Fiction Space Adventure

The 5th and final episode in the Mak'to'ran series. No spoilers on this one. Read and enjoy. :)

The fracturing of the V'kit'no'sat Empire has now come to fruition, but the full-fledged civil war has not resulted. With the depth of experience and knowledge the dinosaur races have accumulated over the millennia, they know the destructive cost that such devastation would bring, and a conservative warfare methodology breaks out wherein the fighting is over territory while trying to spare lives and as much equipment as possible, so not to weaken the overall empire.

Gaining greater responsibilities, Mak'to'ran continues his push to reforge the V'kit'no'sat empire while uncovering yet another mystery of the past.

Beginning the Star Force Phase 2 timeline, the Mak'to'ran serial details the defeated V'kit'no'sat fleet commander's days following the attack on Earth and the fallout within the Dinosaur empire that results from it. For as bad as the treason regarding the Humans and the bastardized Hadarak is, and the implications that one of the two founding V'kit'no'sat races are behind it, a much larger rift within the empire is being exposed that has the potential to do what neither the Zak'de'ron culling nor the Rit'ko'sor rebellion accomplished. A full Dinosaur civil war.

In search of answers to both his past and his future, Hal and his newly formed crew must overcome obstacles unlike anything they’ve ever seen. Hal needs repairs, and there’s only so many places a Reaper can find them. Far across known space, hidden inside an uncharted slip tunnel, a hidden Reaper facility may hold the answers Hal needs. But the Union would rather the dead stay buried...and they’ll kill to keep their secrets.

In the wake of the Galactic Republic's fall, Magnus and the Gladio Umbra learn of a new superpower that hopes to unite all orphaned star systems in peace. But Magnus's suspicions grow as the Luma Alliance of Worlds uses anything but peaceful methods to co-opt allegiance in the post-Republic landscape. Meanwhile, on the fringe of the galaxy, a dark shadow looms. Moldark, the sworn enemy of a growing number of species, amasses power through a new partnership with the Obscura. With their combined forces, there is no telling what evil may rain down upon the galaxy's sentient worlds.

January 1864: General Robert E. Lee faces defeat. The Army of Northern Virginia is ragged and ill-equipped. Gettysburg has broken the back of the Confederacy and decimated its manpower. Then, Andries Rhoodie, a strange man with an unplaceable accent, approaches Lee with an extraordinary offer. Rhoodie demonstrates an amazing rifle: its rate of fire is incredible, its lethal efficiency breathtaking - and Rhoodie guarantees unlimited quantities to the Confederates. The name of the weapon is the AK-47.

The Imperium grip is slipping, thanks to Will's unexpected ability as a Void Drifter. But in revealing his abilities, Will may have put his home planet, a backwater most of the galaxy didn't even know existed, on the frontlines. But Earth is not as defenseless as it seems. An enigmatic billionaire, aware of the true nature of the Imperium's galactic menace, has been secretly building a defensive fleet. Still more fleets have been secretly constructed in the far reaches of the galaxy.

Ten thousand years ago, a single alien super-ship survived a desperate battle. The vessel's dying crew set the AI on automatic to defend the smashed rubble of their planet. Legend has it the faithful ship continues to patrol the empty battlefield, obeying its last order throughout the lonely centuries.In the here and now, Earth needs a miracle. Out of the Beyond invade the New Men, stronger, faster and smarter than the old. Their superior warships and advanced technology destroy every fleet sent to stop them.

As war breaks out among the colonies, a huge ship appears over the UPP mining planet Shānmén, releasing a horror that yields hideous transformations. Rescue is too far away, and the colonists’ only hope appears in the form of the vessel Righteous Fury. It carries the Jackals—an elite mix of former Colonial Marines and Royal Marines. Led by Zula Hendricks, the Jackals seek to rescue the few survivors from the depths of the planet, but have they arrived on time?

With his duty to the Legion satisfied, Wraith sets out to find a lost member of his crew - the young girl Prisma. Not only does the journey bring with it more death and destruction - and loss - than he ever imagined, it revives the shadows of a forgotten past. The only way forward is to follow the footsteps of the legendary Tyrus Rechs. Meanwhile, as the galaxy struggles to steady itself following the fall of a corrupt and bloated republic, dangerous threats vie for power.

Carter Ash wakes up with no memories in a virtual basic training. All the recruits will die within the next six weeks. Lucky for them, they’ve all got three lives. He’s assigned to a squad with his goofy friend and another captivating cadet, Iris. They have to keep each other alive as long as possible because when they die, they get assigned their permanent character class. And everyone in the squad wants a valuable class, ideally the kind where you don’t get killed immediately.

A rich Komarran merchant fleet has been impounded at Graf Station in distant Quaddiespace after a bloody incident involving the convoy's Barrayaran military escort. But Lord Miles Vorkosigan and his wife, Lady Ekaterin, have other things on their minds, such as getting home in time to attend the long-awaited births of their first children.

Null Stellarium is more than a shipyard. It's a proving ground steeped with science and engineering designed to push warships faster than ever before, and armed to confront the growing menace of a universe where everything is influenced by a hidden evil. As Van and his crew grow into their new roles, Perry unlocks a memory that reaches into the very beginning of the Tudor family's service nearly a century earlier. But sometimes, the truth is hidden for a reason, and Van must decide—How much does he really want to know? And how far can he take his ship, knowing there's a price on his head?

The stories in The Dying Earth introduce dozens of seekers of wisom and beauty, lovely lost women, wizards of every shade of eccentricity with their runic amulets and spells. We meet the melancholy deodands, who feed on human flesh and the twk-men, who ride dragonflies and trade information for salt. There are monsters and demons. Each being is morally ambiguous: The evil are charming, the good are dangerous. All are at home.

Lieutenant Travis Long of the Royal Manticoran Navy is the sort of person who likes an orderly universe. One where people follow the rules. Unfortunately he lives in the real universe. The good news is that Travis is one of those rare people who may like rules but has a talent for thinking outside them when everything starts coming apart. That talent has stood him - and the Star Kingdom - in good stead in the past, and it's one reason he's now a "mustang" - an ex-enlisted man who's been given a commission.

He was in a gang but was trying to change his future, when a board member of the elite advanced academy NEXUS made a snap decision and offered him a chance. Then fate, or an unbalanced genius, offered him another. The Nexus Academy is for the elite trainees from Earth, and now trials from our alien allies, as they teach the future generation how to fight, lead, hack, spy, and many other talents and tactics. Hired by companies, governments, and NGOs, these graduates work to pay off the massive debt their training at the academy accumulates.

The galaxy is on fire. The ruthless Adamant Empire is sweeping across all of space leaving only chard ashes in their wake. No civilization can withstand their firestorm of conquest. But they made one serious mistake along their path to galactic domination. They pissed off Jon Ryan. Bad move. That's never a healthy thing to do.

As a crumbling Galactic Republic falls to the relentless assault of a merciless foe, so begins the rise of an enigmatic emperor intent on saving a corrupt galaxy-spanning civilization from itself…and from something much darker that lies beyond the reaches of the known. Just as the reins of power fall into his iron-fisted grasp, an assassination attempt by a hidden cabal within his own inner circle jeopardizes every plan he has set in motion for his Dark Legion, his Imperial Navy, and his ultimate conquest of the stars. But the assassins have no idea who they're actually dealing with.

The war is over, and Will Kaufman is finally back home. He brings with him the technological and medical wonders of the galaxy. When an alien corporate syndicate decides to set up operations on Mars, Earth begins to wonder if the gifts they've been brought are worth the cost of potential subjugation. Earth was spared a war against the Imperium… but it just might find itself at the center of a new conflict unless humanity's only Void Drifter can stop it.