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Starfighter (Strike Commander Book 1)

Page 21

by Richard Tongue


  Sergeant-Major, First Sergeant, Master Sergeant, Sergeant, Lance-Sergeant, Corporal, Lance-Corporal, Private, Recruit

  If this looks like the US Marines, its meant to – but I drew in an additional tweak to reflect the 'combined' nature of the services by incorporating the European rank of 'Lance-Sergeant', which I first saw in the Polish armed forces. I actually rather like the sound of it, if I'm honest! And Ensign? Well, that was originally an Army rank; it seemed an interesting alternative to 'First' and 'Second' Lieutenants...especially as there were going to be a lot of Lieutenants running around anyway! The other new rank, Lieutenant-Major, I humbly submit as my answer to the age-old 'two Captain ranks' problem; evidently someone in the service decided to end it once and for all be eliminating the rank of 'Captain' and replacing it with 'Lieutenant-Major' instead; it goes well with 'Lieutenant-Captain', I think, and you can expect to see this one cropping up...

  Appendix C: Further Reading...

   This book is the second series set in the 'Triplanetary Universe', a 22nd-century setting where humanity is on the threshold of exploring deep space, and all the terrors and wonders that lie therein. I've been developing this setting, on and off, for twenty years, and three years ago I launched the first series in this universe, the 'Battlecruiser Alamo' series, which as I write this numbers nineteen novels and a spin-off.

   If you enjoyed this book, then I think you might also like these other books, but I'm aware that launching into a series of that length could be daunting; I know I've felt that way myself about long series in the past! Naturally, you can simply jump in at the first book, Price of Admiralty, which is set five years before the events depicted in 'Starfighter', but if you'd like to start a little deeper into the series, I did write some of them specifically with new readers in mind.

   Typically, I've written the Alamo sequence as an ongoing epic, with multi-novel story arcs. The latest of these began with 'Triple-Edged Sword', number seventeen, which takes place contemporaneously with the events of this novel, and would be a good starting point for those wishing to jump into the series. While naturally there are references to earlier books – and if you want to start a little earlier, number thirteen, Aces High, is another good starting point – starting with 'Triple-Edged Sword' will not require any knowledge of previous books. The complete list of works in this setting is given below, in the recommended reading order, with the start of new story arcs in bold.

  Alamo 1: Price of Admiralty

  Alamo 2: Fermi's War

  Alamo 3: Victory or Death

  Alamo 4: Tip of the Spear

  Alamo 5: Not One Step Back

  Spitfire Station: Triple-Cross

  Alamo 6: Battle of Hercules

  Alamo 7: Sacred Honor

  Alamo 8: Stars in the Sand

  Alamo 9: The First Duty

  Alamo 10: Ghost Ship

  Alamo 11: Take and Hold

  Alamo 12: Traitor's Duty

  Alamo 13: Aces High

  Alamo 14: Not In My Name

  Alamo 15: Cage of Gold

  Alamo 16: Malware Blues

  Alamo 17: Triple-Edged Sword

  Alamo 18: Forbidden Seas

  Alamo 19: Final Testament

  Table of Contents

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Appendix A: The Triplanetary Confederation

  Appendix B: Triplanetary Rank Structure

  Appendix C: Further Reading...

 

 

 


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