Eric Thomson

Murder and mayhem on a distant human colony call for the best investigator in the business, Chief Superintendent Caelin Morrow. But will this case prove to be her undoing?

Humanity's Commonwealth won its war with the alien Shrehari Empire seven decades ago. Starships engaged in commerce have replaced the battlecruisers, and much of that commerce flows through free ports established on what was once a disputed frontier. Yet even long after the armistice, the relationship between humans and an unfathomable, easily offended species remains tense. When someone assassinates a Shrehari trade emissary on Aquilonia Station, a human-owned free port, leaving a Commonwealth Navy officer as the sole suspect, everyone fears the worst.An alien envoy killed by a member of the Armed Services is a case for the Commonwealth Constabulary, humanity's interstellar police force. And with galactic peace at stake, the investigation lands on the desk of Chief Superintendent Caelin Morrow.As head of the Rim Sector's internal affairs division, Morrow is one of the most disliked cops in the Commonwealth. She investigates those in authority - members of the police, the military, and federal government officials. It's a tough job, but Morrow and her officers are also known as the last of the incorruptibles. It makes them ideal investigators to satisfy an angry Shrehari government.However, soon after Morrow arrives on Aquilonia to dig for the truth, she realizes something more ominous than one of the seven deadly sins is behind the alien's murder. Was his death an act of passion, or an act of politics? And what will the result of her investigation mean for the future of humanity's relations with its restive alien neighbor?

History has a habit of reaching out from the grave and reminding us of our species' greatest failings.Humanity's Migration Wars which birthed the Commonwealth of Sovereign Star Systems were the deadliest and most destructive in history. But not everyone draws the same lessons from past atrocities that were burned into the human psyche. For some, our species must do anything to avoid another murderous civil war, including the overthrow of the current political system. For others, a rerun, minus the mistakes made the last time, would once more consolidate power in the hands of the central government on Earth.When a reconnaissance droid uncovers a lost munitions bunker from the Second Migration War containing the most horrific biological and chemical warheads ever invented, Rear Admiral Hera Talyn of Naval Intelligence immediately grasps the deadly ramifications. She quickly dispatches Ghost Squadron's Erinye Company to guard the discovery on Keros, an airless, dead planet with nothing more than a mining outpost, until the deadly payloads can be retrieved. However, those who would use the forbidden weapons to achieve their own goals still have spies inside Fleet Headquarters and are also moving fast. But Major Curtis Delgado, Erinye Company's commanding officer, uncovers deeper mysteries on Keros than just weapons of mass destruction and must race against time and secret enemies to prepare for an all-out assault. Because he knows that if the warheads fall into the wrong hands, history could repeat itself, this time as an even greater tragedy.

History has a habit of reaching out from the grave and reminding us of our species' greatest failings.Humanity's Migration Wars which birthed the Commonwealth of Sovereign Star Systems were the deadliest and most destructive in history. But not everyone draws the same lessons from past atrocities that were burned into the human psyche. For some, our species must do anything to avoid another murderous civil war, including the overthrow of the current political system. For others, a rerun, minus the mistakes made the last time, would once more consolidate power in the hands of the central government on Earth.When a reconnaissance droid uncovers a lost munitions bunker from the Second Migration War containing the most horrific biological and chemical warheads ever invented, Rear Admiral Hera Talyn of Naval Intelligence immediately grasps the deadly ramifications. She quickly dispatches Ghost Squadron's Erinye Company to guard the discovery on Keros, an airless, dead planet with nothing more than a mining outpost, until the deadly payloads can be retrieved. However, those who would use the forbidden weapons to achieve their own goals still have spies inside Fleet Headquarters and are also moving fast. But Major Curtis Delgado, Erinye Company's commanding officer, uncovers deeper mysteries on Keros than just weapons of mass destruction and must race against time and secret enemies to prepare for an all-out assault. Because he knows that if the warheads fall into the wrong hands, history could repeat itself, this time as an even greater tragedy.

Life hasn't been easy for Siobhan Dunmoore and many of her fellow veterans since the Shrehari War ended.The Fleet's quick return to a mundane peacetime footing left them unmoored and incapable of fully readapting after years engulfed in an existential struggle. Meanwhile, the memories of all those hard-won lessons, paid for with humanity's dearest blood, are fading as careerists, bureaucrats, and politicians in uniform replace the leaders who brought about the war's end.Yet an increasing number of senior officers understand true peace is illusory. Without an external threat to unify them as a species, humans have resumed their favorite activity - fighting each other in dark and dirty wars for power, profit, or glory. And this despite the risk of eroding the Commonwealth's delicate social and political balance and triggering violent unrest. Ironically, those best suited for stopping nasty, albeit minor conflicts before they escalate, are the very veterans on which the Fleet turned its back.Will Siobhan Dunmoore and her comrades find a new role in halting what could become fatal to human unity, or will they fade away, unwanted, while the Commonwealth begins a long slide into civil discord?

Life hasn't been easy for Siobhan Dunmoore and many of her fellow veterans since the Shrehari War ended. The Fleet's quick return to a mundane peacetime footing left them unmoored and incapable of fully readapting after years engulfed in an existential struggle. Meanwhile, the memories of all those hard-won lessons, paid for with humanity's dearest blood, are fading as careerists, bureaucrats, and politicians in uniform replace the leaders who brought about the war's end.Yet an increasing number of senior officers understand true peace is illusory. Without an external threat to unify them as a species, humans have resumed their favorite activity - fighting each other in dark and dirty wars for power, profit, or glory. And this despite the risk of eroding the Commonwealth's delicate social and political balance and triggering violent unrest. Ironically, those best suited for stopping nasty, albeit minor conflicts before they escalate, are the very veterans on which the Fleet turned its back.Will Siobhan Dunmoore and her comrades find a new role in halting what could become fatal to human unity, or will they fade away, unwanted, while the Commonwealth begins a long slide into civil discord?

The collapse of humanity's first interstellar empire is passing into legend, perhaps even myth, now that the ones who could remember those tumultuous years have merged with the Infinite Void. Tiny Lyonesse, the self-appointed guardian of all human knowledge tucked away in its wormhole cul-de-sac, has spent generations preparing to carry out Jonas Morane's plan of reuniting humanity. Unbeknown to citizens of a republic cut off from the rest of the galaxy, four star systems at the former empire's core also survived to preserve that which existed before the Great Scouring. Yet they took a darker path after witnessing firsthand the empire's demise in a bloodletting without precedent, which left them fearful about the future of what little remained.An uncompromising, hidebound military dictatorship, the Wyvern Hegemony is everything Lyonesse avoided becoming. Backed by a State Security Commission that uses the Void Sisters' abilities to root out the regime's enemies, its rule is absolute. Yet the Hegemony also harbors ambitions of reuniting humanity under its own banner, though the government has done little to advance its cause.Neither Lyonesse nor the Hegemony knows about each other. However, thanks to a twist of fate that leads State Security Colonel Crevan Torma and his assigned Void Sister on a voyage of discovery, this will soon change. But can the vanished empire's heirs meet in peace or will they continue the civil war that almost eradicated humanity across the stars?

The collapse of humanity's first interstellar empire is passing into legend, perhaps even myth, now that the ones who could remember those tumultuous years have merged with the Infinite Void. Tiny Lyonesse, the self-appointed guardian of all human knowledge tucked away in its wormhole cul-de-sac, has spent generations preparing to carry out Jonas Morane's plan of reuniting humanity. Unbeknown to citizens of a republic cut off from the rest of the galaxy, four star systems at the former empire's core also survived to preserve that which existed before the Great Scouring. Yet they took a darker path after witnessing firsthand the empire's demise in a bloodletting without precedent, which left them fearful about the future of what little remained.An uncompromising, hidebound military dictatorship, the Wyvern Hegemony is everything Lyonesse avoided becoming. Backed by a State Security Commission that uses the Void Sisters' abilities to root out the regime's enemies, its rule is absolute. Yet the Hegemony also harbors ambitions of reuniting humanity under its own banner, though the government has done little to advance its cause.Neither Lyonesse nor the Hegemony knows about each other. However, thanks to a twist of fate that leads State Security Colonel Crevan Torma and his assigned Void Sister on a voyage of discovery, this will soon change. But can the vanished empire's heirs meet in peace or will they continue the civil war that almost eradicated humanity across the stars?

Chaos, created by factions determined to end the centuries-old accord between human settled worlds and Earth, is spreading at an alarming rate.Centralists, aided and abetted by their corporate paymasters, are working hard to destabilize sovereign star systems and strip them of independence. Only the Fleet's hard-pressed Special Forces can stop those who would foment a series of violent revolutions and trigger a bloody civil conflict capable of destroying humanity's interstellar civilization. And that means the best of those Special Forces units, Ghost Squadron, doesn't lack for missions.Disrupting riots aimed at toppling star system governments, seeking out and destroying the Centralist-owned security and intelligence agency's assets, eradicating cartels used as Centralist cat's-paws - no operation is too complex. However, each mission takes them deeper into the heart of darkness, and before the Fleet can declare victory, Ghost Squadron may come to resemble the enemies it fights. Yet not using all the means at its disposal could result in the deaths of billions.But will the Special Forces' legendary prowess and valor suffice, both to save humanity and Ghost Squadron's soul? Or will the Commonwealth experience the horrors of an existential war before the Fleet can arrest the spiral into madness?

Chaos, created by factions determined to end the centuries-old accord between human settled worlds and Earth, is spreading at an alarming rate. Centralists, aided and abetted by their corporate paymasters, are working hard to destabilize sovereign star systems and strip them of independence. Only the Fleet's hard-pressed Special Forces can stop those who would foment a series of violent revolutions and trigger a bloody civil conflict capable of destroying humanity's interstellar civilization. And that means the best of those Special Forces units, Ghost Squadron, doesn't lack for missions.Disrupting riots aimed at toppling star system governments, seeking out and destroying the Centralist-owned security and intelligence agency's assets, eradicating cartels used as Centralist cat's-paws - no operation is too complex. However, each mission takes them deeper into the heart of darkness, and before the Fleet can declare victory, Ghost Squadron may come to resemble the enemies it fights. Yet not using all the means at its disposal could result in the deaths of billions.But will the Special Forces' legendary prowess and valor suffice, both to save humanity and Ghost Squadron's soul? Or will the Commonwealth experience the horrors of an existential war before the Fleet can arrest the spiral into madness?

Humanity's interstellar empire died in fire and blood, leaving wrecked star systems to face the long night of barbarism.One tiny spark of civilization remains: The Republic of Lyonesse, tucked away at the end of a wormhole cul-de-sac. Yet that last bastion could suffer the same dire fate.When the late empress unleashed the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse on her crumbling realm, Lyonesse escaped War and Famine. However, the Pale Rider, carrying pestilence and death, still roams the wormhole network, seeking to finish off what the Imperial Retribution Fleet missed decades earlier, and he has finally found the entrance to the Lyonesse branch. What about the White Rider who brings deceit and the worship of false prophets? Perhaps he is already on Lyonesse, undermining what Jonas Morane so laboriously created.Will the Navy's tiny, decrepit fleet stop plague ships from reaching Lyonesse while Morane and his ally Sister Gwenneth keep the fledgling republic from turning on itself?Or will Lyonesse join the rest of humanity in a long imperial night, one which might never end?

Humanity's interstellar empire died in fire and blood, leaving wrecked star systems to face the long night of barbarism.One tiny spark of civilization remains: The Republic of Lyonesse, tucked away at the end of a wormhole cul-de-sac. Yet that last bastion could suffer the same dire fate.When the late empress unleashed the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse on her crumbling realm, Lyonesse escaped War and Famine. However, the Pale Rider, carrying pestilence and death, still roams the wormhole network, seeking to finish off what the Imperial Retribution Fleet missed decades earlier, and he has finally found the entrance to the Lyonesse branch. What about the White Rider who brings deceit and the worship of false prophets? Perhaps he is already on Lyonesse, undermining what Jonas Morane so laboriously created.Will the Navy's tiny, decrepit fleet stop plague ships from reaching Lyonesse while Morane and his ally Sister Gwenneth keep the fledgling republic from turning on itself?Or will Lyonesse join the rest of humanity in a long imperial night, one which might never end?

The Marines of Ghost Squadron are humanity's foremost black ops specialists who strike without warning and vanish without a trace. They will do whatever is necessary to protect humanity anywhere in the known galaxy. With the Commonwealth increasingly unstable thanks to venal politicians, greedy financiers, and power-hungry revolutionaries, they don't lack for missions.When an undercover Constabulary officer vanishes after uncovering a massive cartel-run human trafficking operation, the Commonwealth's interstellar police force calls for help from Naval Intelligence. Because the cartel's operations could upend the delicate political balance between the older core worlds and the more recently colonized outer star systems, Ghost Squadron gets the job. Its mission: find the missing Constabulary officer and choke off the growing slave trade bedeviling humanity's perilous galactic frontier.Ghost Squadron's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Thomas Decker, spent the last ten years as a Naval Intelligence agent. His job was thwarting plots and terminating the Commonwealth's internal enemies alongside his partner, a trained assassin. Now, with several hundred of the deadliest Marines ever fielded at his back, Zack Decker will change the course of history and usher in a new era.Humanity's interstellar empire ended in "Ashes of Empire." Witness its birth a thousand years earlier in Eric Thomson's new series "Ghost Squadron."

Captain Siobhan Dunmoore no longer enjoys the freedom to fight the Shrehari Empire on her own terms aboard the Q-ship Iolanthe. Special Operations Command has assigned her to Task Force Luckner, whose mission is replicating Iolanthe's success on a larger scale. Unfortunately, neither her new superior, Rear Admiral Kell Petras, nor any other captain in the task force understands successful commerce raiding requires a different mindset. Instead of sheepdogs, they must become wolves in sheep's clothing, and Dunmoore is just the right officer to teach them. Yet Petras and his flag captain are not interested.But when an unauthorized raid on a Shrehari forward operations base produces surprising results, Dunmoore triggers a cascade of events which could forever change the course of the war. As the old saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Will Dunmoore prove once again that she and Iolanthe's crew are the most daring of them all?

Captain Siobhan Dunmoore no longer enjoys the freedom to fight the Shrehari Empire on her own terms aboard the Q-ship Iolanthe. Special Operations Command has assigned her to Task Force Luckner, whose mission is replicating Iolanthe's success on a larger scale. Unfortunately, neither her new superior, Rear Admiral Kell Petras, nor any other captain in the task force understands successful commerce raiding requires a different mindset. Instead of sheepdogs, they must become wolves in sheep's clothing, and Dunmoore is just the right officer to teach them. Yet Petras and his flag captain are not interested.But when an unauthorized raid on a Shrehari forward operations base produces surprising results, Dunmoore triggers a cascade of events which could forever change the course of the war. As the old saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Will Dunmoore prove once again that she and Iolanthe's crew are the most daring of them all?

The most powerful empire in human history is rushing headlong toward destruction, ending our species' supremacy in the known galaxy.Two men with widely divergent visions are on a mission to save civilization in at least one sector, far from the imperial capital where a demented ruler holds sway. The first, Jonas Morane, wants to create an impregnable vault containing humanity's accumulated knowledge so those who survive the coming darkness can rebuild in decades instead of millennia. The other, Devy Custis, seeks to fend off collapse by founding a new empire in the Coalsack Sector, one free of the madness that caused this civil war. But will either resist the ravages of a genocidal empress, blood-maddened barbarians, and scheming admirals?Unfortunately, the vicissitudes of fate, abetted by greed and lust for power, could destroy both before they make their dreams a reality.Imperial Twilight is the second installment in Eric Thomson's saga Ashes of Empire, the story of a desperate attempt to preserve one last spark of civilization so that humanity does not vanish from the galaxy.

The most powerful empire in human history is rushing headlong toward destruction, ending our species' supremacy in the known galaxy.Two men with widely divergent visions are on a mission to save civilization in at least one sector, far from the imperial capital where a demented ruler holds sway. The first, Jonas Morane, wants to create an impregnable vault containing humanity's accumulated knowledge so those who survive the coming darkness can rebuild in decades instead of millennia. The other, Devy Custis, seeks to fend off collapse by founding a new empire in the Coalsack Sector, one free of the madness that caused this civil war. But will either resist the ravages of a genocidal empress, blood-maddened barbarians, and scheming admirals?Unfortunately, the vicissitudes of fate, abetted by greed and lust for power, could destroy both before they make their dreams a reality.Imperial Twilight is the second installment in Eric Thomson's saga Ashes of Empire, the story of a desperate attempt to preserve one last spark of civilization so that humanity does not vanish from the galaxy.