Escape Route: Black Horizon (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798181457713)

When three leading physicists vanish from a secure Anglo research station without triggering a single alarm, systems analyst Dr. Adrian Mallory is assigned to uncover the truth.

What begins as a routine investigation soon reveals a disturbing pattern stretching across dozens of star systems. The missing scientists have not been kidnapped in the conventional sense. They have been recruited.

Beyond the borders of known space, the authoritarian Aurigan Empire has perfected a new form of conquest-not through armies or fleets, but through the systematic acquisition of humanity's brightest minds. Scientists disappear into a hidden network of research facilities where unlimited resources, unrestricted inquiry, and a seductive promise of purpose await.

As Mallory and intelligence officer Captain Lyle Corvin follow a trail of falsified shipping manifests, erased transit records, and impossible hyperspace routes, they uncover the existence of Black Corridor Sigma, a secret transportation network leading into the heart of Aurigan territory.

There they discover a chilling reality: many of the Empire's intellectual captives do not believe they are prisoners at all.

Caught between loyalty, ambition, and truth, Mallory must decide whether exposing the Aurigans' grand design is worth igniting a conflict that could engulf the stars.

A suspenseful blend of classic Cold War intrigue, hard science fiction, and psychological mystery, Escape Route: Black Horizon explores the price of knowledge, the nature of freedom, and the danger of believing that noble ends justify absolute control.

Author: John Bailey
ISBN-13: 9798181457713
Publisher: Independently Published
Language: English
Published: 06/13/2026
Pages: 254
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.76lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.53d