Suppose you had to fight a war in a place you could not go. So you sent warriors protected in a specially made armor to do the fighting for you. For thousands of years you sent them. For thousands of years they fought and died in your name only to be resurrected and returned, again and again, ever engaged in eternal war, waged by immortal warriors. Now suppose the device to grant them infinite life has been stolen by your enemy who now has the power to existence-erase your warriors forever. A science fiction horror story set in the Sixth Millennium, the first book of the apocrypha trilogy is told in a tense Gothic style, immersed in Anglican and Norse myth and lore. Chronicling the quest of the lost Ark of Souls, Odyssey into Oblivion takes you into an alien civilization on the verge of redemption and resurrection-a culture very similar to our own, and every bit as terrifying. What thing so vile, Good and Evil have joined forces against it? You have plunged into a galaxy deep in war. Fought light years beyond the Dark Ages, the Empire of the Known Realm is heavily engaged in grim conflict against cunning enemies struggling for their own survival amidst the savage stars. The adventure before you and the Great Galactic Crusade that you are about to undertake, chronicles the Legends and Legions of two embattled empires and that of their allies in their race for everlasting salvation or eternal extinction. Racing across eternity, every infinite inch is measured in human lives. And for Mankind, time and souls are running out at the speed of light. Spanning timeless dimensions and fathomless space, it is a war of attrition waged between the Apostates of the Apocalypse and the ancient Apostles of Armageddon. It is an Age of dark science and deep secrets. A time when the Legions of the Lord battled the Dominions of the Dark Forces raging throughout the astral heavens of Valhal and the Known Realm, where the stars have long ago descended into darkness. Yet to conquer the Cosmos completely means to triumph in the holy quest for the lost Codelax, the divine celestial instrument that is the creator of souls. For whomsoever possesses it, holds the fate of all else. For with its sacred powers, it is decided who is reborn into the physical world and whose soul is forever cast into the black void. Miraculously, the Codelax's beacon, code named "Pale Vector," is traced to a lost world deep in a remote part of the Trident galaxy. Operation "Phantom Finder" commences as three Star*Ships are sent on a clandestine mission to the small planet christened KHT-21. There, astonishing discoveries are made. Discoveries that must be kept secret at all cost. Beyond the Dark Crusade How do you survive in a society in which logic and reason are viewed with great suspicion? In a time when science is despised and deemed the work of Satan? In a land where those who dare experiment are exiled and executed? How do you live in a culture where science and religion oppose each other and will stop at nothing to gain influence over the minds of men? Where each vie for the very souls of men? In a place so distorted, the line between Good and Evil has disappeared between ordained destiny and ordered damnation? Imagine the Dark Ages of Medieval Europe during the time of the Crusades and the exploits of the Knights Templars. Recall the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars from 1209 to 1229. In 1210, Pope Innocent III, unleashes "Orders of Fire and Sword" against those outside the Truth of the Church. When about to lay siege to the French city of Beziers, the Bishop was asked how the crusaders would be able to tell the good Catholics from the heretics, his reply was, in effect, "Neca eos omens. Deus suos agnoset" (Kill them all, God will know his own.) This is the origin of today's "Kill them all, Let God sort them out" phrase. And to this day, this edict is, at least doctrinally, enforced and is known as "Nulla salus extra eccesicm" (Outside the church, is no salvation.) Now envision these Dark Ages light years beyond our own galaxy, in a far distant place where the Trident Empire is similar in structure and authority to the Roman Catholic Church of that time. Imagine the Knights Templars as its military crusaders (Recall their connection to the Holy Grail [Codelax]) and the Dark Archives as the Realm's spiritually guiding force (the Papacy.) Within the Archives, are zealot agents (part illuminati, part inquisitor) and disciples of the Dark Sciences (known as "Black Coats," who seek the "Truth" and holy relics of the Realm) as similar to the infamous Gestapo of the Third Reich. (Remember, Hitler was obsessed with holy relics and the occult and the Knights Templars were renowned for their almost supernaturally advanced architectural skills.) It is the Sixth Millennium in the Realm of the Trident Galaxy. Within the Empire, a secret society known as the Dark Archives has been created. With absolute authority, its agents set out to locate and retrieve the lost Ark of Souls. Having complete impunity, they begin to purge the Realm of what they consider the spiritually unclean. Chosen as the Empire's name and symbol, the trident spear of Neptune signifies the Emperor, the Prince, and the Codelax, (the "Father, Son and holy Ghost," i.e., the Trinity). Its three prongs represent the three military strains of the human race. Its tips point out an ordered Universe; Heaven, Realm, and Man. The Empire's nemesis, the Triskelion, takes its name from the trimvirate formed by the three Seraphim (highest order of angels) cast of out Valhal (Norse heaven). They hold that Cosmocrater, (Grand Creator of the Cosmos - material universe, physical world - Greek myth) made them, and as such, they are not subject to be ruled by the Emperor nor belong to his domain. (Some Christian texts proclaim that it was the Angels of God who created Man when ordered to "furnish the house of the Lord.") The term Lord and Emperor is used interchangeably with GOD, as he is both ruler of Valhal and the Realm. GOD, in this context, is an anagram for Governor of Domain, and neither signifies nor suggests any One True God. This stand alone novel contains a Preface, Prologue, Preamble, Epilogue, Codices and a nine page Lexicon. The Lexicon provides the origin and meaning of the names and terms used in the novel to give the reader a deeper understanding of their importance in the story. Though many cultures throughout history can be found on its pages, most are taken from Anglican, Greek, Roman and Norse myth and lore. You need not be a historian nor a mythology scholar to enjoy the adventure. Latin phrases and their translations are sparely included to represent the "ancient tongue of the Lord" and to create a certain sense of authentic scripture. Author's Note This novel is not for the faint of heart. It contains graphic, gruesome and grotesque depictions of violence. It is through such physical suffering that the spirit is forged and the soul purged of impunity. The more painful the experience, the more important the lesson. And the greatest lesson to learn in the conflict between Good and Evil is to discern between Good and Evil. "From the hottest fires come the purist ashes" In war, it is wise to know your enemy. But when the greatest threat lies beyond death, only those who truly know themselves shall be saved. It is in the blackest abyss that the spirit shines brightest" This book is very scary. Who would believe our history if it were told using aliens and monsters? Who could believe it? Who would want to believe such things actually occurred? Though set in another time and place, it could well be the story of our own savage saga written in science fiction form. Past, present, and future merge into events that will continue to repeat themselves, again and again, as Mankind descends into the Material Universe across the stars. It is in our nature. As the Neuro Tech Gilguy would say, "that is the way we are wired". Dark Lord Seito admonishes Starla for questioning his motives by reminding her, "We both come from a race that killed the son of GOD. Do not judge me." If you have ever wondered what would scare the hell out of Satan, this book is it.