The Empire is fighting a war that is unnecessary, to them anyway. Not so with their enemy, the members of the Eagleton Protectorate. They have been feed a whole bunch of lies about the Human Empire so much so that they feel it is their obligation to wipe out these humans as quickly as possible. Even when approached by Jonathan Somerville as Captain of the *Achilles*, they rebuffed his efforts to peacefully converse with him. In fact, this war has already seen Jonathan lose his ship, but he did so while valiantly covering the Gift, a wormhole that allows access to this part of space. He fled back through the Gift jus in time to warn the Commodore protecting the Gift that he must get through it to ensure it continues to stay open.
Having done that, the Human Empire regained access to the Gift although they didn’t know for how long that was going to hold. Jonathan had been serving aboard Admiral Becket’s flag-ship as a staff office and had done an admirable job. Now he was going to his new command, the *Kestrel* a unique ship and one of its kind in the Empire. Admiral Becket will expect him to get his new ship in fighting order quickly since she is not one to just stand around on this side of the Gift. So, Jonathan is busy getting his ship and crew to working like his previous ship, the *Achilles *. Fortunately he had a number of crew that had transferred from the *Achilles* with him so he was not unfamiliar with some of his people.
He finally got his ship battle ready only to be assigned to a flank screening mission under Commodore Magnuson. His orders were mostly to scout the fleets flanks ensuring no Protectorate forces could attack them without notice. This would bring him near the Dudllias system which he had visited while commanding the *Achilles.*This time though he was instructed to stay away from the Dudllias system unless he specifically knew that Protectorate ships were staging in that system. Jonathan wanted to let King Krilim know that the Human Empire was still their friends even though they had forced him to destroy their gas mining facilities so the Protectorate wouldn’t try to stage fleets in their system.
But, as things turned out, Jonathan wasn’t specifically ordered to stay out of the Dudllias system if he felt there were Protectorate ships using it. So, he did follow a Protectorate scout ship into the Dudllias system only to find it occupied by a small Protectorate scouting party. Jonathan took it upon himself to attack and destroy these Protectorate ships. By doing so he secured the system for the Humane Empire. Eventually, King Krilim requested the Empires’s protection which Commodore Magnusson arranged by bringing his entire fleet into the system.
From that system, Commodore Magnusson’s fleet is going to go towards Farvul’vain with the appearance they were going to attack the home planet of Protectorate Rear Admiral Lvant. Rear Admiral Lvant his brought there remnants of his fleet back to this system and sits there worrying more about his career than about the Protectorates defense. He doesn’t know that Commodore Magnusson’s mission is a feint and not the primary mission.
The actually plans are for Admiral Becket’s fleet to begin attacking and destroying all the northern colonies of the Protectorate/Rasmorse sector of space while holding Rear Admiral Lvant where he is. Her plan seems to be working and only gets into trouble when the Protectorate Admiral Reverus brings his huge fleet towards Farvul’vain.
Meanwhile, Emperor and Empress James and Christine Somerville have gotten word that the Karacknids civil war is about to end with Tanaka-Ian soon to become the new Imperator. They know he will then set his sites on conquering the Human Empire. The Human Empire has been forced to move ships and troops far from their northern borders with the Karacknid Empire to the south to support this war against the Protectorate.
Both the Emperor and Empress know they must end this war with the Protectorate one way or another before it costs them too much. But, has that cost already been paid? They get some very unwanted news about their daughter, Georgia, a fierce and very competent starship fighter pilot, with Admiral Becket’s fleet. That news and more prompts Emperor/Admiral James Somerville to launch his flagship towards ending this war one way or another.
Ok, so I don’t know how long this series can go, but if we are involved in another Karacknid war then it might be up to the Emperor and Empresses kids to fight these new battles. That is as long as they last. I’ve never read an author that took his series out that far, but there is a 17th book titled, “[Debt of Deceit](https://amzn.to/3L4MNn0)”, now available on Amazon. I certainly going to read this one.