of light…” Not the ship, not the mission, nor its people--especially not Ridge and Brenna, who are drawn to each other in a deep passion that defies the deadly madness all around--yet their love, too, is a symptom of all that’s wrong aboard the Nebula Express. In the tradition of Ridley Scott’s Alien—scarier, yet more thoughtful, with a love story amid the terror, chaos, and horror of a ship gone insane.

The six-person engineering crew aboard a cargo ship awaken to a normal morning in the crew quarters aboard a solar system cargo ship named Neptune Express, on a two-year mission to the blue gas giant that will allow each to retire wealthy. They enjoy breakfast, banter, and email home across the vast emptiness of space. But Earth isn’t answering. And the captain is nowhere to be found.

When Ridge, Brenna, and the other four specialists open the hatch to enter the huge ship, they discover to their horror that nothing is what they thought it would be. Nothing is what it should be--not the ship, not the mission, not the engineers themselves--in a heart-rending ultimate discovery for each man and woman that is sure to send cold chills through the reader. You will *not* want to miss this unique twist that takes horror to its ultimate, personal peak. It’s a plot twist no writer has ever done before. Be prepared to keep the lights on all night. Take a deep breath, take a long walk around the house late at night, check the doors and windows, and look in the mirror to see who or what is looking back at you.

Our apocalyptic odyssey is not just through ruined cities--all of that is gone forever. Six technicians aboard a broken, ruined, apocalyptic starship from hell must learn the tragic truth about themselves, their journey, and their destination (nowhere).

Mystery upon mystery compound the terror as the crew find themselves inside an ancient, wrecked starship that is far beyond anyone’s ability to repair. Then bodies begin turning up, along with zombie-like Mudmen or Cleaners who hunt both the living and the dead, seeking body parts and food. But that’s the least of the crew’s problems.

Then the dying begins. One by one, the engineers fall prey to a strange illness. Not only is everything frighteningly wrong, but one by one, each realizes the most horrific truth of all about him or herself.

Ridge, a strong, handsome Lead Engineer, and lovely red-headed Brenna, Senior Engineer, have families back on Earth whom they love very much. And yet, they find themselves drawn into a passionate, overwhelming love that neither sought, but they cannot resist or understand.

Soon, pursued by the zombie Cleaners, Ridge and Brenna are on a desperate search for truth, for help, for survival, for salvation where there can be none. Or can there? Somewhere in the rusting, dripping, hollow, ghost-ridden bowels of this enormous city flying through the distant galaxy is a magical place called Largo, where answers and help can be found.

Ridge and Brenna must find Largo before it’s too late, as the clock ticks…Largo itself is only a keyhole leading to either human extinction…or a New Earth that is humankind’s only shred of hope. If the two lovers cannot defeat the ship and its monsters (both external and internal to themselves) they will never know as a ghastly array of long-dead, mummified officers on the bridge sails the Nebula Express to her ultimate destiny amid distant stars. Visit the author's webplex online at www.darksf.com for more info.

John Argo is the author of many books and articles, including the DarkSF and Empire of Time SF series. He lives in San Diego, California with his wife and their cat as well as a literary collection. His degrees include a BA in English (University of Connecticut), a BBA in Computer Information Systems (National University), and an MS in Business Administration (Boston University) earned in Germany while on active duty with the U.S. Army. He has translated Classics and modern languages, including the entirety of Goethe's Faust I, plus Rainer Maria Rilke and other favorites.