Imperium

P. G. Wodehouse meets space opera, as Ensign Thomas Innes Loche Kinago, fresh from the Academy is given his first command. A crumb from the upper crust, he's eager to uphold the traditions of his family, and in particular, his mother, a distinguished Admiral of the Imperium. Of course, he's aware of the importance of always having simply smashing tailored uniforms on hand, and having his camera ready to record memorable moments for his scrapbook. In the meantime, a charismatic leader has arisen who seems able to control the minds of anyone he meets, and may be on his way to taking over the entire galaxy. Can Kinago's aristocratic bearing and unbridled snobbery stand up to such a challenge? Fortunately, his constant companion, the unflappable Jeeves, er, Parsons, is on hand to look after the young, impulsive master, and somehow help his charge bumble his way through, perhaps even saving the galaxy in the process.

An uncertain future in a new past. During the test flight of a prototype faster-than-light craft, Lt. Commander Ky is flung into an ancient past that never existed. Rome has fallen, defeated by the mighty Carthaginian Empire, its survivors chased off the continent and onto what had been the remote province of Britannia. Hounded by the Carthaginians bent on conquering the known world, Rome is on the verge of destruction. Stranded and alone, except for a tactical AI implanted in his head, Ky has lost everything and must find a way to live in a world different than anything he's ever known. For Ky to survive, he needs a new home. For the Romans to survive, they need a miracle. But can a man from the future work with people so far in his past, or is this match doomed to failure?

Lieutenant Lord Thomas Kinago sets out from the Imperium homeworld for the Autocracy of the Uctu, a galactic region with a geckolike overlord known, eponymously, as the Autocrat. Thomas is ostensibly on a pleasure cruise with his cousin Jil to enjoy the pleasures of the Gecko culture. In fact, Thomas is on a mission for the mysterious Mr. Frank, the head of the secret service, to discover how prohibited goods, including a small fighter ship, are being smuggled into the Autocracy. His crew's overt assignment is to find out why legitimate shippers are being detained at checkpoints, sometimes for months, without explanation. As usual, Thomas's reputation for sudden enthusiasm and goodhearted mayhem precede him. It is all his trusted aid Parsons can do to keep his leader on course. Yet while the Autocrat, a new and fairly young Uctu female, finds Thomas a curious diplomat, she also rather likes him-much to Parsons's relief. It seems Thomas needs free passage within the Uctu home system before he can investigate the illegal contraband trade. What's more, the smuggling ring is quite determined to cancel Thomas's visit before he can cancel them. As usual, it's up to Parsons to find a way to lead his hapless master to victory-or at least keep him from getting himself killed by a very determined enemy.

Marching to war. The Carthaginians are marching to destroy Rome and it is up to Ky, a test pilot from the future thrown into an alternate past, to keep the once mighty Roman Empire from being destroyed. As Ky gathers Roman and Caledonian forces together to form a new Britannic Empire to defend against the Carthaginian host, he must also struggle to contend with a malfunctioning AI implanted in his brain that is slowly gaining sentience. Thankfully, Ky is not alone. With the help of the Emperors daughter Lucilla, he must ready himself to fight both his own mind and the Carthaginian hordes for a chance to build a new world. Will Ky succeed in cementing the Britannic Empire as a force to counter the Carthaginian threat, or will the this alternate earth fall to Carthaginian hegemony?

The Zang, an elder race of the galaxy, may be a shrinking population, but they're also intelligent, curious, and powerful. What's more, they practice a most unusual art form: they bonsai star systems. Eager to witness this first hand, Lieutenant Lord Thomas Kinago, accompanied as always by his personal assistant Parsons, sets out on a several-week jaunt to see the Zang destroy a moon to enhance the beauty of a star system. But the trip is sidelined when Kinago's uncle offers to take him to the seldom seen human homeworld, Earth. Unable to resist, Kinago goes along, only to find on his return that the planet he's just visited may be in danger of being eradicated. Earth lies within the protective sphere of the Zang, but enemies of the Imperium are lobbying to have Sol system turned over to them. It is up to Kinago and Parsons to save Earth. Kinago has the key, but will he be able to persuade the Zang to spare the human homeworld before it's too late?

Britannians on the march. With the Carthaginians pushed inside the walls of Londinium, the Britannians can finally stop reacting and take the fight to them. Hoping to retake the British Isles and even add new allies to the Alliance, legions are dispatched to Ériu, the emerald isle, to push back Carthaginian expansion there. Ky, a test pilot from the future and now Consul for the Britannic Empire, knows that Carthaginian retaliation is coming and prepares an explosive new surprise for the invaders.