Mission Critical

Taken from their planet and their century, they are not just the Lost Soldiers: they are Murphy's Lawless.

Major Rodger Y. Murphy should have died when his helicopter crashed off the coast of Mogadishu in November, 1993. Instead, he woke up in August 2125 in the Tauri 55 binary star system, 152 light years from home. Without any memory of the otherworldly abductors who spirited them away in cold sleep, Murphy and 100 other "Lost Soldiers" have been retrieved and awakened by two officers of the Consolidated Terran Republic: Trevor Corcoran and Richard Downing.

Promising to return after completing an unauthorized rescue mission, they leave the twentieth-century castaways with a daunting objective: establish a base of operations on the main world of R'Bak using local allies they have yet to recruit and enemy equipment they have yet to seize.

If that weren't hard enough, 55 Tauri A, the system's primary star, is rapidly approaching, and the technologically superior powers from that neighboring system always use that opportunity to raid, pillage, and "cull" the locals.

But the company of misfits and ne'er-do-wells who've taken the nickname Murphy's Lawless rose to the challenge. They destroyed the makeshift transmitter with which their enemies would have warned their home planet Kulsis, established a beach-head on R'Bak, and led an uprising of the locals that has changed the balance of power in its most valuable region.

But all that was just a tactical prelude to the next operation: beating the Kulsians when they make their now-imminent return. It's an ambitious plan with three separate parts, none of which can fail. If one does, it means extinction for the Lost Soldiers and their allies. So, naturally, Murphy would be sure to assign his best trained, seasoned, and committed leaders to carry them out. One problem: he doesn't have anyone like that.

The first part of the plan falls to Horace Earl Chalmers, whose background as an Army investigator has made him Murphy's counter-intelligence chief. But in this case, it's the shady skills that Chalmers accrued from a lifetime of dodging and twisting the very laws he was supposed to uphold that are the key to completing his mission critical: infiltrate the enemy-held Downport, secure an essential ship, and get it up to orbit. But they methods he has to use to achieve that won't make his vow to become a better man any easier.

But once the ship is in hand, there's a small problem with part two; none of the Lost Soldiers know how to pilot it to a crucial rendezvous point. However, Navy flier Major Kevin Bowden has shown that he can adapt, improvise, and overcome--so all eyes are on him to learn how to pilot not one, but two, different spacecraft in record time. Because the second rendezvous is to lure a Kulsian corvette into a position where it can be seized.

That third part of the plan is the one that almost everyone considers impossible: to take the corvette in a boarding action, using two small assault teams. It's a hard job that will require a hard, dedicated man. Navy SEAL Harry Tapper is that hard man... but dedicated? He was once, but now . . . ?

Exhausted and resentful after being tasked to lead innumerable raids while the Lawless established and expanded the base on R'Bak, Harry has been living among the indigs for over a year. His only concern now is for his local wife, their infant child, and her tribe. But he is also the only one who has done what they now must: board an enemy warship from an unarmed cargo lighter.

Why is Murphy fixated upon on this Kulsian corvette? Why and how could a single ship be so pivotal to the survival of all the Lost Soldiers and their allies? Only two things are certain:

One: if his plan succeeds, it sets the stage to completely turn the tactical and strategic tables on their Kulsian enemies.

Two: there are plenty of people--even among his "allies"--who will stop at nothing in order to foil that plan.

Including killing Murphy and anyone who tries to complete any part of his bold ploy--which is, in every sense of the word, mission critical.

About the Terran Republic series featuring Caine Riordan:

About Caine's Mutiny:

"This is military Science Fiction the way it's supposed to be written. . . . All in all, a highly satisfying tale of the Terran Republic that moves the story forward and setting us up for the next chapter, which promises to be interesting at worst and explosive at best." --SFcrowsnest

About Raising Caine:

"Raising Caine unveils a lot of thought-provoking ideas, but ultimately this is a space opera adventure. There are space battles, daring emergency landings, desperate quests, hand-to-hand combat, and double-and-triple crosses. It's an engrossing read. You owe it to yourself to read the two previous books in order. Then enjoy Raising Caine. It's an intergalactic thrill-ride." --Fantasy and Science Ficton Book and Audiobook Reviews

"This is science-fiction adventure on a grand scale."--Kirkus

"Gannon's harrowing . . . military space opera (following Trial by Fire) builds well on his established setting . . . Gannon's signature attention to developing realistic alien worlds makes this installment satisfying."--Publishers Weekly

"[A]n incredibly active book . . . as our protagonists are confronted by the beautiful, terrible, and sometimes lethal variety of the universe and its inhabitants. . . . A whole mess of fun . . . that manages to be scientifically accurate while refraining from excessive wonkiness. Those who value meticulous worldbuilding . . . will certainly have their needs met."--BN Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

About Nebula-nominated Trial by Fire:

"I seriously enjoyed Trial