"And so the Fallen rose again, to scale a precipice from which there was no retreat, and each new height we gained only made the final fall that much farther..."
Jason Trelayne is a man haunted by his past. He is a man desperately in need of a redemption he can never find. For Trelayne has committed atrocities. Kidnapping. Murder. Genocide. As an officer in the Merged Corporate Entity's "Relocation of Indigenous Peoples" militia, Trelayne destroyed entire species and laughed while they died. For Trelayne was a soldier manipulated by the Entity he served. Forcibly addicted by his superiors to an alien drug which messes with emotions, turning anguish and horror into joy and ecstasy, Trelayne was made to kill thousands in service to corporate greed.
Sickened by what he had become, Trelayne eventually escaped from the RIP Force and took what small steps he could to right wrongs by rescuing indigenous beings from the clutches of RIP and gathering them to himself and his protection as the Merged Corporate Entity continued to destroy their home worlds. But Trelayne can never be freed from the horrors of his past for he remains addicted to the alien drug, Scream, and will die without it. And the only source of Scream is a species of intelligent creatures, known to the humans as "Scream Angels" who have been subjugated by the MCE and kept as slaves for the express purpose of providing RIP Forces with the drug, which female Angels produce to feed their young. When Trelayne deserted the RIP Force, he took a breeding Angel pair with him. And he must keep the Angels with him, for his very survival is dependent upon his continued access to the female's scream. Thus, he has become both the Angels' rescuer and their captor.
Trelayne's situation is further complicated by his love for the female Angel, a beautiful and enigmatic creature who he knows will never return his feelings. Still he muddles through as best he can, hiding himself and his multi-species band of refugees by performing circus shows on a backwater planet far from any MCE interests. Then one night, an accident during the performance leads a RIP officer stuck on the planet for ship repairs straight to Trelayne and his Angels.
Scream Angel is an emotionally powerful story which explores themes of love, redemption, corporate greed and the dehumanizing horrors of war. The story's characters are compelling as individuals and wonderfully imaginative as species, and the battle they are drawn into is deeply chilling for the motives behind it are all too believable. Scream Angel is a beautifully crafted story with many layers which serves as both cautionary tale and tribute to perseverence and hope. Another gem from the pen of Douglas Smith which is well deserving of the honours it has received.