The UEF Scimitar is sent to pull an archaeologist off an abandoned colony. For Sub-Lieutenant Hayden Kaine, it should be a routine run.
It isn't.
A gravity anomaly traps the ship in a quarantined system. An invisible enemy that defies physics cripples the Scimitar and injures half the crew, including the captain. Kaine is the only bridge officer left.
Unready. Unwanted. In command anyway.
While the survivors fight over who should be in charge, the enemy is building something on the far side of the system: an invasion fleet large enough to break through the jump network and take Earth unaware.
Kaine has to hold a broken ship together, keep a mutiny from killing them all, and find a way to warn the Confederation — knowing that any choice he makes will cost someone else.
No good options. Still has to choose.
What you will find inside:
Fast-paced military science fiction with no filler
Competent people under extreme pressure
Command decisions where every choice costs something
A shipboard crew that earns every inch of survival
Alien technology that reframes the fate of humanity
A complete story in every book — no cliffhanger manipulation
If you liked The Expanse because it put competent officers inside broken political systems where decisions have real consequences, you will feel at home aboard the Scimitar.
If you liked Dune because power and knowledge trap the people who hold them, this is that kind of story.
Kaine's Sanction is Book 1 of Shattered Empire — Six novels. One complete story. Ready to read now.
The Terran Confederation has stood for five hundred years.
It will not survive the next month unless Kaine can become the officer the moment demands.
D.M.(Doug) Pruden worked for 35 years in the petroleum industry as a geophysicist. For most of his life he has been plagued with stories banging around inside his head that demanded to be let out into the world. He currently spends his time as an empty nester in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his long suffering wife of 34 years. When he isn’t writing science fiction stories, he likes to spend his time playing with his granddaughters and working on improving his golf handicap. Go to www.prudenauthor.com and sign up to the Reader's Group. You will receive a free collection of short stories containing a never before published story about Mel Destin’s early life on Terra. Group members will receive early publication notice of upcoming books, blog posts and other goodies from time to time.