pike /paɪk/ noun: 1. a long, heavy spear used by ancient infantries. A modified version is the standard weapon of the VFAS corps.
Love and Hate
Planetary corporations battle each other for real estate and market share using an intelligent race of spacefaring dragons to guard their shipping lanes. With their impenetrable hides and their massive bulk, the dragons are great at fighting off attacking ships. But when it comes to dragon versus dragon battles, the beasts rely on the Ventral Fold Attack Specialists Corps, AKA the Pikers. These elite soldiers give the dragons what they need to kill each other: a thrust to the belly with their namesake weapon.
Pike wanted nothing more than to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a member of the VFAS Corps. The first chance he got, he made that wish come true, but the Corps is built around more than just a few terrible secrets. He comes to understand the piker motto of “love the one next to you, hate the one across from you” in a way that threatens to cost him everything.
A chance encounter unlocks an ability in him that may be the key to survival for himself and his fellow pikers, and will lead him to a decision that places the fate of humanity in his hands. If he survives, he may discover the very secret of the universe.
