Breaker of Empires
3 total works
In a new military SF series, Richard Baker begins the adventures of Sikander North in an era of great interstellar colonial powers. Sikander Singh North has always had it easy - until he joins the crew of the Aquilan Commonwealth starship CSS Hector. As the ship's new gunnery officer and the only Kashmiri officer, he must constantly prove himself better than his Aquilan crewmates, even if he has to use his fists. When the Hector is called to help with a planetary uprising, he'll have to earn his unit's respect, find who's arming the rebels, and deal with the headstrong daughter of the colonial ruler - all while dodging bullets. Sikander's military career is off to an explosive start - but only if he and CSS Hector can survive his first mission.
Now a captain, Sikander Singh North commands the destroyer Ardent, assigned to Zerzura, a haven for piracy and the next playing-board in the Great Game. The Aquilan Commonwealth and the Empire of Dremark vie for the allegiance of local ruler Marid Pasha, a competition with stakes that reach far beyond the sector's pirate-infested limits.
Sikander must stop the pirate attacks while charting his course between the ambitions of Marid Pasha, a dubious alliance with a shipping magnate, and the inexperience of Ardent's crew... a situation that only grows more complicated when an old enemy returns.
Sikander must stop the pirate attacks while charting his course between the ambitions of Marid Pasha, a dubious alliance with a shipping magnate, and the inexperience of Ardent's crew... a situation that only grows more complicated when an old enemy returns.
Having narrowly avoided being court-martialed, Lieutenant Sikander North finds himself assigned to a remote outpost in the crumbling, alien Tzoru Empire, stuck where the navy sends troublemakers to be forgotten. Sikander finds himself in the middle of an alien uprising. Once again, he must do the impossible: smuggle an alien ambassador off world, break a siege, and fight the irrational prejudice of his superior officers. The odds are against his success, and his choices could mean disgrace - or redemption.