I lost a friend at Epsilon Reticuli. I know that’s not much compared to the ships I saw die there, but he was more important to me than any of those ships. I knew him. I liked him. When I didn’t want to punch him at least. Serenity was my chance to make things right. I couldn’t bring him back, but I could fight to keep others from following him. I fought real hard until there wasn’t anything left to fight. Then I found something to fight for…
The Battle of Epsilon Reticuli dashed any hope of a quick end to The War. Serenity showed us another war that few had thought we would have to fight. The cybernetic intelligences that allied with the Western Alliance had come to certain agreements and the first crack in them appeared at Serenity. They were dangerous cracks that we had long fought against, but never proved capable of fully sealing. There were always those that did not trust us. Serenity inflamed their distrust.
In 2205, we learned the answer to one of the oldest questions of all time. Are we alone? They brought medicines with them that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age that many thought would never end.
Then their enemies brought War to us all. We gave them a belly full of it. We drove them out of Alpha Centauri and assembled the largest, most powerful fleet that had ever flown under Terran banners. Third Fleet was our best hope to defeat them and bring a quick end to The War. Their first strike was at Epsilon Reticuli. It failed.
In the aftermath of Epsilon Reticuli, the heavy cruiser Los Angeles leads the remnants of her squadron back to Alliance space with information that could change The War forever. But Los Angeles will soon find that the enemy has not been idle while Third Fleet sailed, and returning home will be far more difficult than she or her crew ever imagined.
It took over a decade for France to recover from the twin attacks of the Islamic Jihad and the Second Great Depression. But by the 3050s, Emperor Napoleon had earned the trust that most French put in him. The economy was stabilized, the terrorists were dead or sent away, and the borders were secure. France was back on the path to greatness under the command of the House of Bonaparte. That was when Napoleon made his second most-famous speech. He announced elections to form the Sixth French Republic and stated his refusal to run for any office.
I like to think that I defend civilization by sometimes doing uncivilized things. There’s some that would disagree on my definition of civilization, but there it is. A place where I’m free to dance with pretty girls and listen to good music? A place where I can lay down on a sandy beach on a sunny day? A place where I can enjoy a nice afternoon rain under a treetop canopy? A place where the fishing is easy and time runs slow? That’s civilization to me. That’s just my kind of life, and that’s what I look for in every world I go to.
Forge of War on Amazon
Angel Flight on Amazon
Angel Strike on Amazon
Angel War on Amazon
Wolfenheim Rising on Amazon
Wolfenheim Emergent on Amazon