Malcolm McDonnell grew up in a world before Contact, when we still thought we were alone in the universe. Then the Peloran brought medicines that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age for mankind, but the Peloran were not the only ones who made Contact with us. Four years after the first Shang attacks, Malcolm used his contacts, and some who did not know they were contacts, to make the Wolfenheim Project a reality. We had the ships we needed. We had the people we needed. We were ready to take humanity’s message back to the stars. No alien attack would silence us. We were coming. Then the people funding the Wolfenheim Project found out they were funding the Wolfenheim Project and demanded their money back. That was when things started getting interesting. Malcolm McDonnell was not the kind of person to give up when the going got rough, you see. This novel is offered DRM free so you can view it wherever you want.

In 2205, we learned the answer to one of the oldest questions of all time. Are we alone? They brought medicines with them that nearly wiped out diseases, and extended the human lifespan into the centuries. They helped us study advanced technologies, and expand our colonies hundreds of lightyears from Earth. It was a golden age that many thought would never end. Then their enemies brought War to us all. We gave them a belly full of it. We drove them out of Alpha Centauri, rebuilt the losses they inflicted on us, and assembled the largest, most powerful fleet that had ever flown under Terran banners. Third Fleet was our best hope to defeat them and bring a quick end to The War. But not everyone agreed on how to use it. Alliance leadership wanted to see it in action immediately while our allies stressed caution. The demand for results won out over caution and that is where we came in. Texas Marine Fighter Attack Wing 112, the Cowboys. We were sent to support the fleet and to watch out for anything the enemy might throw at us. I honestly thought it would be a cakewalk. I mean, who would ever attack something the size of Third Fleet? That would be crazy…