Showing results by author "Daniel Arenson" in All Categories

We hide in shadows. Our planet is lost. We are the last humans, and we must go home. Two thousand years ago, aliens destroyed Earth. Our fleets shattered. Billions died. The last humans fled a burning planet, heading to the stars. Today we are still refugees. Hungry. Afraid. Our enemies hunt us everywhere. So we hide. On distant asteroids. In rundown space stations. In deep caves on frozen worlds. And we dream. Of green hills. Blue skies. Golden fields. We dream of Earth. And for the first time, we have hope.

They called her a relic. They said she would never fly again. They said she was too old. Too large. A floating museum. But now the starship Freedom is the only hope of mankind. The aliens attack us everywhere. Vicious aliens. Bloodthirsty spiders from deep space. Our fleets burn. Our cities fall. Earth cries out for salvation. James "Bulldog" King, commander of the Freedom, answers the call. He will gather the fleet. He will lead an assault. This is the final stand of mankind.

In this anthology, you'll find 17 tales of conflict and heroism, exploration and discovery, endurance and triumph. Flee the apocalypse of modern-day Earth, fly a fighter in the cold emptiness of deep space, and find new life on the distant shores of an alien world. You might even discover something about yourself as each author opens a window on the soul of mankind.  

The starship Freedom was once a mighty warship. Today, she's a tourist attraction. The space wars ended long ago. The Freedom is now a flying museum; the tourists love it. The Changing of the Guard, the starfighter aerobatics, the starboard cannon salute...it's the best show in the galaxy. James King commands the starship Freedom. He hates his job. He was a real soldier once, back when the Freedom was a real warship. He never imagined himself running a tourist trap. Right after Christmas, he plans to retire. Then, on Christmas day, the aliens attack.

The galaxy burns. The enemy, a race of alien scorpions, storms from star to star. Planets smolder in their wake. Across the galaxy, they hunt humans. Long ago, we humans had a planet of our own. Long ago, we could have resisted the scorpions. But today we are refugees. We are lost in darkness. We haven't seen Earth in 2,000 years. We, the last humans, must band together. We must resist. We must fight the scorpions. And we must find Earth! Only Earth can unite us. Only Earth can kindle our hope. Only on Earth can we defend our species.

They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Fifty years ago bloodthirsty aliens devastated the Earth. Most of humanity perished. We fell into darkness. But now we rise from the ashes. Now we fight back. Marco Emery was born into the war. After his mother is killed, he joins the Human Defense Force, Earth's ragtag army. Emery must survive basic training, become a soldier, and finally face the aliens in battle. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win.

The final battle is here. The final stand of the starship Freedom. The final hope for Earth. Two galactic civilizations face off. On one side—the rahs. Arachnid predators from deep space. On the other side—humanity. Us. We have been fighting for years. Millions sacrificed their lives to bring us this far. Cities fell. Starships burned. Nations shattered. But we are still standing. Still fighting. It ends now.

Aelar, a mighty nation, spreads its tentacles. Its oared galleys storm the seas, and the waters run red with blood. Its legionaries swarm desert ruins, smiting barbarian hordes. Its crosses line the roadsides, displaying the dying flesh of heroes. The powerful Sela family has avoided the empire until now. The family has carved out an idyllic life between sea and desert, ruling a bustling port, a thriving city, and lush vineyards.

It's all-out war. Our cities fall. Millions die. The scum, these cruel aliens from deep space, are determined to kill us all. So we must kill them. Humanity musters its greatest fleet. Thousands of starships rally. Millions of soldiers deploy. For Earth to stand a chance, we must invade the aliens' home world. We must destroy their planet. Before they destroy ours. Earth's fleet flies through space. We fly toward millions of enemy ships. We fly to almost certain death.

Under the leadership of James “Bulldog” King, the Freedom won battle after battle. Yet now Freedom faces her most terrifying foe. Not an alien fleet. Not a charging armada. But one ship. Nobody knows where the Tyranny came from. Nobody knows who pilots this mechanical terror. She emerged from the darkness like a demon from hell. And she craves the blood of men. She is larger than the Freedom. Faster. Deadlier. Marooned in deep space, the Freedom must face her alone. A great duel begins. Two starships. Two captains. Two iron wills.

They call themselves the next step in human evolution. But we call them "scummers." They are hybrids. Humans with alien DNA. They attacked us. They butchered us. Now we fight back. Under the leadership of Einav Ben-Ari, our brave soldiers fly to the scummer planet. To war. But we face a terrifying foe. The scummers are stronger than us. Faster. Fiercer. And their queen is none other than Lailani de la Rosa . . . Ben-Ari’s oldest and best friend.

The basilisks, cruel alien serpents, attacked our world. They bombed us. Hunted us. Butchered us without pity. But now we will be the hunters. We will assemble a fleet. We will cross the vastness of space. And for the first time, we will strike the enemy on his own soil. It's a time for courage. A time for heroes. We will no longer hide in bunkers. We will no longer die like sheep. Freedom will be won with blood and fire. Freedom will be the legacy of Earth. We are the last humans. And we will win!

In 1944, a secret Nazi experiment split the universe in two. In our universe, we won. Hitler died. Freedom prevailed. But in a parallel universe, the Nazis discovered the atom bomb first... and conquered the world. The light of freedom perished, and the Nazi shadow spread across Earth, the solar system, and the stars. In 2207, a portal opens between our two universes. One universe of freedom. One of tyranny. And through this portal flies the Weltraumwaffe, the space fleet of the Third Reich.

Long ago stood the kingdom of Requiem, a land of men who could grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem ruled the sky. But Dies Irae, a tyrant leading an army of griffins, hunted Requiem's people, burned their forests, and shattered their temples. Requiem fell. This ancient land now lies in ruin, its halls crumbled, its cries silenced, its skeletons littering the burned earth.

Earth burns. We call them the scum. They came from deep space. Creatures of claws and endless malice, they ravage the world. As the war flares, as cities crumble, Private Marco Emery and his platoon blast into space. They won one battle on Earth. Their next battle must be fought in the darkness. The scum will not rest until the last human is dead. Marco and his friends must defeat them. They must win. Or Earth will fall.

In the shadows, evil stirs. A race woven from arachnid and human DNA. They hunt like spiders. They think like men. They are the perfect killers. Like a virus, they invade the Freedom. James “Bulldog” King, commander of the Freedom, has fought alien fleets. This is different. This is worse. The infestation swarms through Freedom’s labyrinthine halls. Destroying. Eating up the Freedom from the inside. King must muster all his courage. All his strength. He must reclaim his ship. Or not only Freedom will fall—but Earth itself.

War flares between man and monster...between Earth and the terror from the stars. We did not choose this war. The spiders attacked us. They trapped us in their webs. They devoured millions. No, we did not want this war. But we will win it! The starship Freedom rises. A legendary ship. A beacon of hope. A pillar of flame in the darkness. The fleet rallies behind her. All eyes gaze up at her light.

They walk among us. They look just like us. They plot our doom. Some call them the scummers. Hybrids. Humans with alien DNA. Years ago, they hatched in alien labs. They came to Earth as sleeper agents. Since then, they’ve been mingling with our society. They teach our children. They cook our food. They tend to our elders. All the while waiting. Biding their time. Hiding in plain sight. And now they strike. With devastating force. With terrifying cruelty. They bring Earth to its knees.

The basilisks. Giant serpents from deep space. Their true name is unknown. Their homeworld is cloaked in shadow. But one thing is certain: They're killers. And they vow to kill us all.

We call them the grays. For years, they lurked in shadows. For years, they struck from the dark. Kidnapping us. Torturing us. Studying us. Now they unleash their full fury. Thousands of their saucers attack Earth. Our armies crumble. Earth burns. Yet from the fire, heroes rise. Marco Emery. Addy Linden. Einav Ben-Ari. Names everyone on Earth knows. The names of legends. Names now whispered as a prayer.