Showing results for "V" in Hard Science Fiction

This collection of science-fiction writings by Jayant V. Narlikar offers listeners a unique glimpse into the world-famous Indian astrophysicist’s vivid and highly imaginative concepts and stories.

In an unprecedented first, Earth sends a message to Mogwa Prime. Unfortunately, the messenger is not met with enthusiasm. Misunderstandings soon threaten all of Humanity. Forced to prove Earth can serve the Empire better than any rival, McGill does his best. Eager to prove our worth to the Galactics, the frontier war between Rigel and Earth is expanded to Storm World. Circled by six moons, the planet is ravaged by wild storms and tides. Battles are fought in raging hurricanes, and death stalks the soldiers on both sides.

Two expanding interstellar powers are about to meet in battle. After the collapse of the Cephalopod Kingdom, Humanity claimed the 300 rebellious worlds it left behind. But light years away on the far side of a disputed region, a rival power has begun to move. They're stealing our planets, one at a time. Earth Command decides to invade the center of the frontier to set up an advanced base. The mission to DARK WORLD is highly classified and deadly. Legion Varus spearheads the effort, and James McGill journeys to the stars again. How many ships do they have? How advanced is their tech?

The Galactics arrived with their Battle Fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined a vast Empire that spanned the Milky Way. Today, Battle Fleet 921 is returning to Earth. It hasn't been seen by human eyes since our blissful day of Annexation. But what should be a joyful occasion, a chance to grovel at the feet of superior lifeforms, is rapidly becoming a nightmare.

In the 20th century Earth sent probes, transmissions, and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed. The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn't the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy. As most of the local worlds were too civilized to have a proper army, the only valuable service Earth could provide came in the form of soldiers....

Scouts have located a forward base of the freakish creatures, who plot to annihilate all meat-based lifeforms. Earth assembles a joint task force with legions of Rigellian bears, Mogwa battlecruisers, and Saurian troops. Together, they strike as one against Crystal World. After annoying every superior in his chain of command, James McGill is the first to be deployed on the unexplored planet. His mission: to establish a beachhead on this strange, hostile ground. Surrounded and cut off, his troops fight to the bitter end against creatures made of earth, stone, and jewels.

The colony on Haven-7 has gone rogue. The colonists have split into two factions: the Techborn and the Dusters. The Techborn have always ruled the planet. They control the remnants of the crashed starship that brought humanity to this new world. The Dusters… they eat Techborn dust. Now, the Techborn strength is waning. Their weapons are getting old, and radiation leaks from the aging reactors have created mutations. Some of these, like their brutish troops known as Tuskers, have proven useful—but others are abominations.

An artificial object made of compressed stardust is barreling toward Earth. Is it an invasion ship? A doomsday weapon? Perhaps it’s the final response of Squanto, the Warlord of Rigel who James McGill has repeatedly humiliated. Or could it be from the Mogwa, sent to avenge McGill’s assassination of Earth’s Imperial Governor? No one knows the truth of its origins, but the object is huge and unstoppable. Whoever hurled this rock at us isn’t answering our calls. Every weapon bounces off, and the people of Earth begin to go mad as they realize their destruction is only hours away.

James Tighe, kurz JT, ist ein Glücksritter und der beste Höhlentaucher der Welt. Eines Tages lädt ihn der Milliardär Nathan Joyce auf seine private Insel, um ihm ein Angebot zu machen. Es geht um ein so visionäres wie hochgeheimes Projekt: Von einer Station im All soll ein riesiger Asteroid wirtschaftlich erschlossen werden. Denn die Menschheit des Jahres 2030 ist für ihr Überleben auf Rohstoffe angewiesen.

Als der Schriftsteller Frank Dekker nach einem One-Night-Stand in einem Hotel aufwacht, ahnt er zunächst nicht, dass sein Leben sich in Kürze radikal verändern wird. Die Realität holt ihn unerbittlich ein und macht ihn zum Hauptverdächtigen in einem Mordfall. Um nicht zum Spielball in einem Strudel aus Gewalt, Politik und Leidenschaft zu werden, muss er die Initiative ergreifen und selbst ermitteln. Schon bald stellen sich Fragen, die weit über die ursprüngliche Aufgabe hinausgehen. Agieren verängstigte Bürger zunehmend aggressiver gegen Roboter und künstliche Intelligenzen?

A lonely planet circles a star on the very border of Province 921. Critical resources produced there are claimed by both the Mogwa and the Skay. War between the Galactic giants becomes more likely every day.

James McGill is called upon for a sabotage mission, one that only a man of his unique talents can handle. Unfortunately, he performs too well, and our enemies from Rigel are enraged. They come for us, and war is declared. When this conflict between the great powers spreads, humanity finds itself swept up in the storm. Can McGill escape this disaster he’s created?

When the Earth is invaded by a rival empire, James McGill's legion must defend the Home World. The top brass has complex plans, but none of that matters much to McGill, who chooses his own unique path. Traveling to star systems no human has ever visited, he searches for a technological edge to beat the enemy before it's too late. Along the way he unleashes new terrors, triggering the biggest battles in human history.

Decades after Nathalie Hart's fateful mission to Bethesda, Earth teeters on the brink of collapse. As the planet's resources dwindle, the orbital elites of the ruling Yun Ju play a dangerous game with Earth's population from space. Jason Nevsky, driven by his aunt Nathalie's legacy, fights to save a starving planet. But when he uncovers a sinister political plot, he realizes the Yun Ju will stop at nothing to maintain their power. His mission becomes a desperate gambit that could either save Earth or doom it forever.

As the ship's alarms blare and smoke fills the corridors, Nathalie finds herself thrust into command amidst a crew of strangers, each harbouring their own secrets. A scrawled threat in her cabin, written in a language only she knows, confirms her suspicions. Someone on board will do anything to stop them reaching the colony and revealing Bethesda’s secrets.

Things have gone bad among the colonies. Insurgents are building alien-hybrid armies and planet-killing weapons, threatening to upend the fragile balance of power in Province 921. There's not only trouble in the province—the Core Worlds are igniting as well. The Mogwa have asserted claims upon the Imperial Throne, causing their rivals to move against them. Earth's Hegemony and the rebels are pulled into a conflict that could tear the galaxy apart.

There's a land rush on exploiting alien tech. Pirates, claim-jumpers, cyborgs, and bureaucrats all must be defeated to keep Borag flying. Corporal Devin Starn is working his way up through the ranks of Red Company. Aboard Borag, a mining ship based out of Mars City, Starn discovers more about the aliens who preceded us. Their ruins and strange technologies deepen the mystery of their ancient downfall.

Earth is locked in a dangerous arms race with Rigel. McGill’s efforts at diplomacy are disastrous. Events spin out of control and interstellar warfare consumes the outer provinces of the Empire. Great fleets are gathered, and troops are hurried aboard transports. Legion Varus is launched toward a secret target world. McGill leads an early strike against Rigel’s defenses, but his efforts are foiled at every turn. Who could be behind these betrayals? Could his own government be plotting his demise?

Die Erde der Zukunft ist durch die Große Katastrophe von ihren ehemaligen Kolonien abgeschnitten worden. Captain William Sparhawk von der Sternengarde soll als Kommandant der Defiant, dem gigantischen Schlachtkreuzer der Beta-Kolonisten, den er zur Erde zurückgebracht hat, zu einer brisanten Mission aufbrechen: die verloren geglaubten Sternensysteme der ehemaligen Kolonien erkunden und neue Handelsbeziehungen anknüpfen. Die Kolonisten, auf die sie treffen, scheinen allerdings wenig erpicht auf den erneuten Aufbau friedlicher Handelsbeziehungen mit der Erde, so dass Sparhawk und seine Crew sich immer wieder in Kampfhandlungen verwickelt sehen.

Ein Raumschiff, das die Erde entweder retten oder zerstören wird. Vor einem Jahrhundert wurde das Wurmlochnetz der Erde zerstört und beendete den Handel mit ihren kolonisierten Planeten. Als plötzlich, nach Jahren ohne Kontakt zu den jüngeren Welten, ein riesiges Schiff am Rande des Sonnensystems auftaucht, ist die Menschheit schockiert. Neugierig aber auch vorsichtig startet die veraltete Raumflotte der Erde ihre Untersuchungen. Was sie von dem riesigen Schiff lernen, schockiert den Planeten. Die verlorenen Kolonien haben überlebt - aber das Wiedersehen wird kein glückliches.