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Empire’s Rift: The Baedecker Invasion (A Takamo Universe Story Book 1)
by Steve Rzasa
presented by Kevin J. Anderson and WordFire Press

 
The Naplian Empire’s war of expansion against the Grand Alliance has taken a turn for the worse. With vital serjaum fuel reserves wiped out by a surprise attack, Admiral Daviont of the III Corps makes a long, desperate journey to the fringes of Terran space for a massive undeveloped source of serjaum—the Baedecker Star System. But his action does not go unnoticed. Their mortal enemies, the Briddarri, send their own task force to intercept.

At Baedecker Four, starfighter pilot and governor’s son Taggart “Tag” Wester has his hands full steering clear of his wing commander’s wrath. When an emergency call unearths a dangerous foe from the past, he’s put to a test unlike any he’s ever face—one of courage, and leadership. Elden Selva is on a mission to restore power to the defeated Northern Alliance, by retrieving the remains of Truppen cybernetic soldiers. What he finds is far more than he anticipated, and the ensuing conflict changes both him and the woman he loves.

The invaders and defenders collide in a struggle that will not only shape their lives, but have dire consequences for the entire galaxy.

 
For God And Mars is inspired by Takamo, a science fiction game created in the early 1980s, and Takamo Universe, the massive multiplayer online (MMO) version now under development. The Takamo Universe back story is based on the writings of Randall Ritnour, game play events that occurred in Takamo, and the creative contributions of a host of Takamo players and fans.

This is the start of the story of Mars, of a planet peopled by humans, and yet not Earth…

Expansion of Will: With the Martian government putting pressure on the Ammanian eastern provinces, civil leader Eshe Tordis faces a tough battle convincing her people to fight back. As her community splits into warring factions, she finds that her greatest enemies may be those standing behind her.

Turning the Tide: Alic Ollsen is an Ammanian in Terran clothing. To pursue his dream of being a terraformer, he had to give up all trace of his Ammanian beliefs. But when he’s asked to help the Ammanians win the war against the Martian government, he finds himself caught between faith and career…life and death…right and wrong.

Vows of Assimilation: The wounds from the first Martian war haven ‘t yet healed and Isak Morven ‘s parents–Terran in thought and belief–hold everything Ammanian in disdain. He knows they barely tolerate his mingling with the despised victors of the war but, until he decides to marry his Ammanian girlfriend, even Isak himself isn ‘t aware of how deep his parents ‘ hatred runs.

No Reward: Ryne Morven has been fighting against Ammanian rule his entire life. When Earth forces invade the red planet to take back control, Ryne is exultant. Joining the rebels against the Ammanians, he can ‘t wait to shove his brother Isak ‘s nose in it, but when the war finally ends, will the price paid by the Morven family be worth it?

 
Of all the Naplian emperors, Refett Benaltep was the most cursed. Brought up in a time of ethnic violence and forced into coregentship with a Ffawe rebel who would be praised above him, it seemed there was little Benaltep could do right. Married to the niece of his despised co-ruler, sidelined by the emerging Ffawe power bloc, Benaltep is a joke in his own empire, and he knows it.

Yet beneath his bland grey skull is the brain of a ruler, and even if he can’t change the direction of his beloved empire single-handedly, at least he has seen more of its intrigues and dealings than others more favoured than him. From the rise of Ronal Bonate to the sly scheming that led to the massacre of the Gypsy naplians; from his surprisingly hopeful wedding to the unpalatable decision that led to the attack on Terran-held Baedecker, Benaltep has participated in changes that will transform, strengthen and eventually destroy the Naplian Empire. This is his story.

 
Beyond the boundaries of civilized space lies the region of the Muto Empire. Mutos are a mammalian race that resemble a cross between a human and a Terran rat. Though spread across thousands of worlds, mutos—or rhats, as they are sometimes called—trace their lineage to a single dark world that orbits a ruined sta–

Enough of that!

My name is Frohic, and I’m a muto. I’ve never seen the homeworld, and I couldn’t care less about civilization, empires, or space. Especially space. All I want is to survive in a family that sometimes forgets I exist. My mother is always pregnant, my dozen siblings are swarming over available surface, and my father makes plan after plan to send us all away. Sure, our hovel is crowded, the food is sparse, but at least it’s home.

Then everything goes tails up.

Next thing I know, I’m conscripted to a smuggler’s ship and surrounded by enemies. I’m taken to a planet where I can barely see…to search for trinkets. Oh, and it is hot. Real hot. Plus there’s strange hum at night. I’m a little worried about that hum.

Yeah, being a muto is great. Empires, blah, blah. Ruined stars. Smuggling. Money. But destiny? Ha! Just give me a meal that isn’t from a machine and a friend who won’t try to steal it.

Better yet, give me a ticket home.

 
Sharyn Moran joined the Rangers to save innocent lives. Her personal vow is to never see another broken child in the ERCA Territories again. When she is caught stealing a bike on her newest mission, she’s sure she is about to turned over to her enemies. Surprisingly, the stranger offers to help her, but after an accident in the desert, they end up at his isolated home with his family.

It’s clear that Ren and his brothers are hiding from something and, more than most, Sharyn knows how hard it is to keep secrets. She senses that the brothers and their father have all been through a terrible ordeal, but hesitates to invade their precious privacy. However, the longer she is with them, the more she begins to care about them. She begins to imagine a life with Ren, even if it can only be an impossible dream.

When Sharyn and Ren get sighted together through facial recognition, Ren’s enemies know exactly how to flush out their quarry. They will kidnap, murder, and torture their way across the galaxy in order to accomplish their final goal. Ren knows the only way to stop them is to face what he is…what he was….and what he might become….in order to save Sharyn and the rest of the galaxy from the rising tide of death and destruction in their wake.

 
The year is 2623, and billions of souls call the galaxy known as Estra home. It’s a home of unimaginable distance, from the Borthan Empire in the north to the left “lung” of the Klevessan Republic. The Boe Republic brushes the southern emptiness of the Ens Gulf and yet, even here, there is life: teeming organics jostling, cooperating, invading, thriving. Dying.

Love You Forever
As children, Kellan Kline and a young Terran girl named Rayelle survived horrific experiments at the hands of The Authority, a group hellbent on creating the perfect supersoldier. They were liberated from the lab together, but circumstance tore them apart.
Years later Kellan found Rayelle again, married to a Terran politico and pregnant with his son. Happy that Rayelle had found peace, Kellan promised her again that his heart and loyalty belonged only to her.
When Rayelle called, begging for his help, Kellan had no choice but to rush to her aid, although his interference might mean all-out galactic war.

Dead Man’s Drift
Bendine and Myrta Selva found themselves orphaned at a young age, left in the charge of a rascally Klevessan pirate captain. They grew up in the belly of a ship learning the art of Klevessan trade: stealing, lying and cheating. As adults, they kept themselves and their origins a secret until a mistake in the Horvanni trade house left Bendine holding proof of a Naplian plot to assassinate a Terran Admiral.
Now, with the help of a Terran agent, the girls and their shipmates must travel to the desolate area surrounding Dead Man’s Drift with the hopes of thwarting the Naplian plot and bringing honor to the Selva name again.