Seventeen of them had not developed interstellar travel. Those were destroyed by the species that did reach the stars. That space-faring eighteenth decimated the human colony on the Semi-Autonomous World Troy. A Marine Force Recon platoon sent to investigate is wiped out almost to the last man. In reaction, the North American Union assembles the largest army seen since the major wars of the 20th Century. A Marine Corps Combat Force is sent to "kick in the door," backed up by a four-division Army corps to take the planet back. The initial landing is unopposed. It isn't until the fleet carrying the Army corps is approaching Troy that the enemy strikes, with devastating effect.

    Astrogation officer Gene O'Gwynn, a lady with a plastic face. Weapons officer Akin Darby and Communications officer Miss Cyanta, both with assorted prosthetic parts.These were the officers of the Iwo Jima, one of the two heavy battle-cruiser starships protecting the vast cumbersome Rudolph Cragston, a hospital ship returning to Earth with thousands of wounded in cold sleep.These brutally injured officers had been restored to temporary, artificial life to do this job because no intact man or woman could be spared from the main conflict.But then Breakaway Station, a vital link with Earth, was suddenly threatened..

    Dorsey's women travel across the world, from the slave dens to the merchant cities, across seas by ship and by dirigible, to isolated mountain villages and back again. "But there remains provocative ambiguity as the story progresses. There is a woman exiled from her family, a mother who has abandoned her daughter, an old woman in a cage, a young women slave on a lord's estate who does not remember her past. How many of them are the same woman?

    Teenager Miranda Candle finds a mysterious necklace and is suddenly transported to The Nex, the bizarre city at the center of all possible universes, where she falls in with a pair of would-be revolutionaries-the skinshifter Howlaa and the bodiless Wisp-fighting the oppressive regime of the city-state's Regent and his army of steam colossi, cynical cyborgs, and the depraved royal orphans. This is a classic story filled with new twists. Featured in this volume are two related bonus stories, "Dream Engine" and "We Go Back."

    As tiny and inconspicuous as it may seem, That-Which-Had-Been exhibits an unexpected and varied gift for survival, as it journeys implacably toward its ultimate destination. Along the way, it meets a rich array of ordinary human beings, some of whom assist it along its way, others who impede its progress, none of whom have any idea of its existence.From whence comes the strange, but universal, experience of deja vu? Why do some people exhibit a wisdom far beyond their age and experience - persons reincarnationists refer to as 'old souls'? Joseph Wurtenbaugh in this short story offers a fascinating and tantalizingly plausible explanation for these phenomena, presented in a natural setting that brims with adventure and exhilarating possibility. Not to be missed by anyone who enjoys science fiction or thinking outside the box.

    But with no blood, guts, or glory, boredom began to set in and strategy lost its edge. Something was needed to bring fresh excitement to an old, old game. And so the past was mined for the greatest warriors and generals history had to offer: Napoleon, Alexander, the 47 Ronin, assassins from ancient Persia—all brilliant at either combat or at tactics and strategy.It was just a game—until mock war turned real on an unimaginable scale, and only those legendary warriors could turn the tide.

    Its first colonists were castaways from a crash landing, clinging to survival through the institution of strict socio-political controls. Over the generations life grew somewhat easier, but the code of honor remained. Misdeeds, and errors, were paid for with blood.At one time all miscreants were executed. Now, a social death is imposed. Every Oreseian city has a colony of "ghosts": ostracized citizens who must survive, somehow, without help from the living.But galactic civilization is spreading - and Orestes is in its path. The old ways are under scrutiny. And though the Oresteian aristocracy will fight for the status quo, they have not reckoned on the power of a thousands ghosts...

    Billionaire genius Byron Gaines is accused of murdering his wife and her lover, but he swears he didn't do it. This couldn't have come at a worse moment: he is so close to a breakthrough in his research. He's about to invent a device that will change the world forever. The irony is, if only he had a little more time, he'd be able to make his legal problems disappear--along with himself. Travel to the near future with unforgettable characters and evocative depictions of imminent technologies. See how society could evolve in both utopian and dystopian ways.

    Two brothers at war.With advanced weaponry and impenetrable armor, the Crusaders smash aside anything that stands in their way. Led by Kaneda Kusanagi, they have only one mission: to destroy Matriarch, the last thinking machine, and free the people of Jupiter from her tyranny.Whether they like it or not.Standing in their way are the Dragons, led by Kaneda’s estranged brother Ryu. With super-human reflexes and invisible battle suits, the Dragons are masters of infiltration and sabotage. Loyal only to Matriarch, they will stop at nothing to protect their way of life.The two brothers are set to collide in a battle that will shake the great powers of the solar system and force both men to question what they believe in.

     The dark forces of the Neo Hegemony strike, sweeping across the worlds of the Arcadian sector and crushing all in their path. One system stands against the onslaught, the Kingdom of New Avalon. But the men and women of their expeditionary forces are trapped behind enemy lines on a besieged planet. Losing those troops will lose the war. Their only hope? A last-ditch rescue mission led by Captain Hal Cutter and his battleship, Achilles. Beset on all sides by lethal enemy warships, he must lead a rag-tag fleet of naval and civilian vessels across Hegemony-held space to save the beleaguered Kingdom soldiers. In the skies and orbit, Lieutenant Jason ‘Rick’ Richards and the untested pilots of Viper squadron clash in a furious battle for supremacy against elite enemy fighters. And on the ground, Private Patrick ‘Wink’ Goble and his platoon must hold the line against a ruthless commander and her overwhelming force of battle-tested mechs until salvation arrives. All will play their part in this desperate struggle for survival against impossible odds. The Great War has begun… Read the epic new military science fiction series from Ralph Kern, the best-selling author of the Locus series.

    But Commonwealth operative Simon Kovalic knows nothing ever goes to plan. So, when a duplicitous bounty hunter lives up to his reputation, Kovalic’s ready—just maybe not ready enough.Now he and his team must get offworld, before their enemies catch up with them…

    

    A trapped platoon. The one man who will stop at nothing to lead his unit to safety. Rade Galaal and his team of special operators are deployed to a colony under attack by a strange new alien race. Their mission: find the extraterrestrial base and destroy it. The operation should be easy, given that his men pilot Brigand mechs: massive, 25-foot-tall war machines armed to the teeth with electrolasers, rockets, incendiary throwers, and more. But it's not easy. Rade and his team soon find themselves in over their heads. Surrounded by an entire world of enraged aliens, they must rely on their wits, their training, and their mechs to survive. Because their only way out is each other.

    Escape to adventure on pirate-infested seas when she signs on with the ruthless Blackbeard. Plunge into battle as Alyx attacks the cunning Barbarian who traps her in murder and blackmail. Journey 4,000 years to a future world, where her cunning and courage save stranded wayfarers from planetary war.But be warned—for the right price, Alyx will serve the Devil himself!Contents:- Bluestocking (1967)- I Thought She Was Afeard till She Stroked My Beard (1967)- The Barbarian (1968)- Picnic on Paradise (1968)- The Second Inquisition (1970)

    To help you navigate these troubled waters, we give you the Reading Guide. Even better than a towel, this guide will give you a reading order and provide information about the various eras and their series.Follow the main Tanis storyline and learn the best places to branch off on the side quests. Or, if you joined in on a branching storyline, find out the best place to pick up the main tale.This guide was last updated on Dec 8, 2018. About M. D. Cooper & Aeon 14 M. D. Cooper is a New York Times bestselling author who has envisioned a rich future for humanity, one where planet-sized megastructures house trillions of humans, but traveling between the stars still takes decades, or even centuries.Fans of Ringworld, Honor Harrington, The Expanse, or Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War will feel right at home in the world of Aeon 14.Over the course of the next few years, M. D. Cooper plans to release an additional twenty-two books in this expanding universe. So get on board the Intrepid with Tanis and see what the stars hold for us. What is Aeon 14? The universe of Aeon 14 is based on the premise that advanced, intelligent, starfaring life takes 14 billion years to evolve. In astronomy an aeon is a billion years. In Aeon 14, humanity is at the leading edge of this evolution in the Milky Way Galaxy.Humanity and the AIs they have created spread out amongst the stars and find that they are alone, though it may not always be that way...