We’re back with a Marine Super Hero, Cullen Bright. The once and still famous world champion athlete has successfully transformed himself into a tough and brilliant Unity Marine. Not only is he a Marine, but he’s a Reactive Armor Insertion and Demolition (RAID) Marine of the Marine Special Operations Command. Cullen is currently a First Lieutenant in-charge of Alpha Team, but is getting ready to take on a more substantial role.
The RAID Teams are lead by Captain Vibbert has been the go between HQ and the teams usually handling the planning and administrative functions of the Battalion. Now he’s being moved up and promoted to Major although he will still be involved with the RAID Battalion. First Lieutenant Bright will take over Major Vibbert’s previous role while also continuing to lead Team Alpha. Most of this is due to the Battalion growing and now up to five different teams all lead by Lieutenants. Cullen Bright has been the team trainer and has gotten all the teams honed to a razor sharp edge and fully mission capable.
The RAID Battalion has been busy capturing Hardshell vessels over the past few months and have allowed the Unity Navy to expand their operations since they now have enemy Hardshell hulls which can and have been modified for human use. These hulls are extremely difficult to detect in space and very hard to crack. Combined with the hulls have been a myriad of captured enemy equipment which now is used to actually locate other Hardshell ships. Right now the four teams have set their sights on two frigates and two corvettes. If this op goes as others, they should be able to add four more vessels to the Unity Navy inventory.
This mission was very successful without the loss of any RAID Marines. Still, they know more missions are coming down to them so they can’t slack off in the training nor get too cocky about their run of good luck so far. And that next mission comes down pretty quickly but it’s got a twist that none of the RAID Marines are going to like. That’s also exactly how Colonel Hightower feels about the orders he’s about to give.
Meanwhile, the Commandant of the Unity Marine Corps, General Childers, had to do one of those highly disliked political things people in his positions are required to do. He has a list of upgrades for the RAID Marine’s Active Armor but needs the funding to get those upgrade made. The person he has to approve this budge item is none other than Senator Aletha Moseby. This person is also the Mother of Preston Mosby (stage name “Dramaticus”), a notorious loud-mouth who had talked himself into prison by revealing classified military information over the airwaves. He had been taken into custody, but the Shining League had captured him and were now holding him for reasons probably related to ransom and propaganda. Of course, Senator Moseby wanted her Son back and the Unity Marines were going to have to do that if they expected her approval of this recent budget request. All politics.
Now back to the RAID Marines next mission. It was focused on two Hardshell Guidestars. The last time the teams had captured a Guidestar, one of Bright’s Marines had been killed. So the planning for this mission was definitely going to be thorough. Even with all the planning and very realistic rehearsals, things can and will go wrong. And it just so happens that their attack at deep space station Lehman 16 will involve a Hardshell starship that kind of just watches the action until the very end. They do attack but not as expected. Cullen isn’t sure what this seemingly reluctance on the Hardshell’s part actually meant and he was really taken aback when he and his teams were told not to fire on the Hardshell starship!
Unfortunately, Unity Marines are overseen by the civilian government. These policy makers make some strange decisions without consulting the Marine on the ground or in action. Yet, even General Childers and Col. Hightower are shaken to their core when the President decides they need to make an alliance with one of the Clans of the Hardshells!
This decision is going to have a far reaching impact on the careers of numerous Unity Marines and could be the end of Earth unless something is drastically done. Cullen Bright is ready to do his part, but it’s going to be far different than you can expect.
The next book (4), “Nebula Shroud”, is available on Amazon is very much on my reading list.
[Note 1 (12/23/2025): I’m no longer associated with Amazon and will no longer provide any links to books from that website. You can usually find books that you like at your usual source.]
[Note 2: As of 12/03/2023, this will not be posted on Amazon since I have been banned from posting reviews for some unknown reason. ]