Lucky 13th

The first thrilling novel in Rick Shelley's sci-fi military action trilogy following the exploits of The Lucky 13th-in which a simple diversionary tactic may well end in the death of every soldier in the outfit. Three thousand years ago, humanity expanded its presence by settling hundreds of worlds across the galaxy. Yet even as technology allowed them to boldly travel light years, the nature of humanity changed very little. Over time, countless regimes and governments rose and fell in a quest for power. In the end, only two remained-the industrial dictatorship of the Schlinal Hegemony, and the feudal-based Dogel Worlds. The last independent worlds of the Terran Cluster finally united as the Accord of Free Worlds-and fought back against the conquerors as no one had before. So, the war continues… When the Schlinal Hegemony goes on the offensive, the Accord decides to send their forces to several other planets to disperse the Hegemony forces. The planet Porter is where Sgt. Joe Baerclau and his 13th Spaceborne Assault Team are deployed. Unfortunately, what begins as a holding action soon becomes a brutal battle against a relentless foe. And it soon becomes clear that they only have three options left: keep the enemy at bay until backup arrives, hope the enemy decides to quit the fight in frustration, or be buried on Porter…

Rick Shelley continues the adventures of the hard-fighting Lucky 13th Spaceborne Assault Team in an action-packed military sci-fi novel that sends a small force of fighters on a mission that takes them into territory more hostile than they could ever know.... The planet of Jordan has become a hellscape of blood, violence, and ever-present death. The world had been conquered by the brutal Schlinal Hegemony years ago. But now the Accord of Free Worlds has decided to make a determined push to retake the territory they have lost to the enemy. Now, as the battle reaches a lethal stalemate, Sgt. Joe "The Bear" Baerclau and his 13th SAT receive orders to leave their perimeter and venture into the wild. Their target: a secret science lab that was in place before the Schlinal invasion. Their orders: find the scientists if they survived and return them to Accord lines. And if that's not possible-kill them and destroy all evidence of the lab. Now, Bear and his team must fight a running battle across dangerous unknown territory in search of a covert facility that may or not hide a dreadful secret. Even more lethal than the landscape is the equally skilled Hegemony force that's hot on their trail and eager for the kill. But for the Lucky 13th, that's just another day on the job…

Rick Shelley concludes his military sci-fi trilogy following the exploits of the Lucky 13th Spaceborne Assault Team as they undertake a daring strike aimed at the heart of the enemy. The ongoing three-sided war among the Schlinal Hegemony, the Dogel Worlds, and the Accord of Free Worlds has worn down all the combatants. Even as the most recent entrant to the hostilities, the Accord is already running out of men and material. And now the Hegemony is forming up for another offensive. The time has come for desperate measures. Deep in Schlinal Hegemony space lies the planet Tamkailo. It is a world not meant for humans, with low oxygen levels and surface temperatures close to the boiling point. Simply surviving in such an environment is unlikely, let alone waging war. But that is where Sgt. Joe "The Bear" Baerclau and Lucky 13th are headed. Because the Hegemony is not only using Tamkailo as a staging point for their offensive. The planet is one of their biggest armories, holding weapons of war that could wipe out the Accord. It's up to the 13th to destroy it. Outgunned and outmanned, the very survival of freedom in the galaxy is now in their battle-scarred hands…