Mike

Reidon Ward's first semester at the Galens Institute hasn't been without reward. In just over half a year he's gone from the weakest cadet at school to one of the strongest in his class, and there's no one left who would argue that his Device, Shido, isn't the most terrifying CAD they've ever laid eyes on. Still, Rei knows that his climb has barely begun, like he knows that the true fight is only just starting. After all… The Sectionals tournament has arrived. Rei, along with Aria, Viv, Catcher, and a couple unexpected squadmates, are about to face the first real battle of their careers.

Reidon Ward will become a god. He doesn't know it yet, of course. Reidon was born weak, sickly, and small. Afflicted with a painful disease and abandoned by his parents because of it, he has had to fight tooth and nail for every minor advantage life has allowed him. However, his perseverance has not gone unnoticed, and when the most powerful artificial intelligence in human history takes an interest in him, things began to change quickly.

Born on a forsaken desert planet, Cole Shaw has two options - perish from starvation and disease, or enlist in the New World Republic’s armed forces. He chooses the military. For the first time, he thinks he has a shot at a better life. But survival is not guaranteed. Leading an elite team of mech operators, he is deployed to a frozen planet called Ferrous where dangerous relics of a past war lurk beneath the ice and savage creatures prowl the barren wastelands. Scientists on Ferrous are chasing rumors of godlike technologies buried in the ruins of a long-extinct civilization.

Earth’s entire fleet and all her legions are conscripted by the Galactics. Centurion McGill of Legion Varus is among countless troops pressed into service as cannon fodder for the Empire. Not everyone on Earth is happy with the demands of the Galactics. Earth has built up her military for decades, and now she might lose everything in a foreign war no one understands. As the man who has killed more Mogwa than any other human in history, McGill is approached and given a mission. He has a fateful decision to make.

A company of Army Rangers is sent on an interstellar colony ship to secure a foothold on a dangerous, alien planet through violence of action. Leaving behind a warring Earth flung headfirst into a conflict of mutual assured destruction, the Rangers and the accompanying crew of first colonists are guided on a 40-year journey by an unprecedented artificial intelligence. But when they emerge from the frigid embrace of cryosleep, they awake to a nightmare, finding themselves greeted by the same ruthless enemy that brought about the ruin of Earth.

Esther Lysander, the driven, professional Marine ever-conscious of the heavy weight of her father's legacy, is selected to become an officer. She has high goals for her career - very high goals - and she believes the best method to achieve success is to be a complete hard-ass, keeping emotions at bay. This outlook has resulted in some notable achievements, but at the cost of friends and her relationship with her twin brother Noah, a price she is willing to pay.

All Cam Alvarez has known is war. For three years, he’s fought the marauding alien Tahni on one God-forsaken planet after another, leading a squad of armored Drop Troopers. But the war is about to change. Cam is an officer now, fresh out of OCS and taking charge of his old platoon, and things have reached a tipping point. Instead of fighting a desperate holding action against the enemy, the Commonwealth is finally ready to take back the human colonies the Tahni seized early in the war. To free the people the enemy have kept as human shields.

Chiyo's father's company is being targeted, and she considers her options. Should she help him? The only problem? There is a dark enemy on the other side who wants her dad's company and wouldn't mind taking a bite out of Kaiden, either. Chief is more integrated than he was before and far more fragile due to his neural link with Kaiden. Kaiden and Chiyo been provided a job opportunity, but they will need extra support. Will they be able to call on their friends, or will they need to hire contractors?

The third-year students are about to take on those who know them best. Each other. Using a variation of the classic game of Capture the Flag, Kaiden and his friends must join teams and battle each other. It is time for Kaiden to learn what it means to lead. Then, when they are out on the town, an opportunity is handed to the students on a silver platter. Kaiden has a job offer to help protect a business in San Diego, but he needs more members. Will the students join him?

The Peacemaker-enforced ceasefire brought an end to the hostilities, but not a resolution, and now it’s up to the Four Horsemen to forge a lasting peace. Alexis Cromwell, despite her pregnancy, heads off to Capital with Nigel Shirazi to obtain justice from the enigmatic Mercenary Guild Council, but when they arrive, they’re quickly embroiled in galactic politics, and find out the situation is far, far worse than they could possibly have imagined.