I’m still not sure I like the premise of a military science fiction book that is about corporations and their private armies or in this case, private space navy. But, that’s what this whole series is about. Commander Tad Thatcher is the commander of the New Jersey, a combat ready fighting starship that was owned by the Frontier Security Corporation ran by Veronica Rose. As you read in the previous books, this part of the galaxy has been catastrophically cut-off from the Solar System due to the collapse of the one and only worm-hole used to navigate between the immense distance between systems. It was so sudden, that those in the Dawn Cluster who had plans on returning to Earth to the families they left there, were now stranded, possibly forever!
Commander Tad Thatcher was one of those people. Still, he kept a firm belief that the worm-hole would some day be repaired or re-established and he would go home to his currently pregnant wife. He knew that by the time he did get home, his son would have been born. He just hoped that he son hadn’t grown to much with him away. He also was hoping that the Xanthic had not already been to Earth and destroyed the planet. There might not be anything to come home to.
Still, he had to live where he was at and that meant he had to make this place as tolerable as it could be. When the corporations were cut off from their home headquarters, they began acting as self-governing bodies with some doing the right things and taking care of their people as they should. But, there were other corporations which viewed this period as an opportunity to grab as much territory as possible while confusion reined. One such corporation was led by Captain Simon Moll. He had just about conquered all the souther parts of this galaxy and was looking for more. Veronica Rose had a desire to ensure that this part of space was free for everyone to come and go as they pleased without having to bow down to any one corporation. She believed their situation would be better enhanced if all the citizens felt secure and free trade was flourishing throughout the Dawn Cluster. Simon Moll didn’t disagree although he wanted the people to pay him for their freedom. He would be providing protection from other corporations and the ever present pirates. Veronica didn’t like Simon Molls methods, but she had bigger problems to worry about.
For one, the pirates were becoming more and more organized. She didn’t know how or why, but they could become a problem down the line. Right now, they had some sub-standard space ships that didn’t stand a chance against her modern star-fleet. But, that problem was put on the back-burner for now. Her very big problem was with Herwin Durk, CEO of the Daybreak Corporation. He was a big problem and getting bigger every day.
The Daybreak Corps had been consuming other corporations all along the Northern border and were becoming the largest threat to everyone including Frontier Security and Sunder Corporation (CEO Captain Simon Moll). So, while, Veronica didn’t like it, she was going to need to ally with Captain Moll in order for both of them to survive. She didn’t know if Moll would want to join together with her corporations temporarily or if he was actually trying to work an agreement with Herwin Durk. Her method of finding out where Moll stood, was to send Tad Thatcher and the New Jersey out to find him and get his agreement to join agains the Daybreak Corporation.
That wasn’t going to be an easy job, but that task was going to be useless if Thatcher didn’t get back soon enough to prevent the Daybreak Corporation from attacking Frontier Security’s HQ and wiping the corporation out of existence.
As you can read, there are several different things going on, but fortunately they aren’t all at the same time. The book does flow pretty well from one mission to the next with some good writing. I just don’t like the concept of corporations making war against each other or against planetary bodies. These corporations aren’t governments and they are all out for one thing and that’s profit. Still, I’ll probably continue reading this series. I would like for the book covers to be a little less cartoonish, though!