Die Like the Rest

Ghost Squadron #3

by Eric Thomson

Humanity’s Migration Wars which birthed the Commonwealth of Sovereign Star Systems were the deadliest and most destructive in history. But not everyone draws the same lessons from past atrocities that were burned into the human psyche. For some, our species must do anything to avoid another murderous civil war, including the overthrow of the current political system. For others, a rerun, minus the mistakes made the last time, would once more consolidate power in the hands of the central government on Earth. When a reconnaissance droid uncovers a lost munitions bunker from the Second Migration War containing the most horrific biological and chemical warheads ever invented, Rear Admiral Hera Talyn of Naval Intelligence immediately grasps the deadly ramifications. She quickly dispatches Ghost Squadron’s Erinye Company to guard the discovery on Keros, an airless, dead planet with nothing more than a mining outpost, until the deadly payloads can be retrieved. However, those who would use the forbidden weapons to achieve their own goals still have spies inside Fleet Headquarters and are also moving fast. But Major Curtis Delgado, Erinye Company’s commanding officer, uncovers deeper mysteries on Keros than just weapons of mass destruction and must race against time and secret enemies to prepare for an all-out assault. Because he knows that if the warheads fall into the wrong hands, history could repeat itself, this time as an even greater tragedy.

Genres: Science Fiction

364 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2021

About the author

Eric Thomson is my pen name. I'm a former Canadian soldier who spent more years in uniform than he expected, serving in both the Regular Army (Infantry) and the Army Reserve (Armoured Corps). I spent several years as an Information Technology executive for the Canadian government before leaving the bowels of the demented bureaucracy to become a full-time author.

I've been a voracious reader of science-fiction, military fiction and history all my life, assiduously devouring the recommended Army reading list in my younger days and still occasionally returning to the classics for inspiration. Several years ago, I put my fingers to the keyboard and started writing my own military sci-fi, with a definite space opera slant, using many of my own experiences as a soldier as an inspiration for my stories and characters. When I'm not writing fiction, I indulge in my other passions: photography, hiking and scuba diving, all of which I've shared with my wife, who likes to call herself my #1 fan, for more than thirty years.

Reviews

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t a bad story and it was a decent read, but I couldn’t help thinking the whole situation was a bit contrived. Why hadn’t the navy sent a few warships in the first place and given the planet was a Navy establishment, why were the Marines so reluctant to apprehend the infiltrators before they created chaos?

[Beach Bum · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent follow on

Starts off a few years after the Talyn/Decker series ends and does a good job continuing where it left off
This time round SOCOM dispatch a company to perform garrison duty on a planet that has some hidden secrets. No surprise, they are not that secret and along come the bad guys to take on the good guys
The writing is well crafted, the humour frequent and similar to previous books
Overall a good follow and looking forward to many more

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done, as always

Another installment in the author's 3 contiguous arcs about a space empire's rise, decay and fall. Good stories, memorable characters, and solid writing make the books the kind that get re-read time and again. Highly recommend.