See The Worlds Read Free Page B

big decision like that on the hoof.  I guess it takes all sorts.  It wasn’t
for me, though.  Like Greeley, I thought I’d see my time out here in the
warehouse, get rotated back to Earth then walk away from it all.  Maybe go back
to England, maybe stay in the mainland.  Get a job, settle down. 
     
     
    We’ve been here a few months now.  The building
is finished, and I guess it’s not that bad.  We have a bit of space for training,
and there’s IVRs and food and whatnot.   In eleven months or so there will be a
launch window, and we’ll all get sent back to the world.  We’re just counting
down the clock to that.
    Cooped up with not much to do I’ve begun to
follow the news streams more closely.  I want to know how we’ve ended up in
this situation, and what the USAN is doing about it.  Well, it seems they’re
doing plenty.
    They have this big ship, Ephialtes .  It’s the
biggest spacecraft ever built.  It had been made for the war on Earth, but they’ve
rejigged it some and sent it out towards us.
    It’s nearly half a kilometre long and carries
twelve Commander Program dropships.  Each single one of those is a nightmare in
itself.  A dropship carries a squad of twelve mechs, including the commander. 
Each mech is four metres high and armed like you wouldn’t believe.  And this
massive warship, Ephialtes , is stuffed full of them and it’s coming
towards us.
    It feels sort of good that our guys are coming to
the rescue, but I kinda think I’d rather just wait it all out and go home.  Ephialtes ,
dropships, mechs and commanders are all great, but if they start shooting the
place up who knows what might happen?  I’d happily take the ignominy of
returning safely home as part of a defeated force than risk death or injury in
a heroic reassertion of USAN power.
     
     
    So that’s where I am now, trying to decide
whether this was a good idea.  I guess it all depends on how it pans out.  The
space travel was great fun.  The posting was cushy, and even the move to the
warehouse wasn’t so bad.  If we see our time out and get to come home safely then
I’d say yes, coming to Mars was, on balance, a good thing and a great
experience.
    Only it looks like that’s not how it’s going to play
out.  Greeley doesn’t think so, either.  He says the USAN are coming to retake
their planet, and nothing is going to stop them.
    I hate to think about it but I know he’s right. 
The countdown has started and the USAN are going to bring the fight to the
Martians.  Ephialtes is coming, and when that thing gets here, shit’s
going down.

 
     
     
    Ephialtes
Trilogy Book One:
     
     
    Ephialtes
     
     
    Available now on ebook and paperback
     
     
    Praise for Ephialtes :
     
    "The story effectively generates suspense
for the inevitable confrontation between the two planets . . . 
An absorbing, inventive introduction to Parker's version of the 23rd century,
where politics still reign."
    - Kirkus Reviews
     
    "For fans of this kind of military sci-fi,
there's every reason to pick this title up. The book is an exceptional example
of its genre that does all it sets out for succinctly, but pushes for a full,
fleshed-out trilogy as something to look forward to: a trilogy that seems
likely to meet expectations. The book oozes quality throughout."
    - Self-Publishing
Review , 4 Stars
     
     
     
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