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Chapters (44)
  1. The Crimson Worlds Series
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  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter Two
  5. Chapter Three
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Chapter Eleven
  14. Chapter Twelve
  15. Chapter Thirteen
  16. Chapter Fourteen
  17. Chapter Fifteen
  18. Chapter Sixteen
  19. Chapter Seventeen
  20. Chapter Eighteen
  21. Chapter Nineteen
  22. Chapter Twenty
  23. Chapter Twenty-One
  24. Chapter Twenty-Two
  25. Chapter Twenty-Three
  26. Chapter Twenty-Four
  27. Chapter Twenty-Five
  28. Chapter Twenty-Six
  29. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  30. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  31. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  32. Chapter Thirty
  33. Chapter Thirty-One
  34. Chapter Thirty-Two
  35. Chapter Thirty-Three
  36. Chapter Thirty-Four
  37. Chapter Thirty-Five
  38. Chapter Thirty-Six
  39. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  40. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  41. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  42. Chapter Forty
  43. Chapter Forty-One
  44. Epilogue

He heard a crack, in the distance, to the front. Then another. His head snapped around, and he looked out over the slowly rising ground. There was a ridgeline up ahead, and his forward line had pushed beyond it. There was a valley beyond that high ground…he remembered it well. His people had pursued a band of Confeds right between the flanking ridges.

Another crack. Again. And then a whole series of shots.

Of course…they’re on the far ridge.

He worked his memory, trying to picture the ground. It was rugged, with a rocky approach. It was a strong position…but he couldn’t let that affect his judgment. He considered a flanking maneuver, but he didn’t know how long the enemy line extended. And every hour he spent maneuvering was more time for the Confeds to disperse, to slip away and continue the guerilla war that had raged for a month.

But with five or ten times the strength.

No, he couldn’t allow that to happen. Alliance stormtroopers were trained for actions like this. If they had to pay with blood for the victory then so be it.

He grabbed his com unit and flipped it on. “All forces…the enemy is on the ridge beyond the valley. We will attack at once. Prepare to advance…”

The way was the way.

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

CFS Dauntless

Krillus Asteroid Belt

41, 000,000 kilometers from Santis, Krillus IV

307 AC

“I’m sorry, Captain. We’ve done everything we can, but I’m afraid getting any more batteries back online is going to take a month in spacedock.”

“I understand, Fritzie. Your people have done an outstanding job. Please relay my thanks and my commendations.” Barron was sitting as his desk, staring at the updated damage reports as he talked to his chief engineer.

“Yes, sir.” A pause. “Thank you, Captain.” Fritz’s voice was somber. It was clear she wasn’t used to admitting there was anything she couldn’t fix.

“How about the primaries, Fritzie? Any chance?”

Barron could hear his engineer’s exhale over the com. “Possible, sir. But I can’t promise. The main accelerator tubes are intact, but the damned things are so fragile…and there’s a lot of peripheral damage. Plus, we’d have to get the reactors back up a lot closer to one hundred percent, and that’s an iffy proposition right now.”

“Do what you can, Fritzie. It…” Barron paused. “Just do what you can. Barron out.”