This is another great series by Mr. Holmes. He is the author of the “Empire Rising” series which took us through 22 books before that adventure ended. I don’t think this adventure will take that long, but it still will be very, very good.
Our main character is Second Lieutenant Caleb Hawthorne and he is just now returning home after being gone for nine long years. During that time, he has completed his Academy training and served on a starship of the Republic fleet and now he was coming home aboard the Starliner *Atlas*. On this ship he was just another passenger or so he thought.
One of the problems he had been handling during his time with the Republic Navy was the unfortunate encounter with pirates in the depths of outer space. While the Navy had no problem tracking these bandits down and dealing with them, it was entirely another story for an unarmed civilian starliner. He was surprised to be summoned to the bridge where he met with Captain Santiago. She said they had detected a ship following them and requested his expertise in dealing with it. Captain Santiago wasn’t military and had never before encountered pirates on one of her cruises. Now apparently they had one on their tail and didn’t know what to do.
The Republic has been built on regulations. There are regulations for just about everything any citizen did or wanted to do. These regulations were enforced by the Senate through the Regulators. Every part of the Republic had dealings with Regulators because the penalty for violating or ignoring a regulation was often severe. In the case of a single starliner out in deep space, regulations dictated that they were to surrender when and if demanded by the pirates. That was all they could do and there was a Regulator aboard the *Atlas* to ensure the Captain followed regulations!
Yet, both Captain Santiago and Lieutenant Hawthorne knew that surrendering to these pirates was almost suicide for everyone aboard. Pirates were known to just capture ships, sack it for any valuables and either space the ships crew and passengers or turn them over to the slave traders. Caleb asked the Regulator on the bridge if he knew that he and others would die if they just surrendered or did the Regulator prefer to survive this encounter. What Caleb also asked was that if he saved the ship by breaking a regulation or two, would he be court-martialed for doing so. The Regulator said he did not believe so if he and everyone else survived.
So, Lieutenant Hawthorn sets out to do what needs to be done to save the ship and everyone aboard. He’s quite inventive, especially, if he doesn’t have to follow regulations. This is something he’s always fantasized about during his military simulations, but those were always ran according to regulations and never altered to allow for individual initiative and thinking. But, in this case Caleb was able to do just enough to keep everyone safe.
He eventually makes it back to his home planet, Newport, after some intensive cross-examinations by the Regulators who had came aboard the *Atlas* once it reached safe space. Now Caleb has a story he could tell to his best friend Alexander, another Navy Lieutenant, but that would have to wait. He was to meet with his Father as soon as he landed.
Caleb had left Newport to get away from his Father. Governor Jackson Hawthorne had been the Governor of Newport for a long time. He was very deep in the politics of the Republic and always seemed to want things done his way. Caleb didn’t always see eye to eye with his Father and that was one of the reasons he ran off to join the Navy against his Father’s wishes. Yet, now he was back and times had changed. He just wondered if his Father had changed at all.
What Caleb is going to find is that a lot of things have changed. Most of them were not in his focus for the last nine years because he was definitely settled on making the Navy his career. He was sure his Father had other plans for him, but Caleb was going to be very definitive in what he wanted to do, not what his Father wants him to do. But, Caleb finds his Father involved in something that sounds kind of dangerous. Not only that, but he seems to already have a role for Caleb to play, but won’t tell Caleb his plans for the future.
Those plans are going to change everything for Caleb. He’s going to have to make some very, very tough decisions to be on the right side of things. Yet, he’s not exactly sure which side is right. He has a lot to learn about the Republic he’s supposed to be serving and not all of it is good. You’re in for some very good reading that highly exciting and dangerous.
I’m already looking forward to book 2, “Fires of Freedom”, which is now available on Amazon. It’s 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. ]