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Luke Chmilenko

Luke Chmilenko

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 19

In magic we find the contradiction that proves all rules. Where belief and power are exerted against what we know to be true of the universe, the truth falters. Where mana is shaped and Aion words are spoken, those structures from which the universe are formed can be transcended, bypassed ...

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Volume 2: Stub Warning & Update!

Hey everyone!

I hope that you have all been enjoying Starbreaker so far! I am here with a few housekeeping updates!

First off and starting with the update that might affect some readers – Starbreaker: Volume 2, will be stubbed for Free readers as of May 9th at approximately 12pm in ...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 18

Accidents happen. That is the nature of the universe. Sometimes these accidents are happy, sometimes they are not. Yet pretending that those who have a series of accidents in their favor are imbued with some supernatural force called luck is the height of ignorance.”

Lu...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 17

Fighting eidolons and the undead, to a lesser extent, results in a very diverse collection of individual foes for the Ardent. In turn, this makes practical training exercises in preparation to face them difficult. It is for this reason that trainees of the Ardent so often find themselves t...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 16

The majority of species encountered across the universe have thus far been relatively similar. Offshoots from some common progenitor perhaps, or simply a matter of the same evolutionary niche being filled in a similar way. Yet there are of course exceptions to every rule. The Ghol species ...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 15

Healing magic is much abused by society. Used as a replacement for proper care more often than not. Just as any mind mage is forced to undergo a full scan of their own consciousness prior to being licensed to work on others, so too should every individual in the Empyrean be forced to heal ...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 14

There is an inverse value attached to any given object or achievement based in how easy it was to achieve. The most treasured things in the world hold value only for their owner, and only because of the sentiment they attach to them.”

The Necessity, Valtoris Blackstar View Post

Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 13

Fringe experiments in chronomancy aside, time is the one resource that none of us will ever get back. Through study of magic and the ensuing improvements to our bodies, we can prolong our lifespans far beyond what is considered natural, even maintaining the appearance and capabilities of y...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 12

“Minimum unit sizes of three are to be used when squads are to be deployed in direct contact with Eidolons. This eliminates the likelihood of affinity lockout, reduces the dangers of mental domination and also any risk of agents going rogue by conventional means. The optimal team size is ni...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 11

“A man can be healed within hours of his injury. The cruelty of fate reversed, if it is reached in time. But beyond that we discover the world of prosthetics, amputations and transplantation.”

—Aspirational Healing, Dr. Coodler

The flight spell seized him, laun...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 10

“There are many things that they don’t tell you about waging war in a squad. Things that the textbooks and lecturers overlook and sidestep because they find them distasteful, or harmful to morale. Members of your team are going to die. It is inevitable. Members of your team are going to b...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 8

“It is easy to be deceived into seeing something that is not there. Pattern recognition was a vital asset for our ancestors trying to survive in a hostile world, and it has been carried forward and praised vastly through almost all sapient civilizations. But this same capability rend...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 5

“If repetition is the mother of learning then failure is its father. But while those who pursue the lesser disciplines can make full use of both of education’s parents, the mage is limited to repetition alone. Failure in most fields is not immediately lethal, while for the mage protected ...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 9

“In the heat of battle it can be difficult to tell friend from foe. For this reason, soldiers wear uniforms. This may produce some confusion, as you might come to believe that anyone not wearing the same uniform as you is the source of danger, when in fact the most hazardous person o...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 6

“The reason that rapid advancement through the circles of magic is discouraged should be self-evident. The mana base is destabilized each time an additional circle is added, and by rushing the addition of circles the risk of a breach is increased. This is the short-term danger of suc...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 3

“Magic is an art. Magic is beauty. Magic is grace. Magic is everything and anything that the user projects onto it. An artist sees every spell as the brushstrokes of creation, a builder sees every spell as a building block that they’ll use to construct a more beautiful world. Magic is a t...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 1

“Thy legend was born in the shadow of the beast.

Marked with their sign. All dust in the wind.

Thy strength was forged in the shadow of the beast.

Strength within. Echoes without.

Loathe greatest of all when beasts’ shadows are g...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 7

“Much has been said of the Eidolon. Much speculation has been made to its purpose in the universal order. Its fundamental nature. What will drives them to do as they do. I say to you this, of the Eidolon. It does not matter. It does not matter why they exist. It does not matter what ...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 2

“While there have been many theoretical treatise written on the subject of temporal magic, the practicality of it has always escaped us. The amount of power required to overturn the pull of gravity, or the heat of a flame is negligible in comparison to how much that would be needed t...

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Starbreaker: Volume 3 - Chapter 4

Magic as an art has always developed on every world with species capable of attaining sentience. The particular format in which knowledge of magic was conveyed between practitioners and their acolytes varied based upon the culture and species, but most common by far was the medieval pattern o...

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Starbreaker Volume 2: Now Complete! Next Steps!

Hi everyone!

With today's epilogue chapter being released, it now marks the official end of Volume 2 for free readers! I hope that you've all enjoyed the story so far! I truly appreciate all of your support in getting this far, I wouldn't be able to do this all without you!

As we are ...

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Starbreaker: Volume 2 - Epilogue

Valtoris Blackstar was training. There were some who said such things were pointless, that his power was in his empire now, not in the strength of his flesh, or the reach of his magic. But they did not say that these things were pointless to their emperor’s face. It was well known how much he r...

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Starbreaker: Volume 1 - Is Now Live!!

Hey everyone! I am happy to announce that Starbreaker: Volume 1 is now available for your reading and listening pleasure! (At least for those of you who haven't already read it ahead of time)

In any case, if you are looking to get an official copy of the story, it’s now available in ebook...

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Starbreaker: Volume 2 - Chapter 48

“Yet in the Eidolon we find nothing unique. It is a creature, arcane where others are biological. It requires sustenance, arcane where others require chemical. There is little to distinguish it from the product of any known planet’s evolution. Barring one thing. The capability that all Ei...

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Starbreaker: Volume 2 - Chapter 47

“How do you kill a world? Is a world even a living thing that can be killed? In the abstract it would seem the answer is no. It is simply a sphere of solid matter in a vast expanse of emptiness. Yet there are worlds we know to be dead. And creatures that we know to be capable of killing the...

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Starbreaker: Volume 2 - Chapter 46

“Hating yourself is part of being leader. So is being hated. Your job is not to be everyone’s friend. Your job is to complete your mission at whatever cost has been deemed acceptable. More often than not, that means people will die. In dire circumstances, that might mean all of you, so lo...

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Starbreaker: Volume 2 - Chapter 45

“It is impossible for any worldsoul to bear an affinity, for the simple reason that a world cannot exist except as a holistic whole. To remove death from a world would be as destabilizing as to remove life. To remove fire, or air, or water or earth… the universe is in a state of balance t...

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Starbreaker: Volume 1 Stub Warning!

Hey everyone! I hope you have all been enjoying the story so far!

I am writing here for those who are still reading Volume 1 of the story and letting you know that the story will be stubbed/paywalled in roughly 24 hours on Feb 25th. From that point on it will only be available to Wanderer T...

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Starbreaker: Volume 2 - Chapter 44

“No matter how good you are. No matter how hard you train. Eventually you will hit the wall. This isn’t through any fault of yours. Circumstances and ability very rarely align, and even less so in combat.”

—Squad Tactics, Fal’Vaelith

“Plan? What do...

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Starbreaker: Volume 2 - Chapter 43

“Relic worlds stand as a testament to how far it is necessary for us to go to defend ourselves against the Eidolon menace. They show sophisticated culture, technology and magic existed across the universe and has come into being over and over again throughout its expansion, yet each of them...

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