Showing results by author "J. N. Chaney" in All Categories

When Halek Cain and his wildly talented crew of runaways, rogue scientists, and rebel commandos arrive in system to save a ship of political refugees, they quickly realize things are not as they seem. The system is full of derelict ships from ancient battles. It's a gold mine of history, resources, and old technology.

On the run and out of chances, he guides his ship and crew into the heart of a relic older than the galaxy itself—and find himself on the edge of an eternal war he never knew existed. The relic is a mech, lost to history and forgotten by all who remain. Built by an ancient race to be the ultimate weapon, the machine is capable of unspeakable destruction, and its discovery could unhinge the balance of power throughout known space.

Two centuries after the Confederation staved off an invasion by the robotic Locusts, Captain Jack Romanoff faces mandatory retirement from an ever-shrinking navy. Actions speak louder than words. The Confederation doesn’t think the Locusts are coming back. But what if the politicians are wrong?

Not every visitor to or from Earth has good intentions, and the Peacemakers are faced with an uncomfortable reality. The Earth is about to meet aliens. Some of the aliens are bringing goods to trade. And among those items are weapons. When a secret cabal of humans who want to exploit the Earth is revealed, Van has to decide how and where to fight this threat. Along the way, he reveals a secret history that began in the Great War—and ends with mass chaos on his home planet.

There’s no such thing as peace on Amir…but as long as the uneasy truce between the Osay colonists and the last of the RUPAC station directors endures, one thing is certain: Brody is bored to death. While the eccentric, action-movie-worshipping battle android does his best to stay occupied, Reach and the colonists contemplate whether to help a mysterious faction inside the RUPAC stronghold. The enemy colonists desire liberty, but is Amir willing to go to war to bring it to them?

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.

Rocked by the death of a critical team member and haunted by the sudden disappearance of another, Magnus and Awen fight to rally the remaining Gladio Umbra in the wake of their raid on Worru. They’re forced to solicit support from some of the galaxy’s most unlikely sources. But when Moldark’s forces show up unexpectedly, Magnus and Awen are torn between rescuing a missing gladia and protecting the larger mission. New revelations about the Paragon surface, forcing the fledgling rebel resistance to find a way onto Moldark’s command ship, the notorious Black Labyrinth.

The time has come for Commodore Jack Romanoff and the crew of the battleship Delta Orionis to strike back at the robotic Locusts. He’s outgunned, outnumbered, and commands a battleship flown by battered and bloodied reenactors and trainees. The Locusts control New Copenhagen, but that’s the only place they can get nuclear warheads for their missiles. They must launch an alpha strike to take the system and hold it against all comers. If they fail, they lose their most potent offensive weapons and leave billions trapped under the invaders’ robotic heels.

Commodore Jack Romanoff and his ragtag crew have repaired their ancient battleship, scattered their adversaries at New Copenhagen, and discovered what was really behind the invasion. Now they must make the enemy bleed and begin liberating the cluster.

Owen Lake never had any interest in space. After watching his astronaut mother die, he preferred the simple life of a boat captain on Lake Superior. But the simple life was never meant to last. His charter business is failing, but an opportunity pops up in the form of Dr. Mariana Keller, who's interested in what lies beneath the waves: a mysterious, unnatural blue glow emanating from the depths. Owen agrees to take her on a clandestine dive to an ancient shipwreck site.

Reformed, repackaged, and re-engineered, the Stillness reveal that they never went away. They merely waited. Watching. Planning. And those plans will collide with the rising stars of an empire based on justice and action. Out in the deep black, Abel Tudor and his crew will fight to prove that command isn't given, it's earned—and their parents chose well, giving them the helm to a warship that could change history with one fateful journey.

Van's next mission has begun, and at the heart of it is the power to save lives. Meanwhile, a hungry galaxy looks to a brilliant young scientist for answers, making her the most wanted person in known space. After years of research, Adayluh Creel perfects a resource to feed sixteen races—or more—all with one golden plant capable of growing on the most hostile worlds. For her efforts, she wants nothing, but savage forces will seek to possess what she would give away for free, thus controlling the food source for billions of people.

In order to bring the fight to the alien invaders, Hank must return to his scrapping roots and look for help from the unlikeliest of places. The combined forces of every surviving species launch a desperate assault on the Sectiaan homeworld. When faced with the ultimate choice between survival and evolution, Hank must decide if their coalition's worth lies in its capacity for destruction or its ability to change. The answer will determine not just their survival, but their place in the galaxy.

Get ready to experience two more origin stories in the Backyard Starship universe.

Long after Earth's destruction, Humanity is an endangered species ... When freighter pilot Dalton Thorne reunites with his old friend Kota at Little Earth's best noodle shop, he's expecting a straightforward job. Instead, he finds himself embroiled in a centuries-old mystery that could change humanity's place in the universe forever. Little Earth is a decaying city carved into an alien planet where humans live as refugees. Beneath its neon-lit streets and crowded markets lies a secret: fragments of Earth's past, preserved by a mysterious race of aliens and hidden from the ruling Consortium.

Lieutenant Magnus survives the harrowing rescue of his unit only to find himself charged with treason by the very military he’s pledged his allegiance to. Now, he must attempt to escort Piper to the Luma, homeward of Worru before dark forces discover her otherworldly abilities. But once there, Magnus finds himself confronting new enemies in the place he least expects to find them. Meanwhile, Awen uncovers a new plot that threatens to upend order throughout the galaxy. She and Magnus find their way to an alien world where they must work together to build a new team from the ruins....

CALL NOW. BECOME A NOVA SLINGER TODAY. Those are the words Mark Allen reads inside an old 80s comic book buried in the back of his uncle's retro arcade. Between playing Galaga and Pac-Man, he decides to pick up the phone and give it a call, only to discover that the number still works. It doesn't take long before an old man shows up at his doorstep, dressed in strange clothes, driving a Delorean, and calling himself "The Recruiter." Mark thinks he's won a prize from some old contest…but the reality is far stranger.

During a routine arrest, Van discovers a stolen spacecraft, its importance far greater than it first appears. Fast, sleek, and beautiful, the ship is a cultural relic from Linulla’s people, and returning their property will set off a chain of events that reveals a new adversary. Rising in the ranks, Van’s confrontation with a pirate leader isn’t just a case of theft, but something far more sinister. And Van’s going to take this case personally. He and his crew will chase the Salt Thieves and their leader in a game that can only have one winner.

The war against the AI was won but a new threat is rising. Hank Spears is content with his life as a scrapper until he unearths an artificial intelligence who warns him of a grave threat to all life in the universe. Since AI has long been outlawed and anyone caught harboring one is imprisoned or executed, the two must go on the run, fleeing into the far reaches of space. They must avoid capture, all for the sake of those who would imprison them. Looking for help from old friends to fight new enemies, Hank must find a way to save himself so that he can save the universe.

From the shores of a secret planet to the halls of power in Washington, Van navigates a complex web of lies, law, and politics, all so that Earth can be saved from the clutches of ruthless criminals. But these people aren't from Earth. In fact, they're not even human, and they see Earth as a ripe fruit ready to be picked. That doesn't work for Van and his crew, so he begins fighting back with the dirtiest tactics of all: diplomacy. Since the aliens are among us, and they want money and power, Perry and Miryam will unleash their skills to craft a plan.