The Empire's Corps Series

"When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, "And down will come baby, cradle and all." The Galactic Empire is dying.  In their high towers, the Grand Senators plot and struggle to grasp a larger share of power while on the streets, the poor struggle to survive just one more day.  Chaos and anarchy are running through the megacities of Earth, while giant corporations tighten the screws and colony worlds plan to declare independence and escape the Empire's increasing demands for resources.  Centuries of mismanagement are finally catching up with the human race.  The end cannot be long delayed.  Specialist Belinda Lawson, a Marine Pathfinder who survived the fighting on Han, is assigned to serve as a bodyguard to the Childe Roland, the Heir to the Imperial Throne, and attempt to prepare him to be Emperor.  But Roland is a puppet and a spoilt brat – and, perhaps, the only hope of saving the Empire, if he can be redeemed in time. And yet, as shadowy figures prepare to make their final bid for apotheosis – or nemesis – it may be all she can do to keep her young charge alive.

Six months ago, Colonel Edward Stalker and his Marines were abandoned on Avalon, left to fend for themselves as the Empire withdrew from the Rim.  Since then, Avalon has been isolated from the settled universe...until now. As a mysterious pirate organisation attempts to take over Avalon, the Marines find themselves struggling against a shadowy figure with dreams of power, while a young civilian is kidnapped and press-ganged into a pirate crew.  They're fighting to preserve something of the Empire's order in the wake of its departure, but the pirates appear to have far greater resources and a plan that seems unstoppable.  The Empire is gone.  What will take its place?

A new novel set in the universe of The Empire's Corps! When Sameena's brother accidentally annoys a religious leader on her homeworld, her entire family is targeted for elimination.  Forced to flee to save her life, Sameena stows away on a trader starship and is eventually welcomed into the crew, embracing their very different culture and making a new life for herself amongst the stars.  But the Galactic Empire is starting the final descent into chaos and her new home is on the verge of collapse, while secretive forces are manoeuvring to take advantage of the Empire's collapse.  If Sameena cannot find a way to keep some small part of civilisation intact, the galaxy will crash into a new dark age that will last far longer than a thousand years.

Two years after the Empire abandoned them on Avalon, Colonel Edward Stalker and his Marines have established the Commonwealth, a union of worlds intended to take the place of the vanished Empire.  But now contact has been made with a remnant of the Empire, a successor state controlled by a ruthless dictator bent on crushing the Commonwealth and expanding her rule over the entire galaxy.  While the Commonwealth frantically prepares for war, a small team of Marines is dispatched to the enemy homeworld with orders to bring down the dictator – by any means necessary ...

None of them wanted to leave Earth.  It might have been nightmarish, but it was all they knew. Gary wanted to concentrate on his exams, in hopes of leaving the CityBlock and its bullies far behind.  Kailee wanted to become an actress.  Darrin merely wanted to live.  But when the three teenagers win a competition, they find themselves taking the trip of a lifetime, a voyage to a colony world where they can see how the colonists live. Meridian is very different from the dark and dismal cityblocks, a place where they can make a new beginning.  But it also houses dangers, dangers that their education on Earth didn't even begin to prepare them to face, dangers governed by the cold equations of survival.  And when disaster strikes, they find themselves forced to fight for their lives – or die, alone and unloved, thousands of light years from home.

The war isn't going well.  Wolfbane's forces are pressing the Commonwealth on multiple fronts, the Commonwealth's fragile political balance is on the verge of shattering and there's a high-placed spy somewhere within the Commonwealth elite.  For Colonel Edward Stalker and his men, the stakes have never been so high.  Defeat will mean the end of everything they have fought and died for since their exile from Earth.  Held in a POW camp on Meridian, a world on the edge of settled space, Jasmine Yamane and her men seem trapped.  But one thing she was never taught was how to give up.  She's coming home, even if she has to burn her way through enemy space to do it ...

Earth has fallen ... and humanity is holding its breath, waiting for the next blow to fall.  On Terra Nova, Earth's oldest colony world, chaos and anarchy are threatening to break out, with total collapse only one disaster away.  In a desperate attempt to save the rest of the Empire, the planet's Governor has summoned the leaders of the Core Worlds to Terra Nova, in hopes of sharing power and preventing civil war.  But dark forces are on the move, intent on ensuring that the conference fails. As the first strands of a deadly plot are uncovered, Imperial Marshal Glen Cheal finds himself fighting to uncover the plot before it is too late.  Meanwhile, on her own mission to save the last best hope for peace, Specialist Belinda Lawson of the Terran Marine Corps is plunged into a nightmare where she can no longer trust her own mind, while her decisions will save or damn the Empire ... Failure isn't an option.  But success may not be an option either ...

A new mainstream novel of The Empire's Corps! Four years after their abandonment by the now-fallen Empire, the Commonwealth of Avalon is expanding into interstellar space and making contact with other successor states.  With suspicion high on both sides, the Commonwealth and the enigmatic Wolfbane agree to hold a diplomatic meeting on Lakshmibai, a neutral world. But Lakshmibai's government hates off-worlders and, with the fall of the Empire, sees its chance to be rid of the hatred intruders once and for all.  While Edward Stalker is besieged in their capital city, Jasmine Yamane must lead an untested army on a race against time to save the diplomats from annihilation. And if she fails, the Battle of Lakshmibai may be the first shot in a new interstellar war.

Arthur's Seat had never sought a galactic role.  A relatively new colony world, a mere three hundred years old, the planet was always isolated from the galactic mainstream.  But with the Empire crumbling after the fall of Earth, and other planets taking advantage of the chaos to make their own bids for power, Arthur's Seat suddenly finds itself playing host to tens of thousands of unwanted immigrants, refugees who have been kicked off countless other worlds. But as the planetary government struggles to integrate the newcomers, powerful factions plot to take advantage of the situation and the refugees struggle to carve out a place for themselves, it becomes clear that the entire planet is on the verge of anarchy ... ... And outright civil war may not be far away.

A new mainstream novel of The Empire's Corps! After the disastrous mission to Lakshmibai, the very existence of the Commonwealth is called into question by politicians on Avalon.  But as the political firestorm mounts, a call for help arrives from Thule, a highly-developed world facing a major insurgency in the wake of the Empire's collapse.  Reluctantly, the Commonwealth deploys the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force to Thule. But all is not as it seems.  The insurgents are receiving support from off-world powers, while bare light years across the border, Wolfbane – another successor state to the vanished Empire – is preparing for war ... and an old enemy plots her revenge.  As the countdown to war begins, the CEF finds itself sinking in a quagmire of bitter hatred ... ... And nothing more than pawns in a very deadly game.

Despite the escape from Meridian - and a strike at the heart of Wolfbane - enemy forces are still advancing on all fronts.  The Commonwealth, worn down by a year of hard fighting, is reaching the end of its tether, while Admiral Singh - having secured control of Wolfbane - is searching for the breaking point that will shatter the Commonwealth once and for all.  Time is needed, time to bring new weapons and tactics into service, but time is the one thing the Commonwealth doesn't have. Now, with enemy forces closing on the industrialised world of Corinthian - Admiral Singh's former base of operations - Colonel Stalker decides to make a stand.  The Commonwealth will meet its enemies on the ground and destroy them - or die trying.  They will not pass as long as a single marine remains alive. But how much of Corinthian - and the Commonwealth - will survive the nightmare to come ...?

Before Avalon, before the Fall of the Empire, Edward Stalker was a young man growing up in Earth's Undercity - a nightmarish rabbit warren of tiny apartments dominated by gangs who loot, rape and murder with impunity.  When his family is killed in a gang attack, Ed takes the opportunity to run to the one place that will take him; the Terran Marine Corps.  But becoming a Marine isn't easy and Ed will find himself pushed to the limits, surviving a training program designed to weed out everyone but the best, before he learns what it means to be a Terran Marine ...

The Commonwealth has won a great victory, smashing Wolfbane's attempt to take Corinthian and driving Admiral Singh's forces back into enemy space.  Now, as the Wolves reel under the impact of their defeat - and powerful factions plot to take control of the government and military - Edward Stalker plans a final offensive to bring the Wolves to their knees. But as mighty fleets clash in the inky darkness of space, infiltrators struggle to weaken a tottering edifice and both sides brace for the final confrontation, it all comes down to the last Terran Marines and a battle that will determine if the galaxy is to be united once again ... ... Or thrown headlong back into a new Dark Age.

An all-new story of The Empire's Corps!   Earth has fallen.  The Core Worlds have collapsed into chaos.  War is breaking out everywhere as planetary governments declare independence, entire sectors slip out of contact and warlords battle for power.  The remnants of the once-great Empire are tearing themselves apart.  And, in the shadows, the Terran Marine Corps works to save what little they can to preserve civilisation and build a better tomorrow.  But now they might have met their match.   The marines have seized control of the corporate world of Hameau, only to discover that Hameau is merely the tip of the enemy iceberg and that the battle is still very much undecided.  Cut off from their brethren, the marines fight desperately to hold their ground while millions of innocent civilians are caught in the middle ...   ... And all too aware that whoever wins the war will determine the fate of the entire galaxy.

An all-new story of The Empire's Corps! Earth has fallen.  The Core Worlds have collapsed into chaos.  War is breaking out everywhere as planetary governments declare independence, entire sectors slip out of contact and warlords battle for power.  The remnants of the once-great Empire are tearing themselves apart. In the shadows, the Terran Marine Corps works to save what little they can to preserve civilisation and build a better tomorrow.  But powerful factions are competing with them, determined to establish their own order.  If they cannot be stopped, if the marines cannot hold the line, the galaxy will fall into a new dark age.  And there may only be one chance to nip their scheme in the bud. Does fortune favour the bold?  The marines are about to find out.

They say democracy dies in darkness ... Earth has fallen.  The Empire is no more.  Old certainties are collapsing everywhere.  Chaos is spreading across the stars, with war following in its wake ... Tarsus, a world too close to Earth for comfort, is far from immune. Clarence Esperanza, a reporter on Tarsus, thought he had the story of the century.  But, when he took the story to his bosses, he was unceremoniously fired.  Cut off from his former friends, abandoned by his wife isolated from the world around him, he thought all he could do was stagger onto the streets and wait to die.  But when an old friend offers him a job, with a new news outlet challenging the dominance of the planetary media networks, he finds himself on the front lines of a struggle for control of the planet ... ... And fighting for the freedom of an entire world.

An all-new story of The Empire's Corps! Earth has fallen.  The Core Worlds have collapsed into chaos.  War is breaking out everywhere as planetary governments declare independence, entire sectors slip out of contact and warlords battle for power.  The remnants of the once-great Empire are tearing themselves apart.  And, in the shadows, the Terran Marine Corps works to save what little they can to preserve civilisation and build a better tomorrow.  But now they might have met their match. The marines have beaten off a desperate attempt by the corporate worlds to recover Hameau, but the war is very far from over.  The corprats remain powerful, gathering their strength to resume the offensive, locate the marines and impose their society on the ruins of empire.  To stop them, the marines will have to stake everything on a desperate gamble to tear out the heart of the enemy empire and slay the fascist beast in its lair. But the enemy are equally desperate to win ...

Prince Roland - the Childe Roland, Heir to the Imperial Throne - grew up in a gilded cage, surrounded by men who wanted to use his powers while keeping him under tight control.  He was growing into a petty sadistic brat until a Marine Pathfinder took him in hand, helping him to overcome his caretakers - jailers - and make something of himself.  But it was too late for Earth and, as the planet collapsed into chaos, Roland and his mentor barely escaped before it was too late.  He was taken into the care of the Marine Corps and given a chance to go to Boot Camp and forge a new life.   But now, unsure what to do with him, his superiors set him a task.  Roland has to take command of a training mission and travel to New Doncaster, a planet on the verge of exploding into civil war.  His mission is to build an army and stabilise the situation as quickly as possible ...   ... But, for an untried prince in a snake pit, facing enemies on both sides of the war, it will be far from easy ...

Prince Roland was on the verge of winning the war.   Assigned to New Doncaster to train the planet's armies and lead them into battle, Roland brokered a political compromise that allowed the government to win hearts and minds once the rebels were defeated in the field, then built a formidable military machine that could – and did – push the rebels to the brink of defeat.  But Roland's success bred hatred and his enemies, seeing him and his loyal troops out on a limb, launched a coup and left Roland stranded deep in enemy territory.   Roland isn't one to give up.  But, with a government preparing to use desperate measures to obliterate the rebels on one side and a crude alliance of suspicious rebel factions on the other, he must act fact to save the planet ...   ... Or watch helplessly as the civil war rages on.

New Doncaster should have been a success.  It wasn't.  A deeply-corrupt and embedded ruling class, disenfranchised settlers and embittered indentured workers – slaves in all but name – have poisoned the planet, unleashing the fires of class war and threatening – in the wake of Earthfall – to turn the beautiful planet into hell.  And sinister forces are stirring the pot.  Roland - once Crown Prince of Earth, now a Marine Auxiliary – was charged with building an army to stabilise New Doncaster.  But it was too late.  The rebels struck and the planet fell into civil war.   Roland scored one victory, keeping the rebels from winning in a single blow, but the war is far from over.  Rebel forces have swept over the outlying islands, destroying plantations, capturing infrastructure, liberating slaves while forcing their former owners to flee or die on the remains of their lands.  Now, with both sides preparing for the coming contest, Roland – cut off from the Marine Corps – finds himself charged with leading the government troops, to launch a desperate military gambit to win a war against a rebel force that might have right on its side. And if his gambit fails …   … The entire planet may collapse into chaos.

They were loyal to the Empire, but the Empire was not loyal to them ...   Montezuma was an isolated world, of interest to no one, until an interstellar corporation discovered vast resources of rare materials under the surface, just waiting to be extracted and sold. The corprats legally stole the planet, crushed the native dreams of independence and brought in vast numbers of outsiders to mine the rough-hewn world, leaving poverty, pollution and deprivation on an unimaginable scale in their wake.   But now the Empire has fallen and the corporation has betrayed its workers, abandoning them to fight or die on an unforgiving world …