Veiled Alliances
DC Comics
by Kevin J. AndersonCenturies ago, the human race began searching the Milky Way for hospitable planets, hoping to alleviate crowded conditions on Earth. Eleven ships filled with self-sufficient explorers set out for the stars, knowing that, at best, their grandchildren might someday find a new home. And now the Caillié, a generation ship on the verge of despair, has discovered something FAR more interesting -- an advanced race capable of faster-than-light travel.
The Ildirans not only help the people of the Caillié settle the planet Theron, they seek out survivors of the other ships launched so long ago. . . Once they've located most of the remaining human pioneers, the Ildirans send an envoy to the much-changed planet Earth seeking an alliance between the two races. The Earth is now governed by the wizened King Ben, with the shadowy figure of Chairman Malcolm Stannis pulling the strings for the Terran Hanseatic League behind the scenes.
What the humans don't understand is that not every Ildiran holds their new allies in high esteem. Can a race at the pinnacle of their evolution be trusted to deal fairly with a people who've barely managed to escape their planet?
Political intrigue abounds as the human race comes to terms with a universe no longer solely their own. . .
This graphic prequel to Kevin J. Anderson's best-selling THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS series brings to beautiful, vivid life the scenes and people we come to know fully in the novels HIDDEN EMPIRE and A FOREST OF STARS.
VEILED ALLIANCES explores a world built from the imagination that takes mankind to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. We see Earth as it might become, united behind a corrupt monarchy and thirsting for off-world exploitation. We witness a handful of starships, grimly surviving generations of disappointment, reach their destinations at last. And we behold man's first contact with an extraterrestrial race. . . .
Now that humanity has a future in the stars, what will they do with it? As the explorers settle, some rejoin the community and sign the Hansa charter. Even more people plan their new lives in off-world colonies. But not every group wants to blend into the fold.
The last generation ship set out for the stars with a full complement of engineers and dreamers -- and not much else. When their first colony failed at Iawa, they made a deal with the Ildirans -- they're taking over operations of the ekti mines, which provide fuel for the faster-than-light travel this new society is based upon. The refugees from the Kanaka aren't planning to sign the Hansa charter, they like their independence . . . even when things look bleak.
See the beginning of THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS . . . then read the novels for the story's continuation.
VEILED ALLIANCES is drawn by artist Rob Teranishi.
The unlettered sample pages below illustrate the scope and detail of Rob's breathtaking art.
These are sample pages, drawn by Robert Teranishi and colored by Wendy Fouts-Broome, for the first SEVEN SUNS graphic novel, "Veiled Alliances," a prequel to the epic begun in the novel HIDDEN EMPIRE. Readers of the novel may recognize some details. "Veiled Alliances" has been published as a 96-page hardcover graphic novel by Wildstorm/DC Comics. For more information, see www.dccomics.com
