r-o-o-k-i-e

200 years after the Third World War, the United States and Communist China have collapsed into new superpowers fueled by cold fusion technology, while Europe and Africa experience unprecedented renaissance. Humanity has conquered AIDS and reached for the stars, colonizing the eight planets of the Sol System. But prosperity never lasts. Radi-Mons — planet-conquering creatures that feed on nuclear waste and human flesh — now spread the Nucleus Virus, a sexually transmitted disease granting immense power at devastating psychological cost. In this dangerous new era, Lorna Weiss travels to Taiwan on a secret mission for the North American government, where she encounters Zhi-Xin Wu, a software engineer mourning a love lost to Dilinur Altai — his former classmate now serving the tyrannical regime that oppresses them both. Meanwhile in Africa, Jabari Adomako, a high-school dropout searching for purpose, finds himself piloting a mech among the continent''''s elite warriors. These four souls'''' paths converge as their factions hunt the Moondust Crystal — a billion-year-old artifact buried deep within the Moon''''s core. When Skarn, the dreaded leader of the Radi-Mons, breaks free from his Earth-bound prison, all four are thrust into a deadly race for the Crystal. But this artifact is merely the beginning — a key to a greater conflict that forces each of them to confront humanity''''s eternal question: What do we truly want in this life? ================================================== That was the END OF BLURB. Some ''''Before You Read'''' notes below for those interested. ===== This series is called Nucleus: Unbound Space Opera (long name, I know) or Nucleus for short. The Dust of Moon is the title for Season 1. There''''re multiple seasons planned. The story is currently on Volume 2: Lunar Legions. There will be 5 volumes in Season 1. ===== Note on A.I. usage: As a non-native English writer, my style has evolved through years of consistent practice and study. Newer chapters may reflect this growth process. While I use AI tools for grammar assistance, I''''m now developing my own voice (still working on it). I welcome constructive feedback as I continue this journey. ===== WHAT TO EXPECT: - A mature military sci-fi with psychic powers, diverse human cultures facing otherworldly transformation - Multiple POV characters, complex political and personal landscapes - Deep worldbuilding with a central plot that differs every season - Adult themes including sexuality and violence (translation: if you like sex, war, politics and everything in between, you''''re in for a treat) - There''''s a ''''Buddhism'''' tag which reflects the author''''s religious views somewhat. I''''m glad that the tag exists on this platform. Note that my religious view isn''''t necessarily ''''canonical Buddhism'''', but more an interpretation of how a particular sect of it would evolve into in the far future. You do NOT need any Buddhist knowledge to read the story, but it''''s there, subtly in the background. ===== You may visit the official site I made (link in author’s notes) to learn about lore and future seasons. If this sounds like a dead serious Dune-like story, you may be wondering why I''''d assign it to ''''Smut'''' and ''''Ecchi'''' genres. Well...it turns out there''''s smut (you''''ll get to see how much of it there is), and some of them are cross species and push boundaries a bit. They all serve the plot in some ways, though. If folks like the story and this gets as popular as originally envisioned, I''''ll finish writing all 6 seasons on this platform. Otherwise, I promised my younger self that I''''ll finish what we started, writing the essential 4 seasons over the next few years. I''''ve had great fun creating this story, so I hope you''''ll have fun reading it, too. Feel free to comment with your thoughts, theories, or questions! I respond to all of them. Also serializing on Royal Road. © 2025 Nucleus Series. All Rights Reserved.