Jack of Harts Series

In 2205, we learned the answer to one of the oldest questions of all time. Are we alone? They brought medicines with them that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age that many thought would never end. Jack grew up in a world at peace, his only interests, partying and girls. But when a sneak attack killed millions of Americans, and wiped out almost everything and everybody Jack knew, he volunteered to serve and get some payback. But the Marines want more than people looking for revenge, and cybernetic partners demand a higher commitment. If Jack wanted to earn his commission as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, he had to let himself be forged into something stronger than he’d ever felt the need to be. A man willing to live up to the name of his squadron. A Cowboy. Historical note: The Marine Corps fighter squadron that is a central part of this story was named in honor of the real life Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112, the Cowboys. Because of these aviators, and everyone else who has served, I am free to write this story. I will never forget. First Edition, February 2013 Revised Second Edition, April 2013 Revised Third Edition, November 2016 This novel is offered DRM free so you can view it wherever you want.

In 2205, we learned the answer to one of the oldest questions of all time. Are we alone? They brought medicines with them that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age that many thought would never end. Then their enemies brought War to us all. We gave them a belly full of it. We drove them out of Alpha Centauri, rebuilt the losses they inflicted on us, and assembled the largest, most powerful fleet that had ever flown under Terran banners. Third Fleet was our best hope to defeat them and bring a quick end to The War. But not everyone agreed on how to use it. Alliance leadership wanted to see it in action immediately while our allies stressed caution. The demand for results won out over caution and that is where we came in. Texas Marine Corps Fighter Attack Wing 112, the Cowboys. We were sent to support the fleet and to watch out for anything the enemy might throw at us. I honestly thought it would be a cakewalk. I mean, who would ever attack something the size of Third Fleet? That would be crazy... First Edition, May 2014 Revised Second Edition, May 2015 Revised Third Edition, May 2017 This novel is offered DRM free so you can view it wherever you want.

In 2205, we learned the answer to one of the oldest questions of all time. Are we alone? They brought medicines with them that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age that many thought would never end. Then their enemies brought War to us all. We gave them a belly full of it. We drove them out of Alpha Centauri and assembled the largest, most powerful fleet that had ever flown under Terran banners. Third Fleet was our best hope to defeat them and bring a quick end to The War. It failed. Now the last survivor of that doomed expedition sails for Alpha Centauri. Returning home is always the greatest wish of a soldier, but home does not always welcome their return. The heavy cruiser Los Angeles and her crew have made enemies, both foreign and domestic, and they have plans for her. But she is not without friends, and they have plans as well. Can she survive when all of those plans crash into each other? First Printing, April 2016 Revised Second Printing, August 2017

Jack grew up in a world at peace. His only interests were partying and girls. Two decades of War changed the galaxy and left Jack with no home to return to. Seven decades after War’s End, Captain Jack Hart was a man at peace once again. His ship represented the freedom to live wherever he wanted. He could fly anywhere from Earth to the furthest frontiers of human expansion on a whim and a prayer. And his cargo holds could carry whatever luxuries people wanted wherever he was going. All of that was endangered when he ran into a mysterious freighter while on a routine trip to the Pleiades Cluster. What secrets did it hold? What mysteries did it hide? Why was it skulking around the heart of the Pleiades Cluster? Why did it open fire the moment it saw his ship? And what would the answers to those questions do to the foundations of the world Captain Jack Hart had built his life on? Historical note: The Cowboys of this story were named in honor of the real life Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112, the Cowboys. Because of these aviators, and everyone else who has served, I am free to write this story. I will never forget.

In 2205, we learned the answer to one of the oldest questions of all time. Are we alone? They brought medicines with them that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age that many thought would never end. Then their enemies brought War to us all. We gave them a belly full of it. We drove them out of Alpha Centauri and assembled the largest, most powerful fleet that had ever flown under Terran banners. Third Fleet was our best hope to defeat them and bring a quick end to The War. Their first strike was at Epsilon Reticuli. It failed. In the aftermath of Epsilon Reticuli, the heavy cruiser Los Angeles leads the remnants of her squadron back to Alliance space with information that could change The War forever. But Los Angeles will soon find that the enemy has not been idle while Third Fleet sailed, and returning home will be far more difficult than she or her crew ever imagined. First Printing, May 2015 Revised Second Printing, August 2017

Malcolm McDonnell grew up in a world before Contact, when we still thought we were alone in the universe. Then the Peloran brought medicines that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age for mankind, but the Peloran were not the only ones to make Contact. Four years after the Shang attacked us, Malcolm had used his contacts inside the Hurst Family to make the Wolfenheim Project a reality. His mission was to take humanity’s message back to the stars with that most human of responses. A new colony in Alien space. No Alien power would drive us from them. We were coming. We would always be coming. But the head of the Hurst Family discovered he was funding the Wolfenheim Project and sent a fleet to impound it. Now Malcolm McDonnell and the Class One Colonization Ship Wolfenheim fly through Alien stars on their way towards a new home with a determined foe on their heels. One that Malcolm does not remember, but who most certainly remembers him. First Printing, September 2019

Malcolm McDonnell grew up in a world before Contact, when we still thought we were alone in the universe. Then the Peloran brought medicines that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age for mankind, but the Peloran were not the only ones to make Contact. Four years after the first Shang attacks, Malcolm had used his contacts to make the Wolfenheim Project a reality. He had the funding he needed. He had the ships he needed. He had the people he needed. He was ready to take humanity’s message back to the stars. No alien power would drive us from our destiny. We were coming for the stars. We were coming for them. Then the people funding the Wolfenheim Project found out they were funding the Wolfenheim Project and demanded their money back. That was when things started getting interesting. Malcolm McDonnell was not the kind of person to give up when the going got rough, you see. First Printing, October 2013 Second Revised Printing, August 2017

The alien Shang attacked us in 2304. They blew Yosemite Station out of Earth orbit and dropped it all over the western half of America. They obliterated Washington DC with a missile bombardment and brought nuclear winter to my home. We stood back up, we fought back, and we hit them in hundreds of systems from one end of known space to the other. And then we sent out the call to rally the fleets for a coordinated strike on their heart of power near Earth. I am Captain Jack Hart of the Republic of Texas Marine Corps Fighter Attack Wing 112, the Cowboys. It was our job to protect the fleets from Shang spoiling attacks while they organized themselves into a cohesive assault force. It was our job to watch the flanks and keep the system secure. It was our job to be ready to investigate any unidentified contact entering the system. Most of those days were boring. A faulty transmitter. Or somebody showing up ahead of schedule or long after they were supposed to arrive. And some days it was far more exciting than that. This was one of those days.

We were alone in 2080. It was a new age of space exploration that would forever change humanity. Our probes traveled to every planet in the system, and manned missions blanketed the inner system. Our permanent colonies in Earth orbit, on Luna, and Mars pointed us to a new future in the stars. Then an unknown objected entered Martian space, crashed through a Chinese satellite, and impacted on the Martian surface. Official reports called it a random piece of space junk. Conspiracy theorists claimed it was everything from a precursor to alien invasion to an embarrassing industrial accident. Time marched on, and a legion of questions about the incident were never answered. Mars became a booming center of new industry, and eventually a comfortable home for humanity as we terraformed the surface. We forgot about the incident entirely as the years turned into decades and then centuries. But now we know the truth, thanks to the recently declassified diaries of the man who watched that object arrive with his naked eyes. His name is Sergeant John Christensen, United States Marines Corps. This is his story.

In 2205, we learned the answer to one of the oldest questions of all time. Are we alone? They brought medicines with them that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age that many thought would never end. Jack grew up in that world at peace, his only interests, partying and girls. But then a sneak attack killed millions of Americans, and wiped out almost everything and everybody Jack knew. He signed up with the Marines to get some payback against the alien scum who’d started it all. Now Captain Jack Hart of the Republic of Texas Marine Corps and his Avenger-class starfighters support the British Commonwealth fleet seeking to bring The War that has ravaged entire star systems to an end once and for all. All their enemies need to do is surrender the aliens that started all this destruction to Western Alliance justice. That isn’t too much to ask for peace, is it? Some people call the idea crazy. Others idiotic. But some call it... audacious.

In 2205, we learned the answer to one of the oldest questions of all time. Are we alone? They brought medicines with them that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age that many thought would never end. Jack grew up in that world at peace, his only interests, partying and girls. But then a sneak attack killed millions of Americans, and his family. He signed up with the Marines to get some payback against the alien scum who’d started it all. Now Captain Jack Hart of the Republic of Texas Marine Corps has returned to Alpha Centauri after a long and painful mission that left him bruised, broken, and nearly beaten. His new mission is to sit back, relax, and spend a few days healing up so he can go back to kicking alien asses back to the other side of the galaxy. Jack is happy with the healing and relaxing parts, but he cannot simply sit back. What’s left of his family is on Alpha Centauri, and he has to get back together with them. No harm can come from a little family reunion. Right?