Search Worlds Without End

This novelette originally appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, January 1991. It can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual Collection (1992), edited by Gardner Dozois.

The 13th Spacebourne is the elite fighting force of the Accord of Free Worlds. For decades, the Accord tried to keep out of the war that divided the galaxy. But now, they have no choice -- it's fight or die. And the soldiers of the 13th Spacebourne are "the lucky" ones chosen to do it.

Two enemy empires are poaching Free World planets. The Lucky 13th must "hold until relieved," delaying the actions of one empire while the Free Worlds' main fleet fights on another front. If their mission succeeds, the fleet will come and rescue them. If anything goes wrong, the unlucky fighters of the Lucky 13th are on their own...

Meet the soldiers of the "Lucky 13th"...

Colonel Stossen is the only commanding officer the "Lucky 13th" has ever had. He doesn't always like what he has to ask his men to do, but he always knows they'll do it -- or die trying.

Sergeant Joe Baerclau rarely shows any outward emotion, but when his gray eyes begin to smolder, his men know it's time to get out of his way or follow him into action.

Corporal Ezra Frain is a veteran at age twenty. The tall redhead has joined the 13th after helping fight off the enemy's invasion of his home planet. Now he's ready to give that enemy a taste of his own poison.

Private Mort Jaiffer is the "old man" of his squad at twenty-seven. A former college professor turned soldier, he turned down a chance at officer school to be a private.

Private Kam Goff had never seen combat before landing on Porter, but before the end of his first day on the ground, he'd seen enough to last him a lifetime.

The 13th Spacebourne is the elite fighting force of the Accord of Free Worlds. For decades, the Accord tried to keep out of the war that divided the galaxy. But now, they have no choice -- it's fight or die. And the soldiers of the 13th Spacebourne are the "lucky" ones chosen to do it.

The Accord's campaign to liberate Jordan from the Hegemony has stalled -- well short of its objectives. Most important is a secret lab behind enemy lines doing research that could decide the outcome of the war. The soldiers of the Lucky 13th have their assignment, to rescue the scientists and recover their results... and the boys know all too well that if they fail, nobody will be coming to rescue them.

The 13th Spacebourne is the elite fighting force of the Accord of Free Worlds. For decades, the Accord tried to keep out of the war that divided the galaxy. But now, they have no choice -- it's fight or die. And the soldiers of the 13th Spacebourne are the "lucky" ones chosen to do it.

Intelligence says the Hegemony is preparing a major invasion of the Accord planets. The only way to head off the invasion is prevent it -- by launching a crippling attack on the heavily defended planet where the Hegemony stockpiles ordnance. The Lucky 13th is chosen to spearhead the assault. Heavy casualties are expected. But the soldiers of the 13th don't just know the odds -- they know how to beat them!

The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best.

Lon Nolan wasn't supposed to be serving with the DMC. He'd earned his place at the elite North American Military Academy, and he'd excelled there. But when he's kicked out of the Academy on trumped-up charges, he's left with no choice: join the DMC or go home.

So join he does, going from top of his class to bottom rung in the DMC. To become an officer, he'll have to survive his first taste of combat with his new army, and if he fails, he won't lose just his honor, but his life.

The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best.

Kicked out of the prestigious North American Military Academy, Lon Nolan had only a few choices left to him. He chose the hardest one: serving with the Dirigent Mercenary Corps, an elite fighting squad where respect is earned not in the classroom but on the battlefield.

Nolan proved himself on the battlefield on Norbank. But now he's commanding men of his own, and the stakes are higher. He's going to learn sooner or later that leadership always comes with a cost...

The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best.

Serving with the Dirigent Mercenary Corps wasn't Lieutenant Lon Nolan's first choice--it was his only choice. After he was expelled from the North American Military Academy, there was nowhere else to go. He's finally made a place for himself with the DMC when a girl has to go and throw a wrench in his plans. Sara Pines is beautiful and brilliant, and he's sure she's the one.

Unfortunately, Lon's shipped out to quell a civil war on a distant planet before he has a chance to marry the woman he loves. And now that he's arrived on Aldrin, it's becoming increasingly clear that he might never make it home...

The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best.

Lon Nolan is skyrocketing through the ranks of the DMC, proving time and again that he's got what it takes to be one of the most elite fighters in the galaxy. But as his family grows, he grow less certain that the mercenary life is for him. With one kid at home and another on the way, he grows more reluctant to march off to battle.

But when duty calls, he must answer. In MAJOR, Nolan is off to the mining planet of Bancroft on a routine security mission. Of course, this is the DMC, so it won't stay routine for long...

The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best.

Lon Nolan has distinguished himself at the DMC, and he has the battle scars to prove it. Now, the governor of the isolated mining planet of Bancroft again needs Lon's help. The Colonial Mining Cartel is terrorizing the planet, and Lon is the only person who can stop it. He'd never thought he'd have to return, and now he's going back to face a more disciplined adversary than ever before. This time, the responsibility for the Second Battalion falls on him.

The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best.

As a young cadet, all Lon Nolan ever dreamed of was serving in the military of planet Earth. After a dishonorable discharge on trumped-up choices, he saved himself and his honor by joining up with the Dirigent Mercenary Corps. Over the decades he's forged himself a place with the DMC, and shown himself to be a true hero. There's even talk that he might become the next General.

But Lon isn't after a promotion--in fact, he's thinking about retirement. With his son in the Corps, he's hoping he can leave the fighting to the next generation. But when the political machinations of the Confederation of Human Worlds get in the way, Lon has to return to the front lines, leading not just his troops, but his son among them, into a final bitter campaign.

Rick Shelley's Federation War trilogy begins with a novel that takes you through the barracks corridors and the trenches of war, bringing the war of the future home with a combination of battlefield action and home-town heroics.

For Doug Weintraub of the Buchanan Planetary Commission, it begins with a fuzzy call, quickly cut off. Federation troops have invaded his world. The battle they've long feared and tried to avoid is coming. Now it's time to seek help, to launch a rocket into Q Space and hope for Second Commonwealth troops to arrive -- and soon.

Aboard the Starship Victoria, it begins differently. It's a short, unexpected message on the screen for Sergeant David Spencer of the Royal Marines. New orders, surprising ones, that will send him and his men to an independent frontier world that's become a new front in the war between the Commonwealth and Federation.

Doug Weintraub and David Spencer soon find themselves in unexpected roles, a skilled warrior in the Royal Marines side-by-side with a back-world farmer. They'll need each other to keep the Federation at bay.

Coventry. One of the founding worlds of the Second Commonwealth. It lies just eight light years away from the Commonwealth's capitol world, Buckingham, but it's mostly been ignored during the Federation War.

No longer. The Federation has its sights set on taking Coventry by any means necessary. Their first wave of attacking troops have set Coventry aflame in an effort to force out the population and keep local resistance at bay as they establish a base for attacking the heart of the Commonwealth.

Coventry is Reggie Bailey's home. Reggie isn't a Royal Marine. He's a family man, a father of three. But he has to put it all aside and join his brethren to fight the fires that threaten his world. It's up to the home guard to keep the Federation at bay long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

To Sergeant David Spencer of the Commonwealth's Royal Marines, the scorched earth assault on Coventry is a challenge. But he's trained, skilled, armed, ready. When the unexpected orders to go to Coventry arrive, there's no question that David and his men are up to the task, but there's every question if they can arrive in time and fight their way through the fires of Coventry before it's too late for Reggie and his family.

War hits home as Rick Shelley's Federation War trilogy continues.

Prince George, Earl of New Britain, was supposed to hold a position of great importance on Buckingham, capitol world of the Second Commonwealth. However, Prince George wasn't on Buckingham. He hadn't been for seven years, in fact. The Federation War had stranded him on the resort world of Camerein, His Royal Highness little more than a footnote to the long, bitter war.

Newly made Captain David Spencer has proven his worth time and again on the fields of battle. But his latest promotion comes with some strings attached. He'll have to lead a top secret mission to Camerein, to determine once and for all the fate of Prince George.

Camerein is now in play. With a nearby shuttle crash putting Prince George and the other stranded resort guests on the move, Lieutenant Spencer beginning his search, and the Federation looking for one last bargaining chip for the war's endgame, the resort world of Camerein is about to host a deadly game of cat and mouse. The future of the Second Commonwealth could rest on who catches whom.

Rick Shelley concludes the Federation War trilogy with another great novel that puts the high tech toys and skilled tactics of David Spencer's Royal Marines team to use on the home front, bringing every sensation of war home to the reader.

As members of the Alliance of Light, humans have committed to the battle against the Ilion Federation, and they're doing their part. But the Alliance's army is fragmented, and to unify their forces, the army's leaders must do the unthinkable: they form the First Combined Regiment, made up of soldiers from every alien race in the Alliance.

The Spec Ops Squad is supposed to be the best of the best, an elite group within the First Combined Regiment to take care of the dirtiest jobs. Sergeant Bart "Dragon" Drak isn't too surprised to learn that these warriors don't have a whole lot in common, and it's obvious that it will take a lot of work to turn a bunch of commandos into a team. He didn't sign up for this, but he's got to see it through.

In the midst of training, the Spec Ops Squad is called off to planet Dintsen to fight off an invasion from the Ilion Federation. With such an elite fighting force, beating them back should be a piece of cake ... except Ilion's got the same kind of team on their side, and theirs are better trained. Drak will have to face down tremendous odds and new challenges to bring his team home.

The Spec Ops Squad is a team of elite soldiers from every alien race in the Alliance of Light. They're supposed to be the best of the best, handling all the toughest missions--but these elite soldiers don't have a whole lot in common. It's fallen to Sergeant Bart "Dragon" Dark to forge them into a seamless fighting machine. It hasn't been easy, but they've accomplished some big things: they scored a major victory over the Ilion Federation, and importantly, they proved that they can function as a team.

Now the First Combined Regiment are back on Earth, recovering from their first mission together, trying to unlearn some of the bad habits they picked up. But before they get much down time, they've got to go on the offensive: they're going deep into enemy territory to take and hold the key world of Olviat. If they fail in this DEEP STRIKE, it's not just this mission that falls apart--it could be the entire Alliance.

The Spec Ops Squad is a group of elite soldiers from every alien race in the Alliance of Light. They're supposed to be the best of the best: It's been tough to forge them into a team: they didn't have much in common at the beginning. But commanding officer Sergeant Bart "Dragon" Drak has done a good job, and the Squad has achieved some important victories--at a heavy cost.

Now they're facing their toughest test yet. The Alliance of Light has built a utopian community on the planet Unity, where people from all the various alien races live together. But Unity is threatened by an attack from the Ilion Federation. The Spec Ops Squad and the rest of their regiment are responsible for holding Ilion at bay until the Alliance can build up their supports. The Squad is up for the task. The only question is, can Unity hold itself together long enough?

Mecq thirsts in the English countryside. An unnatural drought besets the town, driving its residents to desperation.

The wizard Silvas has vowed to use his magic to help all in need. But once he arrives in Mecq, he quickly discovers that the town's problems run deeper than a mere lack of water.

Evil lies in wait for Silvas, an evil so powerful that even a wizard of Silvas's abilities may be outmatched. The safety of both Mecq and Silvas's own domain hangs in the balance.

The ruins of Mecq still smolder in the English countryside, and in the ashes, the wizard Silvas mourns the loss of his goddess, Carillia. With her final breath, Carillia raises Silvas into the ranks of the divine.

But divinity brings its own risks. Silvas finds that once he stands among gods, he must contend with an ancient evil more powerful than any he has ever known. The forces arrayed against him harbor old grudges that he cannot assuage.

Faced with the fight of his life, Silvas is about to learn that deities have long memories. And as he well knows, even gods can die...

Gil Tyner has plans for the future: he's going to be a computer programmer in the bustling technology Mecca of Silicon Valley. And as his 21st birthday approaches, he's on the cusp of realizing his goals.

But fate has other plans. A note from his mother on his birthday propels Gil into The Buffer Zone, seven magical kingdoms that stand between our world and the realm of the immortal elves.

Gil's about to learn that plans can change. When destiny calls, he'll discover that the life he'd imagined and the life he'll lead will be very different.

On his 21st birthday, Gil Tyner stepped through a portal into the magical Buffer Zone between our world and the land of the fairies, leaving his life as a college student behind. Torn from everything he'd ever known, Gil rose to the challenge and mastered his new surroundings, becoming a slayer of both elves and dragons.

But now the Buffer Zone faces a threat that will push even Gil to his limits, a menace that could propel rampaging dragons into the world Gil left behind.

To stop it, Gil will need to seek a treasure, but its recovery may prove more dangerous than even the dragons themselves...

When seven moons rise, the world will end.

So the prophecy says, and so it is being carried out. In the magical world of Varay, more and more moons rise. On earth, nuclear war lays the planet to waste.

Gil Tyner, Hero of Varay, must make common cause with his sworn enemy, the Elflord, to avert the end of everything.

As the boundaries between earth and the realm of magic begin to blur, Gil must brave dangers in both worlds, until he finally stands against an entity so mighty that their battle will either avert Armageddon, or destroy everything we've ever known.