Hammer and Crucible by Cameron Cooper (easy books to read txt) 📗

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Space cities have been locked in war for centuries over the resources of an asteroid belt.

Humans pilot swarms of pod fighters to protect their city’s mining operations from other cities, risking everything and suffering multiple deaths and regenerations. Then Landry goes through a regeneration which introduces an error that will destroy the delicate balance of the war.

Resilience is a space opera short story by award-winning SF author Cameron Cooper.

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Epic science fiction at its finest. Realistic far future worlds. Incredible characters and scenarios. – Amazon reader.

This short story has not been commercially released for sale. It is only available as a gift to readers who subscribe to Cam’s email list.

Click here to get your copy:

https://cameroncooperauthor.com/resilience-free/

Table of Contents

Special Offer – Free Science Fiction

About Hammer and Crucible

Praise for Cameron’s Space Opera

Hammer and Crucible Title Page

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About the Author

Other books by Cameron Cooper

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About Hammer and Crucible

The interstellar array which links worlds together wakes to find it has enemies…

The Fourth Carinad Empire stretches across hundreds of settled worlds and stellar cities, and thousands of light years. The Empire’s people and data are linked by a space-folding gates array controlled by the Emperor and his cohorts. When the array evolves into a sentient entity, it recognizes the Emperor as its foe.

Danny Andela, once known as The Imperial Hammer, withdrew from the Imperial Rangers decades ago, her reputation in tatters. She lives on her family’s star barge, waiting to die of a rare disease: old age. She would be the array’s perfect weapon against the Emperor, except she no longer gives a damn--about anything.

Then Danny learns that the military disaster which essentially ended her life might possibly have been arranged by the Emperor himself…

Hammer and Crucible is the first book in the Imperial Hammer space opera science fiction series by award-winning SF author Cameron Cooper.

The Imperial Hammer series:

1.0: Hammer and Crucible

2.0: Star Forge

3.0: Long Live the Emperor

4.0: Severed

5.0: Destroyer of Worlds

Space Opera Science Fiction Novel

Praise for Cameron’s Space Opera

This is epic science fiction at its finest. Realistic far future worlds. Incredible characters and scenarios.

Cameron knows how to tell a story, regardless of whether we are going back in history or forward in time.

Until this book I had forgotten just how much I love good science fiction and Cameron’s is not just good, it’s exceptional.

The concepts are staggering and intensely interesting.

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The Umb Judeste, Beyond The Inner Elbow.

STELLAR BARGES ARE GENERALLY RUN by family corporations. Mine, The Umb Judeste, belongs to Carranoak Inc. I hold a razor-thin majority of shares, so technically, the barge is mine. The irony of that struck me as I laid on steel decking, staring up at dazzling daylights, my jaw on fire. I had been slugged right on the corner of the jaw, in a near-perfect roundhouse swing, by the only member of the Carranoak family who could claim a second degree relationship to me.

Until that moment, I hadn’t known she was on the barge. Perfect fucking greeting.

I had come down to the main concourse when I heard a supply frigate had emerged through the gate and was coupled to the Judeste. Supply ships provide a break from the routine. There’s always something interesting on them, even if it was only the communications squirt which comes along for the ride when a ship used the gate. Current gossip is addictive, especially when you haven’t got much else to do.

I stood at the edge of the swirl of new people carrying sacks or briefcases, or nothing. Some stared at the signposts for directions. Judeste personnel plucked travelers out of the stream and took them away. Others were regular visitors who strode off, confident of their direction.

I got startled looks and second glances as the arrivals passed by. I was used to it and ignored it.

One of the junior pursers, Jimmy, spoke to a tall woman with wheat colored hair which matched mine—or, I should say, mine as it used to be. She was tall, had a small sack over one shoulder, a military bearing and civilian clothes. Jimmy turned and pointed at me.

That got me curious. I waited as the woman wound her way through the milling arrivals. As she drew closer, I realized it wasn’t just the hair which was similar. She came right up to me with a fast, long-legged stride, her face working. At the last second, I realized who she was.

Before I could open my mouth, she swung her fist. “Double-timing broad!” she ground out as her punch landed. I dropped heavily. Of course I did. I figure it’s been sixty years since I’d last taken one in the face. The old bones have turned brittle since then.

As everyone lingering in the arrival area formed a loose circle around us, muttering to each other with delighted horror, I pressed my fingers against the tender spot and wondered if my jaw had dislocated. These days, tripping over my own feet could be fatal. My heart staggered, righted itself and decided to keep ticking for now. The sour taste of adrenaline made me swallow. Swallowing hurt, too.

“Hello, granddaughter,” I croaked.

Juliyana bent and peered at me. Was she waiting for me to get up so she could take another swing? She’d have to live with disappointment.

Her face worked with the fury driving her. The anger checked as she watched me gasping. Her gaze measured me—properly, this time. Her mouth opened. Horror painted her face. “Shit on a shovel…you…you’re old!”

“Not too fucking old to hit, though, right?”

Juliyana propped her hands on her knees, bellowing hard. She was still a Ranger, last I’d heard, so it wasn’t unaccustomed exercise shorting her breath. I’d seen