Rod Mortin Return to Zeta

Annotation

Oen and Jarred help Dolana establish a new colony on Zeta, the planet selected three hundred years ago to showcase the benefits of collaboration. Previous attempts to settle Zeta were thwarted by The Order, corrupt and evil religious men who craved power and control. Thanks to Oen, Jarred, and their friends, The Order is defeated and removed from power, though not destroyed. But now a new threat appears that is determined to destroy the fledgling colony. The same advanced androids sent to help build the colony suddenly turn destructive. Only with the help of an advanced android sent by Darrik Madron, the head of a rich and powerful family descended from a space pirate , are Oen, Jarred, and the other colonists able to save the colony.The person directing the rogue androids, Councilman Gorm, is a rich scientist from the advanced civilization where Oen and Jarred's daughter lives and works.The two men are close friends with several others from that planet, including the world leader and her mate. Gorm's plans are discovered and he is forced to flee along with some sycophant followers and a team of androids operated by an artificial intelligence.Darrik cuts the flow of funds to Gorm but is not able to capture him. Damaged in a fire fight with Darrik's men and machines, Gorm transfer his consciousness into an android fashioned to look just like him. Now he has unlimited time to plot his domination of the galaxy.Gorm in his new android body now sets his sights on controlling The Order and their many hidden pockets of wealth and information. With caution and secrecy, Gorm replicates the top leadership tiers within The Order, replacing the men with android copies that he controls.When Gorm attempts to capture and replicate Lady Saphora Madron, Darrik extracts details of Gorm's plans from Gorm's secret cloaked base. Soon there is open warfare that leads to the destruction of the Madron mansion and the relocation of Gorm to an obscure planet where The Order has a secret base.Oen and Jarred work with the captain of a warship to track Gorm to this secret base. Jarred joins the team assigned to infiltrate the compound but his team is discovered and their shuttle shot down. A squadron of spacecraft from the advanced planet is dispatched to confront Gorm but cannot overpower his defenses.Going on the offensive, Darrik sends his most advanced artificial intelligence to join the battle against Gorm. This AI bring Oen as they infiltrate Gorm's base and rescue Jarred. Darrik's AI has the two men transfer their consciousness into storage just moments before it destroys Gorm and neutralizes all his androids.Darrik is tasked with contacting Oen and Jarred's friends and family about their deaths. The two died and as they had lived, fighting side by side against evil. Or did they? Perhaps the new couple living at Oen and Jarred's former home know the answer.