Showing results by author "Mark A. Cooper" in All Categories

Represented here are 16 short stories by seven great American writers, dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. Different in atmosphere and writing style, they nevertheless caught the mood and concerns of the day in a way that was distinctly American.

Humanity's last encounter with aliens saw 16.2 billion people killed in a war with the Merkiaari that had spanned decades. Two hundred years later, the Alliance is cautiously exploring beyond its borders again, but the survey corp is considered a mere gesture by some. General Burgton of the 501st Infantry Regiment believes a lack of expansion is leading the Alliance into stagnation. So when one small ship discovers a new alien race, it should be an easy decision to make contact, but what if the aliens are like the Merkiaari?

Jason Steed is looking for a place to call home. He finds what he's looking for in the Sea Cadets - an elite group of British youngsters being groomed for lifelong service in the military. But when a routine training exercise goes awry, Jason finds himself in the middle of a secret mission. The future of the world hangs in the balance...and Jason might be the only one who can save it.

Humanity has been ravaged by alien war. Will the next encounter spell the end of mankind? Sixteen billion people died in the last alien invasion of the Alliance's colony worlds. When survey ship Captain Jeff Colgan discovers a new alien race, he's required to investigate. But what if the life form is as deadly as the Merkiaari? As the aliens discover Colgan's ship and begin to hunt him down, the captain's mission changes from one of study to one of survival.

Martial arts expert and undercover agent Jason Steed is on the run, hunted by a crew of vicious criminals. To survive, he must rely on his training - to be faster, smarter, tougher. Jason will do whatever it takes to defeat the Triads. But when his own government turns against him, does he have more enemies than he can handle?

In the aftermath of the Mongolian invasion of 1241, beleaguered Christians struggle with the presence of a violent horde and a world turned upside down. Apocalyptic fever sweeps through Europe, infecting even the most rational individuals, leaving all to wonder if they are seeing the end times - or an hour when new heroes will emerge from the ruins of cataclysmic defeat.

Thirteenth-century Europe has been saved from annihilation at the hands of the Mongols, to be sure, but new and terrible threats are at hand: political and religious turmoil threaten to turn the warriors' world upside down once more. Painted against a rich backdrop of medieval mysticism and Russian folklore, Katabasis weaves together the tales of victor and victim alike in a fearless exploration of what it means not just to survive, but to truly live again.

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In the late nineteenth century a mysterious group of English martial arts aficionados provided Sir Richard F. Burton, well-known expert on exotic languages and historical swordsmanship, a collection of long-lost manuscripts to translate. Burton’s work was subsequently misplaced, only to be discovered by a team of amateur archaeologists in the ruins of a mansion in Treiste. From Burton's translations and the original source material, the epic tale of The Mongoliad was recreated.

An untested group of Shield-Brethren initiates stand before the sprawling Mongol army in a bloody circus of sadistic violence, while a hardened company of their finest roam the desolate wasteland of the Mongol empire, wrapping their dead in blood-soaked soil and struggling to find the strength to fight even as they mourn. The warrior-monks, both in the East and the West, sharpen their swords for a final battle. The Khan of Khans must be slain if Christendom is to survive.

The war games are on, but the real battle has just begun....

A suspected IRA commander in Northern Ireland agrees with his wife to foster a child. Unbeknownst to them, that boy is 12-year-old British secret agent, Jason Steed. The weapons and arms trail lead Jason to Istanbul, Turkey, where he unearths the largest illegal weapon smuggling operation in the world. However, those involved in the lucrative business are determined to defend it at any cost.

Kate Richmond, former army ranger and ISS operative, has seen a lot in her life. Sabotage, espionage, cyber theft, and assassination missions have all played their parts in her journey to becoming a viper. Nothing surprises her much any more, not even a full scale incursion of an alien race by the Merkiaari!

Doctor David Lephmann wants nothing more than to learn about and help the less fortunate, and his new post at Mercy Hospital is the perfect place to do both. His mentor is desperate for the help, and welcomes him to a world of nonhuman customs and strange magics. One night after a long day at the hospital, David is confronted by the reality of life among monsters, when he intervenes in a fight he knows nothing about. He takes a side, and his life is changed forever.

After going under cover and uncovering a child trafficking organization in Britain, 12 year-old Jason Steed settles into an elite American Military School for boys and finally feels normal. When a peacekeeping force working for the United Nations are taken hostage, it was just another boring news story that Jason ignored until he is informed his father is among the captives. Repeatedly told not too worry, someone will do something, Jason decides he is that someone and discovers more than he bargained for.

Deep under The Mountain on Snakeholme, vast computer networks are running simulations, but they're flawed and General Burgton's self imposed mission to safeguard the Alliance is in jeopardy. Without reliable intelligence, he cannot protect the Alliance from itself, let alone the Merkiaari.

Humanity's last encounter with aliens saw 16.2 billion people killed in a war with the Merkiaari that had spanned decades. Only by the grace of God and the use of Nanotechnology were they defeated. The result of that Nanotech? Vipers, a regiment of super soldiers tasked with protecting the Alliance and annihilating the Merki. It was a job they performed with distinction, a job they completed almost two centuries ago. A job that cost them their humanity.

Teen spy Jason Steed is under surveillance. His every move is being watched. On what turns out to be his most dangerous mission yet, a nightmare reunion with a bitter enemy throws him, once more, in the path of death. Can Jason prevent his old nemesis’ dastardly plan? A woman who has lost everything she cared for and who just happens to have a deadly weapon and a serious grudge against the free world. She will stop at nothing and is after more than just his life.

Following a deadly car crash, small-town lawyer Lance Cooper risked everything to battle one of the most powerful auto corporations in the world to get justice for a young woman. A fast-paced, journalistic account of tragedy turned to triumph, despair to hope, Cobalt Cover-Up is an inspirational, thoroughly compelling, and victorious listen.

Dr. David Lephmann lived a normal existence until he was attacked by a shifter. Thrust into a world of violence and mistrust, he must battle for a place among his new people. Only strange new alliances can keep him alive. A powerful master vampire may help him take his revenge on the shifter who destroyed his life. There's only one distraction from his mission: an intriguing shifter woman who opens up his world to werewolf romance.