The Defense of the Commonwealth

Hundreds of years in the future, humans have spread into the stars, with wealthy nation-states settling and colonizing habitable planets, though the deep-seated conflicts of modern humanity have regrettably persisted. Newly appointed Commander Persistence Andrews has to navigate the power struggles of greed, power, and ego, but this woman has grit like no other. When colonization began, American corporations filled the gap left by a distracted government, with the result that the economic rivalry between these planets caused their defensive alliance to fracture. Two American-settled planets have been seized by foreign rivals—the galactic descendants of the Chinese and Russian superpowers. In desperation, three other American planets turn to their neighbors, the British, to pool their resources and defend themselves. Though no great power, the British have a unified government controlling three settled star systems. Together, the six planetary systems are strong enough to hold off the aggressors, and one by one, the other American systems ask to join them, forming the Inter-Planetary Commonwealth. After regaining the captured planets, the Inter-Planetary Commonwealth prospers and shows signs of developing as much clout as the Brits once had as masters of the earthly seas. Their foreign rivals, alarmed by this growing strength, join forces. A coordinated attack opens a new conflict, catching the Commonwealth largely by surprise, with disastrous results. Rumors of cutting-edge technology that can render current antimatter weapons useless raise the stakes even higher, and Admiral Freshley of the Royal Navy turns to Perseverance Andrews to take control of the Rowen, one of the newest ships in the fleet. Will Andrews rise to the challenge, or will she buckle under the pressures of a command influenced by human nature that hasn't changed in hundreds of years?