AUTHOR CRAIG BELL
DARK SYMMETRY
SHADOW MODE: BOOK THREE
LAUNCHES 9/4/2026
The enemy isn’t always new. Sometimes, it’s just evolved.
In the Depths of Space, Something is making Entire Fleets Disappear.
As the Terran Alliance pushes into uncharted systems beyond the Russian frontier, it finds… something waiting. An ancient machine species, self-replicating and adaptive, has begun dismantling entire colonies for raw materials. Dubbed the Architects, they communicate in patterns only Mike seems able to decode.
And when the Alliance orders the MIMIC unit to lead a counterstrike, Ryerson and Mike
uncover a link between the Architects’ code and the Terran AI research that spawned the MIMIC program itself. Facing annihilation, Marines and mechs must question whether humanity created its own destroyer centuries ago.
What is perfection? What is humanity?
What is Mike?
Old allies. New lines. The next war begins within.
The sk’Alen campaign changed everything. The MIMIC program should have secured
humanity’s future—but politics has turned its greatest victory into its greatest vulnerability.
Beyond the frontier, Russian colonial fleets long believed lost have returned. United under the banner of the Novaya Rodina Union, they claim sovereignty over disputed fold lanes and are willing to fight for every kilometer of space. And when mining operations begin disappearing, Gunny Ryerson and Mike are sent to investigate.
What they uncover is far worse than a border conflict.
The Rodinans have stolen the secrets of MIMIC technology. Instead of AI-driven combat
systems, they’ve created terrifying war machines piloted through human neural links—an entire army built to counter everything Ryerson and Mike represent.
Now Ryerson must face enemies created from his own greatest triumph. Every battle pushes Mike closer to an opponent designed to destroy him, forcing Ryerson to confront an impossible question:
What if humanity’s ultimate weapon isn’t its salvation... but the instrument of its
extinction?
Brutal galaxies. Relentless war.
Gunnery Sergeant John David Ryerson of the United Terran Marine Corps knows what he’s doing on a battlefield. Doesn’t matter what planet. Hell, doesn’t matter if it’s on a planet. Wherever the Corps sends him, the Gunny goes.
Even if it means partnering with a brand new prototype mechanical warfighter called MIMIC. An Electronic Intelligence programmed to learn and adapt is downloaded with everything historically important to the Marines. Battles, heroes, reports. From the first Royal Marines and Continental Marines of the 18th Century to now, the MIMIC understands it all.
Beyond the First Chapter
A Living Galaxy, A Growing Legacy
Craig is expanding his many universes with new character arcs, stories, and star systems. And he wants others to join the journey. Inspired by the collaborative spirit of spaces like Baen’s Bar, he hopes to create an incubator for aspiring writers to explore and contribute to this world. If you’ve got a love for sci-fi, strategy, and stories that bite back, we’re saving you a seat.