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THE LUMINARI EXPANSE
The prison ship Alabaster has crossed a galaxy. Now it descends on a world that never knew the stars could bring danger.
The Red Omen
Book 1 of The Luminari Expanse Series • January 20, 2026
The red light in the sky grows larger every day. No one knows what it means. Everyone fears it.
When a massive prison ship descends on the Sylvarian kingdom, its crew moves with ruthless efficiency—capturing villagers, harvesting crops, loading everything into their holds. Taan, a simple gardener, watches helplessly as armed invaders storm through his world, caging his neighbors and burning what they can’t carry.
His friend Kreev barely escapes their weapons. When the invaders raid the royal spire and capture Princess Ahnya, Taan joins a desperate mission to infiltrate the ship and rescue their people. But inside the alien vessel, nothing makes sense.
The ship’s holds are filled with creatures from a dozen worlds. The crew works with desperate urgency, racing against a timeline no one will explain. And the red omen overhead—the crimson star that has haunted the Sylvarian sky for weeks—continues to swell and pulse with unnatural light.
They must discover what the invaders know. Taan must free his people before it’s too late. And the red light overhead may hold the answer to why the invaders came—and what they’re running from.
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Prologue
The prison ship Alabaster knifed through the starfield, hull scarred and ugly. On the bridge, the captain stood motionless, black-and-red cape draped over powered armor, half-shield emblem catching the console glow. Below, a green world of fungal jungles and violet skies waited…
Chapter 1
On the planet below, in a kingdom sculpted from iridescent stone, deep inside the great jungle, life flourished under the loving care of a common Sylvarian harvester. Taan knelt among glowing bulbs the size of his torso, carving careful spirals with one claw. Each cut made the violet light pulse brighter.
Daniel Stroup is a U.S. Air Force Major with over 20 years of service. He brings real-world experience with high-pressure decisions and moral complexity to The Luminari Expanse series.