Military Science Fiction Archives - AMERICAN PRAETORIANS

Brink of Destruction

Things Fall Apart Both Corvan and Zolah are now aware of the threat posed by the ghost ships—yet whether they will act on that threat remains to be seen, as the two factions plunge toward interstellar war. Lieutenant Bannon continues to lead his special tasks phalanx, though a reconnaissance mission aimed at the Zolarians quickly leads to new allies and a knowledge of the ghost ships that threatens to upend the entire balance of power in the sector. First Sergeant Draven prepares his company for an assault on the first defenses around Mytun, only to be similarly drawn into the maneuvers of the ghost ships before the offensive can even start moving. Two soldiers, enemies in all but mindset, drawn toward a cataclysmic confrontation, deep in the darkness of a distant star system, as all factions, human and alien, stand on the brink of destruction. The Edge of Imperium trilogy comes to an end (at least for now). Get it on Kindle or Paperback.

Cascade Effect

The Flames of War Spread Even as the clash on distant, desolate Zhogalgan winds down, the spark it has ignited now threatens to set entire star systems aflame. Now Corvanite Lieutenant Ulric Bannon leads his special tasks phalanx on a deep reconnaissance on an alien world to discover Zolarian plans… while elsewhere, on an airless moon, Zolarian First Sergeant Cul Draven faces savage war against a Corvanite client-state that has launched an offensive in the wake of the Zhogalgan confrontation. Corvan and Zolah. Two great powers hurtling toward war… … but the real enemy may be the mysterious alien operatives manipulating the conflict from the shadows. *** Prologue Space seemed to twist, and with a burst of bright blue Cherenkov radiation, a blunt cylinder appeared in the Gamma Corvi 822 system. Cone-shaped drive nozzles at the aft end flared white, pushing the starship toward the distant world that the humans called Zhogalgan at just over one otuchan gravity. The light of that burst of Cherenkov radiation would reach the planet and the human starships that now dominated its orbitals within sixteen of the humans’ minutes. The starship would reach it much later than that, though at its current acceleration, it

Spheres of Influence

Some of you might have seen a little short story that I put out through Wargate Nova a few weeks ago. Well, the main story has now begun. A “Peacekeeping” Mission That Might Be Anything But Lieutenant Bannon and his phalanx of Corvanite warriors have already seen some of the worst that the irregular war between the reptilian otuchans and the human latecomers can offer. Or so they think. First Sergeant Draven, trying to hold his company of Zolarian citizen soldiers together, has been on the desolate planet of Zhogalgan longer than Bannon. He’s seen even more. Yet while they are both there as peacekeepers, they are not there to help each other. Spheres of influence and empires clash, on a dry, harsh world that might become the flashpoint in an interstellar war! So begins a new military science fiction series, in a universe that I hope to explore at great length in the years to come. Get Spheres of Influence, Book 1 of Edge of Imperium, on ebook or paperback. Audio is coming on August 27. Check out a preview here: This series is the first in a universe that I’ve been working on for a long time, even before the

Always Legion

Military contractor Dav Toron left the Legion to avoid the incompetency of its growing number of points. There’s no avoiding the chaos of his next mission. Running protection for a House of Reason Special Aide turns into a kinetic nightmare as a corrupt local government, intergalactic rebels, and violent pirates converge to plunge a backwater edge planet into utter violence and chaos. With his team cut off from all support, Dav falls back on his Legion training to keep those around him alive. But when he forges an alliance with a stranded Legion squad and planetary natives looking to stand up to those seeking to topple their government, an opportunity to save the small planet presents itself…if Dav and his ragged team of outnumbered and outgunned warriors can survive long enough to take it. Best-selling author and veteran Peter Nealen teams up with Anspach and Cole and draws from his own experiences as a paramilitary contractor to deliver this thrilling tale of sacrifice, determination, and combat. Always Legion is a stand-alone novel set in the period between Legionnaire and Galactic Outlaws. Get it on Audible or Kindle today. *** So, almost a year ago, Jason Anspach approached me about doing a Galaxy’s Edge project. The Lost was

Release Day for “The Alliance Rises!”

Chaos spreads across the galaxy… …The Galactic Unity seems unstoppable. How can an unprepared galaxy oppose them? With Valdek behind them, Centurion Scalas and the Caractacan Brotherhood face the Unity’s challenge head-on. But this war has been planned for a long time. And the Unity has more weapons than just their vast clone armies. As brushfires erupt across the galaxy, the Brotherhood and their allies must move quickly to band together before they fall one at a time. But can they stand against this juggernaut? This one turns the scale of things up; the action isn’t limited to just one world or star system this time. The war is spreading, and the action is accordingly widespread. I’ve grumped before that Star Wars lost the sense of scale as soon as they started going back to Tatooine again, and again, and again. I hope you’ll enjoy this massive space war story. The next chapter is coming soon. The Alliance Rises is out on Kindle today

The Alliance Rises Chapter 1

If not for many years of discipline, Centurion Erekan Scalas would have been stifling a yawn behind his visor. The Regonese flock leaders, war chiefs, and politicians had been talking at Brother Legate Dravus Maruks for three hours, while Scalas and his other three brother Centurions had stood by and listened. If not for the climate controls in the Caractacan Brothers’ combat armor, they would have been freezing in the cold, whispering winds that sifted across Kego City’s Peace Plaza. Maruks had his helmet off, and his squarish, sun-blasted face was red with cold and wind-burn. Maruks looked tired. As well he might. Regone was the fifth such system that the Avar Sector Legio of the Caractacan Brotherhood had needed to visit recently. It seemed that every brush fire in the galaxy was flaring up since Valdek had fallen to the so-called “Galactic Unity,” two thousand hours before. The Brother Legate was in the midst of telling the gathered Regonese leaders that the Caractacan Brotherhood was not a mercenary company that they could hire to crush the Exiles on the third planet. The fifty, three-meter-tall avian nashai gathered around him at the base of the towering stone spire that formed

The Defense of Provenia is Out Today!

There are two story arcs in The Unity Wars. The Defense of Provenia begins the second, from a very different point of view than the Caractacan Brothers we met in The Fall of Valdek. He’s about to get his first taste of combat… …And he thinks that it’s the most awful thing he’s ever seen. He’s about to find out what real horror is. Gaumarus Pell has never heard of Valdek, or the Galactic Unity. To him, the rebels on his own world are enough of a threat. But a greater threat lurks in the shadows. The rebels unleash an atrocity that the Provenians have never seen before. Shock ripples across the face of the planet and, soon, they will have far worse to face than the rebels. A nightmare descends from deep space. If he survives, Gaumarus will have to make a choice. A choice that could change the face of the galaxy. Don’t miss the next episode in the epic Military Science Fiction adventure, as the galaxy gets bigger! It’s perfect for fans of Rick Partlow, Jay Allan, and Galaxy’s Edge. Get it now.

Terror from Above – The Defense of Provenia is Out!

The Defense of Provenia takes a slightly different tack from The Fall of Valdek. There are two arcs in The Unity Wars, and they will come together in the end. He’s about to get his first taste of combat… …And he thinks that it’s the most awful thing he’s ever seen. He’s about to find out what real horror is. Gaumarus Pell has never heard of Valdek, or the Galactic Unity. To him, the rebels on his own world are enough of a threat. But a greater threat lurks in the shadows. The rebels unleash an atrocity that the Provenians have never seen before. Shock ripples across the face of the planet and, soon, they will have far worse to face than the rebels. A nightmare descends from deep space. If he survives, Gaumarus will have to make a choice. A choice that could change the face of the galaxy. The Defense of Provenia is out on Kindle and Paperback today.

The Defense of Provenia Chapter 1

The halftrack grumbled to a halt with a lurch; the driver was clearly new, and hadn’t yet gotten used to the slightly different handling. In the turret above, Mertens was knocked against the double coilgun and swore. “Who let that fumble-fingered nuyak drive?” Mertens demanded, his voice muffled by armor plating. “He needs the road time,” Corporal Gaumarus Pell replied. “I remember your first few musters, Mertens. Don’t make me start telling stories.” There was a general chuckle through the halftrack’s troop compartment at that. Gaumarus looked around at his section. Well, not his section. Sergeant Verlot was the section leader. Gaumarus was just a fireteam leader. He was glad he’d gotten a chuckle though. It had broken some of the tension, and he’d actually managed to relax a little bit himself. On most days, he was responsible for two thousand acres of tillage on the Pell Family farm, both supervising the human workers and the remote tractors. The humans were easy; it was the bots that made him want to tear his hair out. Even after centuries of computer development, they were still frustratingly glitchy, overly literal mechanisms, that could plow up two months’ worth of crops in an

Valdek Falls. The Unity Wars Have Begun

Today is the day. The Fall of Valdek is live once again. Starships plunge through a powerful blockade… …Below them, a world burns. Is the galaxy soon to follow? Centurion Scalas and his brothers ride the thundering ships toward the surface. Some of the finest and most respected warriors in the galaxy. Their code is strict: If you target the innocent…You will fall. But the horrific foe descending from deep space isn’t like anything they’ve faced before. Can they hope to stand against the rising new power in the galaxy? The Fall of Valdek is now available on Kindle and Paperback.