One man can make—or break—Earth's iron grip on its galactic colonies: Stone Chalmers. Spy. Assassin. Earth's top operative. Stone's missions take him through artificial wormholes and on warpdrive ships to colonies bound to Earth—whether they like it or not. Though undercover, with cover personas overlaid on his mind and disguises engineered by nanotechnology into his bones and his cells, Stone's missions are never easy. In the eye of a storm of intrigue and conspiracy, Stone's actions make the difference in whether open rebellion threatens the galactic order imposed by Earth. …and threatens Earth itself. Join Stone on his pulse-pounding adventures across a galaxy spiraling out of control, in this complete four-novel series.

"Military science fiction [concentrating] on the psychology and politics of societies in conflict." ---Analog, on The Confederated Worlds series The Confederated Worlds implanted in his brain the skills to make him a soldier. He had to learn for himself how to survive interstellar war. Tomas Neumann seeks escape from his backwater planet and overbearing mother, and a mentor to replace his long-dead father. "Taking the shilling"---enlisting in the Confederated Worlds military---promises both. But despite the soldier's skills implanted in his brain, combat against fellow humans, especially ones who should have welcomed him as a liberator, threaten to destroy him, in body and in spirit. Grieving for lost comrades, demoralized by harrowing combat, can Tomas learn what he needs to survive? Because soon, with the fates of thousands of his fellow soldiers in the balance, he will face his war's ultimate challenge.

They will turn a barren planet into a refuge for life. Or die trying. On board the interstellar ship, Theodore wakes from forty years of suspended animation, eager to transform a barren, rocky planet into a living world. The plan: move an icy asteroid billions of miles, convert the ice into new seas and a breathable atmosphere, then seed the surface with life. But some among the crew want to speed up the process. By taking risks with nuclear explosives. A dangerous revision, but one supported by the mission's commander. Competing plans divide the crew into rival factions. With Earthly help over eight light-years away, Theodore must search alone for allies among oppressed workers, spiritual advisors, and the ship's artificial intelligence to save the mission—and stop the commander from seizing absolute power. Scientists and politicians, ideals and tyranny clash when the hidden agendas of Theodore, his foes, his friends, and the ship's AI reveal themselves in a riveting, ultimate confrontation.

R1000 stood before the two people. "Farewell, my human friends." The robot lifted its head, looking past them, in the direction where cattle grazed and wheat grew on the former battlefields, where the plague wards now had empty beds. "You no longer need my help. Your future is yours to choose." They never saw R1000 again. Zachary stepped back from the keyboard. The ending he'd just written echoed in his head. Destinies: Man and Machine. His best sci fi novel yet. Thank God for Paytron. Not a scramble for nickels and dimes from a thousand fans, like that other service, but real money from a real, though anonymous, patron. Money enough to pay child support without needing a real job. Money can’t buy happiness, but it increases your chances. Until his patron gives Zachary a harsh choice. Compromise his artistic vision, or lose funding. Zachary refuses to give in. He knows how to unearth secret information from the Internet. His patron won’t stay anonymous for long. What will his patron say when Zachary shows up at his door? —Previously published in Analog, January/February 2024

Earth barely survived the 21st Century. Thousands fled to distant suns. After the United Nations gained control of Earth, it opened wormholes to the colonies, to prevent a repeat of chaos galaxy-wide. Stone Chalmers. Spy. Assassin. Instrument maintaining the UN's order. Opposing him are hostile forces on colony worlds... and in the UN itself.

Earth barely survived the 21st Century. Thousands fled the chaos on warpdrive ships to distant suns. After the United Nations gained control over Earth, it opened wormholes to the colonies, to prevent chaos galaxy-wide. Stone Chalmers. Spy. Assassin. Instrument maintaining the UN's order on the galaxy. Then he met a colony's strange faith.

One man can make—or break—Earth's iron grip on its galactic colonies: Stone Chalmers. Spy. Assassin. Earth's top operative. From the religious colony world of Trinity come clues of a long-lost prize. The last warpdrive ship outside Earth's control. Stone's mission: journey through an artificial wormhole to the planet. Verify the reports. And if the ship exists, prevent its use by Earth's enemies. Going undercover, with a cover persona overlaid on his mind, the only thing holding him back is an unwanted partner from a rival agency among Earth's rulers. Then he finds rich and powerful colonists hunt the missing ship for their own nefarious purposes. A ship that could devastate Earth in a suicide mission. Or worse. Join Stone in a nerve-wracking game of intrigue on a world of secrets in this, the second adventure in his complete four-novel series.