The Martian Marauders

Inexplicable solar system disasters confound humanity as the outer planets explode and asteroids are thrown into the sun. These horrors force the development of the United System Space Force and a panicky acceleration of space technology and weaponry. But human conflict accelerates even after Mars exploration and the discovery of Star Drive, and the USSF renders the Earth uninhabitable when Captain Jack Commer drops the planet-wrecking Xon bomb to end the Final War.The remnants of Earth's population hastily evacuate to Mars, but somehow the USSF has overlooked an intelligent race on Mars which is extremely displeased at the arrival of two billion shellshocked humans. Soon native Martians rise in rebellion, led by their treasonous human emperor. Jack and his three brothers are sent into the deep desert to battle Martian insurgents armed with shatterguns that crack their victims into millions of jagged pieces of glass. Then Jack compromises the entire mission when he falls in love with the Martian emperor's beautiful brainwashed consort. Michael D. Smith was raised in the Northeast and the Chicago area, then moved to Texas to attend Rice University, where he began developing as a writer and visual artist. His Jack Commer, Supreme Commander and Supreme Commander Laurie science fiction series are published by Sortmind Press. In addition, Sortmind Press has published Smith's literary novels Sortmind, The Soul Institute, CommWealth, Akard Drearstone, Jump Grenade, Asylum and Mirage, The University of Mars, and Zarreich. Smith's web site, sortmind.com, contains further examples of his novels and visual art, and he muses about writing and art processes at blog.sortmind.com. With the shocking suicide of the Typhoon I, the most powerful military spaceship ever built, the four Commer brothers are reduced to two. After the horrors of the Final War, the evacuation of Earth, and an unexpected conflict with native Martian terrorists, is eldest brother Jack really fit to lead the United System Space Force? Yet despite stress bordering on hysteria he always seems to come up with the proper solution. Shy with women but easy with command as opposed to his passionate, guilt-ridden brother Joe, when promoted to Supreme Commander Jack passes over numerous ambitious admirals and holds onto power for decades with the newest rejuvenation technology. But has he ever really recovered from the responsibility of overseeing forty years of futile time war with the Alpha Centaurians?