Shades of Empire

A dark space opera with a truly evil villain, SHADES OF EMPIRE encompasses three separate love the first happens to a warrior with a wounded soul, the second to an aristocrat who navigates a moral quagmire in an evil empire, and the third to a starship captain who always plays by the rules, but they're her rules. The story starts on the planet Gaulle, where the du Plessis emperors make Caligula look like a nice guy. Having been impressed into the emperor’s army, Alexander Napier wears a holographic tattoo of the Emperor's Own Corps, but he knows the worst marks of his service don't show. Meanwhile, on the merchant starship named The Queen Bee, captain and owner Madeline Pallestrino balances meeting her payroll with smuggling weapons to help the rebel cause on Gaulle, all the while fighting her growing attraction to one of her crewman. Thaddeus Jenner appears to be an autistic savant who can handle six dimensional math but not make everyday conversation; Maddy's not especially interested in conversation, but she doesn't want to exploit the man, either. On Gaulle, one of Maddy's legitimate customers is Count Peter Barranca, an aristocrat who represents the old order but finds himself working against it. As these people's paths intersect, secrets are uncovered, loyalties are tested, and love happens in spite of terrible circumstances.