Uplink Squadron

The ultimate pilot has arrived. An unprecedented connection between man and machine. Five years ago, aliens destroyed a carrier and its airwing at Jupiter without warning. Since then, the Earth's nations have learned to work together, and they want to know more about the aliens who appeared, attacked, and vanished without a trace. The Americans have provided a new carrier and a slew of space fighters. Chinese engine and gravity technology has made going after the invaders possible. And the Russians have developed a new control system for the American fighters that will give the craft never-before-seen capabilities. Most importantly, this blend of technology has allowed for pilots to connect directly to their ships, amplifying their reflexes and giving them the ultimate edge in combat. Mankind's next war is upon us, and Uplink Squadron is the tip of the spear. It's time to plug in and save the world.

War sucks...especially when you're fighting for the wrong side. After getting shot down over Tau Ceti, Uplink Squadron commanding officer Lance Baker has come to the realization that Earth is fighting for the wrong side in the ongoing galactic war. The only problem-their allies, the Overlords, control the Solar System, and to do anything other than what they bid is suicide for humanity. But other humans-the Kardons-exist, and if an alliance was possible, maybe, just maybe, Earth could get the help it needs to throw off the Overlords' shackles. Unfortunately, the Kardons are on the wrong side of the battle lines, and if any emissaries are seen crossing them, the Earth will get bombed out of existence. Baker will have find a way to get to the Kardons' home planet without being seen, negotiate an alliance, and bring Earth the help it needs to get out from under the Overlords, while the rest of Uplink Squadron continues to kill the people they'd like to be allied with. It's a terrible plan-and one that could easily result in the destruction of the Earth-but it's the only one they've got. It's time to plug back in and save the world.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. The allies could sneak a fleet behind enemy lines and destroy the infrastructure the Overlords were using to push them to the brink of existence. As long as the allied fleet didn't get trapped and obliterated, everything would be great. But they got trapped and obliterated. Now, the remains of the allied fleet are on the run, with one of the largest Overlord carrier forces ever seen in pursuit. With few allied carriers and fighters remaining, there is nowhere for them to run and nowhere to hide. When they stop, though, one thing is certain-it will be their final stand. For if the Overlord force breaks through them, there is nothing to stop it from driving all the way to Earth and the other home planets and wiping them out for good. It's going to take a miracle to save Uplink Squadron and the rest of the fleet. A miracle...or Heaven's Angels.

A new threat rises. An old one calms. Through skill, determination, and a good bit of luck, the allies were able to turn away the Overlord attack. Not only were they able to hold them off, but several of the enemy vessels have also been added to their fleet. But a new enemy, the Legastians, loom. An implacable race with a hive mind and a navy strong enough that even the Overlords-with their immense fleet-were afraid off it. Can the allies reorganize their fleet in time to defend against this new threat? With the defeat of the Overlord battleship, is peace now possible with them, so that the allies can turn their full attention to the Legastians? Something will have to change, because-with enemies on both sides-the allies won't last long. Whatever the case, one thing is certain...Uplink Squadron remains the tip of the spear.

A new enemy has emerged, which has proven to be far deadlier than the Overlords. So deadly, in fact, that the Overlords have chosen to join the Terran-Sontag-Kardon alliance rather than continue to fight it. But the Legastians don't know fear, and they were already beating the Overlords. Will the addition of the AIs help or hinder the alliance? The fighting at Surrapsis has shown the Legastians are willing to do whatever it takes-including kamikaze attacks-when necessary to win a battle. And, with only a little head start, they can quickly get a toehold on a planet that is both hard and costly to eradicate. The Terrans and other members of the alliance have been rearmed, and they think they're ready to take on the Legastians. But with Kardon traitors having gone over to the enemy's side...are they really?

A major battle has been won. Now what? A joint task force of humans and synthetic intelligences (SIs) has defeated the Overlord's Fleet Twenty-Seven, and peace reigns throughout the region surrounding Earth...for now. But the Overlords are sure to return once they find out their fleet was destroyed, and they'll be back with a strong enough force to ensure the Terrans don't win a second time. Commander Lance Baker and Commander Sofia Jimenez have a brief moment in time and space to come to terms with their allies, train new forces-including new SIs-and prepare for a battle that is sure to be bigger and more horrific than anything they've seen before. Uplink Squadron has been successful to this point through a combination of skills and good luck, but the storm that's coming will be strong enough to blow all of that away. Can Baker and Jimenez have Earth's fleet ready in time, or will this be the end of everything they've been fighting for-including the Earth itself? It's time to plug back in and save the world.

The ultimate fusion of pilot and machine is back! Lieutenants Lance Baker and Sofia Jimenez saved Earth in the fateful battle against the aliens who'd been intent on its destruction. But there's a problem. One of the enemy carriers got away. Not only did that, but it fled to a star that's out of reach of Terran jump technology, and it's probably going for reinforcements. Worse, the final battle to save Earth resulted in the destruction of most of Terra's defensive forces, and Lance and Sofia still have no idea what's waiting for them among the stars. Except that whatever's out there, it doesn't like them very much. And they've got nothing to stop it. Lance and Sofia will have to reconstitute Uplink Squadron and lead it back to the stars to find out about the aliens that have attacked-who they are and where they're hiding-and they may have to do it without Irina and Daiyu, who the Russians and Chinese want back. Now. They'll have to find the alien home world and prevent a devastating war. Because there's no one else who can. It's time to plug back in and save the world. Again. Before it's too late.

It was all just a game...or was it? Contact has been made with the alien Overlords. They're not the end of our civilization like we feared; instead, they were just training us to participate in a galactic war they've been fighting. Or so they say. But with an Overlord fleet in the solar system-far larger than anything we could hope to fight-when they ask for our help in the war, what can we say other than yes? We were barely holding our own against the military castoffs of the Overlords, though-how can we expect to fight in the front lines of a galaxy-wide war against the upscale technology of the new enemy, the Kardons? Lance and Sofia will have to upgrade Uplink Squadron with new weapons and tactics if they're to last beyond the first few minutes in this new way of war. But when they meet the new enemy in battle, it becomes obvious that the Overlords aren't telling us everything, and Lance and Sofia are forced to wonder if they're fighting for the right side. With the Overlords holding the Solar System, though, does it matter? It's time to plug back in and save the world.

The Alliance has been broken! Betrayed from within by a rogue Synthetic Intelligence, the alliance has been fractured and is on the run. The Sontags have retreated to defend their homeworld, the Kardonians have lost theirs, and a Legastian fleet advances on Earth, with little to stop it but a couple untested airwings. Meanwhile, two enemy cruisers continue to chase Lance Baker. Sent by the Legastian queen, they won't stop until he's been destroyed. But hope-however small-remains. Baker has an idea for where he can get the help he needs, not only to get the cruisers off his tail, but to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. He'll just have to go somewhere he's been told to never return to, and get something that has previously been denied to him, in order to pull it off. Time runs short, and the Legastians are massing in Kardonia for the final push. Can Jimenez give Baker the time he needs, or will Terra's last forces be swept aside and the Earth lost? The Uplink Squadron forces have been in bad spots before, though, and have figured out a way to turn the tables on their enemies. But this time, the light at the end of the tunnel just might be the oncoming train!