Crossing the Styx

The dangerous alien civilization in the Styx Nebula has finally brought all of humanity back together. The civilized planets in the Wilds and Union have combined forces to prevent the aliens from coming out of the Nebula to attack mankind's populated planets. The Union has surrounded the nebula with its most advanced warships and is prepared to attack anything that appears out of the dust. But going inside the nebula has proven to be close to outright suicide; no warship that's gone in to scout the nebula has come out. Something is going on and to delay finding out could prove to be disastrous.
Jingle had bowed out of the war and had made it clear she wanted no future part in it. But she discovers that Alex is planning to take a scout into the Nebula and Admiral Glennon asks her to help talk him out of it. She reluctantly agrees and once again finds herself in the middle of events. But this time, the threat facing humanity has made a sinister turn for the worse. The aliens in the Styx Nebula are no longer the only danger facing the Union. The only way to begin to understand what's going on is for Alex and Jingle to cross the Styx.
Excerpt: The Forbidden Wilds 2-Crossing the Styx
"Alex, you're starting to scare me."
"There's more. When the alien fleet commander sent the data, that probe immediately flew away at high speed. Brooks says that it was headed in the general direction of that communication. It's almost a certainty that it was headed toward the planet where the aliens are developing a stealth field. That reveals two things, Jingle; they have deciphered the alien's language and that probe is more advanced than any probe used by the Union."
"Someone other than the Union is scouting the nebula," Jingle replied.
"How do we know that they're only scouting the nebula, Jingle?" Jingle started shaking her head and Alex continued, "It's clear that the probe in question did not detect our stealth probe; it never moved to avoid it. I've sent this information to Admiral Glennon on an encrypted channel and he is going to check it out. However, this makes it a whole new ball game."
"So, what happens now?"
"Admiral Glennon agrees that the alien planet must be attacked. The entire Union Navy is at risk." Jingle nodded slightly and Alex shrugged, "If we go in, we will not be coming out on the same route, Jingle. There will be too many alien warships chasing us."
"What are you saying, Alex?"
"Jingle, we're going to have to cross the Styx."
"Let us pray we don't run into the Ferryman before we get out!" Alex could only shake his head in response.


Genre: Science Fiction