Showing results by author "John Van Stry" in All Categories

Chase had it all planned out. Do a little time in one of the emperor's jails, say a four-year stretch, for getting rid of some trash that no one would miss, and when he got out, the path to leadership would be wide open. Unfortunately, his bastard of a father, the same one who left his mother to die in poverty and him to run wild on the streets, took an interest. Seeing him sitting on the bench when his case went to court was a shock. But not as big a shock as being sentenced to ten years in the Imperial Navy.

While the Wolfhounds have conquered, or perhaps liberated, a fair number of planets, the core worlds have not yet been touched. Furthermore, the crown jewel of them all, Cor Imperii, still stands under the control of Speaker Phillip K. Neill and the rest of the members of the coup that seized control of the empire over a decade ago. But, Neill's days are numbered, whether he fully realizes it or not, as his dictatorship is slowly dismantled, one piece at a time, and he clings to whatever hopes he has left.

With the Battle of Portlandia behind him, Chase is a hero now, and the rank and file truly believe he's the prince the Command Team claims he is. For his part, Chase has made his choice, and now he's committed. As the face of the revolution, he's in it to win it because anything else will lead to his death. The twenty-five million-credit bounty on his head will see to that.

The fight has been a long one and a hard one, with many unseen events along the way. The end, however, is here. The last battle of the war. The most important battle of the war. Soon they will leave for Cor Imperii, the capital of the empire. Soon, they will launch a head-on attack against Speaker Phillip T Neill of the Democratic People's Republic of Solaria. Soon, Chase will do what he swore to do: Kill Neill, personally, tear down the DPRS, abolish the Secret Police, the Loyalty Officers, and re-establish the Empire of Solaria. There's just one last battle to fight to win the war.

Speaker Phillip T Neill has finally gotten his hands on Chase, and he's definitely got plans. First there will be a little lesson taught. Then there will be a show trial! A big fancy show trial with all of the media there as it's broadcast live across the entirety of the Democratic People's Republic of Solaria!

Chase is finally coming to understand just what being Prince Chase means, and what becoming emperor of the Solarian Empire will mean as well. He's getting better at the job every day. Now if only he could just bring himself to tell Captain Witner and the other members of the command staff that he really is a prince and not the fraud they all believe he is.

Fresh out of college with his Ship Engineer 3rd-Class certificate, Dave Walker’s only thought is to try to find a berth on a corporate ship plying the trade routes between the many habs, orbitals, and moons in the Solar System. The problem for Dave, however, isn't his straight C average; it's that his stepfather, a powerful Earth senator he’s never met, now wants him dead. Forced to take the first berth he can find, Dave ends up on the Iowa Hill, an old tramp freighter running with a minimal crew and nearing the end of its useful life.

From book 1: Paul's been having a bad day, perhaps one of the worst days he's ever had. And now into the middle of all this, his instructor just got drafted by some mystical goddess to help save a world... From book 2: Coyote has a new task for Paul, one that involves him traveling north hundreds of miles over the post-apocalyptic landscape of California, the place that Paul once called home... From book 3: Coyote has one final task for Paul, the one that is the whole reason Coyote shanghaied him here in the first place.

Nash has got a pretty good thing going on. A hot girlfriend who always takes him back, money whenever he needs it, the respect—no matter how grudgingly given—of his peers, and a safe place to lay his head each night when he goes to sleep. For one of the animal people working the underground of the recently rebuilt Vegas, what more could he want?

With no otherworld tasks to run for Fel, Will has spent the last year mainly helping Rachel consolidate her hold on her expanded kingdom. Barassa has been set back, for now, but Will knows it's only a matter of time until they're at odds once more and Barassa still has the bigger army. So, taking the time to learn more about their enemy seems like a good place to start, and of course, Rachel has more things she expects him to do, even if he has no idea just how he's going to do them.

Mark's job seems pretty dull, working as an investigator into crimes committed against Church property, theft of holy objects, vandalism; nothing terribly exciting but he does get to travel the world. That's just the window dressing. Mark does work for the Church, but as an elite member of a thousand year old secret society that hunts down devils, demons, and other evils. His job is not just to find them, but to remove, dispel, or kill them: He's on the front lines of the secret ongoing war between Heaven and Hell.

Life can be complicated for those who the gods pick as their champions, and for William, it's really no different. Many of these tasks have had consequences however. As always, there are things you need to take on faith when you work for a god, but sometimes their responses can be very frustrating. Especially when they order you not to ask questions, but the welfare of your own child is involved.

With the first of what he suspects will be many favors completed, William finds himself busy with important tasks back at his home on Saladin. Queen Rachel has several jobs she needs him to do, and Feliogustus has similar tasks in mind for him as well. All in all, it seems easy enough to Will, it's not like he'll be fighting in any wars, or traveling across the infinite on a strange quest after all.

Being on loan to the FBI has its advantages, and for the first time in far too long, Mark is taking a few weeks off with his family. But he's barely gotten started when he finds his brother unwittingly entangled in a mess that can be traced directly back to an attempt on Mark's life some months ago.

Nash and Nate have finished the task set before them by their hataali and have set their foot on the path to healing. Neither one knows what to expect, however, and Nash does have a few concerns about their future. But those will have to wait as the tribal council has more important things for them to do when they get back to Vegas: deal with a bunch of organ-jackers who have been preying on the young women of several of the local tribes. Then, of course, there's still the problem Nate's been having with the good folks of Raycon Corporation, who really want a look inside his head.

Breck was a heavy metal rock star and to some, perhaps, even a rock god. Playing bass since he was 10, he learned to sing and write music under the tutelage of some of the industry's best. His band was one of the loudest and heaviest out there, and they had moved from one hit record to the next with ease. Married to a supermodel and being at the top of the rock star pyramid, life for Breck was everything he'd ever wanted it to be.