"Become more than what you are."
— Villain tagline
Providence Ends is a 2017 novel written by Bryan G. Shewmaker. It is a multiple plot-thread Space Opera that follows five characters and their stories amid the backdrop of a thawing Space Cold War between inter-galactic superpowers; the Solar Empire and the Interstellar Combine. All while the machinations of a Greater-Scope Villain known as the Encephalon work in the background.
Robert Panzer, a member of the elite and clandestine Solar Commandos leads the pack. A former Blood Knight who has become bored with battle seeks new challenges in his life.
Simmonne Mandrake, the youngest daughter of The Emperor who is sent to help manage a refugee crises. All while truly seeking love, and a way to avoid being separated from her True Companions.
Jonathan Clearwater, a new military officer, struggling to manage his family, military, and personal responsibilities.
Steven Mandrake, the Bastard Prince determined to do whatever it takes to be the next emperor.
and Oul'sor. A Warlord of the Proud Warrior Race known as the Vaar, seeking to avenge the death of his son.
This work provides examples of:
- Armor Is Useless: Zigzagged. The armor of Imperial characters protects them from harm (or even outright un-survivable situations) numerous times. Meanwhile with the exception of Oul'sor, Vaar characters seem about as protected as if they were wearing cheesecloth. Justified however in that Solar technology is much more advanced than that of the Vaar and the Combine.
- Action Girl: Jenna Prideaux and Simmonne's gamma aren bodyguards. Jenna is the only one to survive. But they go down swinging against an enemy that has them heavily outnumbered.
- BFG: Panzer's favorite rifle Jorri is described as a "25mm assault cannon".
- Blood Knight: Dialogue reveals that Panzer was very much this in his early years, (and to some degree still is); until he reached the point that almost no one is strong enough to challenge him.
- Bodyguard Crush: Panzer is not technically Simmonne's bodyguard, (his job is to be on-call to support her bodyguards) the two develop an attraction to each other almost as soon as they meet.
- Boring, but Practical: After Simmonne prods Panzer to demonstrate his psionic abilities, she remarks that it must help in a fight. His reply is that it takes a lot less effort to just shoot someone.
- Critical Existence Failure: Averted. The reader can actually see the results of injuries building up on the combatants until someone either lands a decisive blow, or they take so much they just can't keep going.
- The Determinator: Robert F'ing Panzer. If he's not King of the Determinators, he's part of the royal family. Over the course of one fight he is shot repeatedly, basically nuked, hit with an air-strike, set on fire, and kicked through a building. But even with his body falling apart, he just won't stop.
- Establishing Character Moment: Each of the POV characters gets one.
- Robert Panzer is introduced in the prologue, ruthlessly hunting down and dispatching a team of Vaar special forces.
- Simmonne Mandrake is introduced being pampered by her handmaidens, but is easily intimidated by one Robert Panzer.
- Jonathan Clearwater is demonstrated arriving on a distant / disputed colony to begin his new job as the Fish out of Water.
- Steven Mandrake is introduced being annoyed by one of his two wives, while worrying over his ascension to the other.
- Oul'sor is brought Back from the Dead and learns of his son's death.
- Casual Interstellar Travel: Casual inter-galactic travel to be exact. Not only can both Solar and Combine ships travel between galaxies in relatively short periods of time, but within the Astranet one does not even need a ship!
- Cyborg: Every single human being alive. Every human is born with nanites inhabiting every cell of their body, providing a lot of perks. Soldiers like Panzer and Clearwater seem to get more and upgraded cybernetics.
- Enemy Mine: Subverted. The Dragon Indorai and the Combine work together against the Empire, but its very clear that the Vaar neither like nor trust him. Indorai meanwhile is simply using them for his own agenda.
- Four-Star Badass: Oul'sor. As a Warlord of the Combine he is one of the highest ranking members of the Vaar military, and not afraid to kick ass in person.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Taula, a scientist to whom Clearwater is attached as a sort of assistant/bodyguard. Her father is a human and her mother a lantai. The trope is played-with as one character reflects on how most scientists are sure that humans and lantai have a common ancestor, they are not sure where the two species diverged.
- Hegemonic Empire: The Solar Empire. While it has what is probably the baddest military around, it prefers to expand its influence via the power of its trade, culture, and economy.
- Hollywood Tactics: Beautifully averted. On ND-31/Origin, the Imperials have protected the colony with fortifications, artillery, minefields, and other deadly defenses. When the Vaar bypass some of these to land on the planet and attack the colony directly, they first use their disposable enspa to probe the Impeiral's defenses. After doing so they breach the defenses with heavy units, and they follow with infantry. Combined-arms warfare is in full effect as both sides use their various assets against each other.
- While Panzer fights Oul'sor and the DOS Team they use air-support and heavy weapons against him. Panzer thus resorts to “Rat War”, using his stealth capabilities to get into melee range and fight the Vaar so closely that they can't keep using heavy weapons against him without hitting their own.
- Hopeless War: Robert Panzer and Admiral Aetius seem to be the only officers who believe the Combine will take the Space Cold War to the next stage. Everyone else believes that doing so would result in this for the Combine.
- I Call Her "Vera": Panzer refers to his favorite rifle as "Jorri", apparently a dimunitive of its maker "Jormungandr".
- Happiness in Slavery: The Lantai.
- Implacable Man: Oul'sor. Dying seems to be more of a nuisance than a hindrance.
- It's Personal: Panzer killed Oul'sor's son, fights don't really get more personal than that.
- Made a Slave: With his inhibitions stripped by the Encephalon, Panzer spends several chapters contemplating doing this to Simmonne.
- Megaton Punch: Oul'sor's might be better described as a Gigaton Kick.
- No Kill like Overkill: Oul'sor brings a massive shotgun, an automatic missile launcher, and an array of particle cannons capable of obliterating a mountain on his hunt for Panzer.
- No Woman's Land: The Reichsylvannian Dominion. Women are the literal property of their husbands, and have essentially no rights.
- Oh, Crap!: Even though they knew they might encounter him, the Vaar DOS Team has this reaction when Panzer shows up to crash their party.
- One-Man Army: Robert Panzer. Part of the job description for Solar Commandos.
- Post-Victory Collapse: By the time the fight with Oul'sor is over, Panzer is in such bad shape his troops have to carry him to the medbay. Right before they start peeling off the armor that's been fused to his flesh.
- Proud Warrior Race: The Vaar are a subversion and more of a soldier race. Their military is the Combine government. However they don't seem the type to put Honor Before Reason , and don't take the idea of picking a fight with someone like The Empire lightly.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: The Emperor. When Panzer contests his orders, the Emperor calmly listens to his protest and considers the matter before sticking to his decision.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The Encephalon, though the sealing on that can doesn't seem to be particularly effective.
- Sex Slave: While they are called "pets" instead of slaves, particularly attractive lantai seem to fulfill this role among Reichsylvannians.
- Stripperiffic: Reichsylvannian women's attire might generously be called swimwear or lingerie elsewhere.
- The Dragon: Indorai. He's clearly working for the Encephalon, but prefers to do so behind the scenes.
- The Good King: The Emperor. By all rights he is a Reasonable Authority Figure, a family man, and all around nice guy.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Hahk'xess gives a scathing one of these to the Empire.
-
The Woobie: Jonathan Clearwater. Whether its training, going out on a date, or facing the enemy, nothing ever seems to go right for him. - Title Drop: Indorai gives one as he watches the final fight between Panzer and Oul'sor.
- True Companions: Simmonne is so intent on never being separated from the Katyusha Twins, she even considers marrying into a No Woman's Land society just to be sure they can stay together.
- Walking Armory: Lampshaded. As Panzer loads up for a mission, one of his troops asks if he should fetch someone to help him carry a few more weapons.
- Why Won't You Die?: Invoked by the DOS-Team after they've thrown everything but the kitchen sink at Panzer, and he just keeps coming.
- Zerg Rush: The Vaar seem to be forced to employ this in order to offset the Solars' superior technology.
