I am incredibly honored to be included in this fantastic anthology with some high profile names like Blaine Lee Pardoe, Craig Martelle, Rick Partlow, and of course the legendary "And More!"

My story is called Laugh or Cry and follows Sergeant Henry Colton of the Terran Expeditionary Forces as he and the 5th Independent Hunter/Killer Battalion hunt down a group of deadly aliens and their mechs wreaking havoc behind Terran lines.

This is the first of a series of short stories I've been working on in a new SciFi universe, and I'm excited for this one to be out! Don't miss this great story just as it kicks off!

The Tides of Malta by Zane Voss

The Mediterranean Basin burns.

Hasdrubal Barca marches out to meet the Scipio brothers in Spain. Hannibal Barca spars with the armies of Rome on their home soil. Rebellion brews in Sicily. In Greece the agents of the Barcas whisper in the ear of Philip of Macedon, warning him of the threat posed by Rome's unchecked rise.

And on Malta, tiny Malta, a choice is made that will pit a young Greek smuggler against the mightiest foe he could have possibly chosen...

It started with a rant, and a lunch, and a challenge. Falcons of Malta is the final Malta Anthology from Raconteur Press and it holds a little bit of everything; Ghosts, Heroes, History, Pirates, Crusaders, Fantasy, Magic and a possible glimpse of the future. A huge part of the Western World has been impacted by the events that have taken place on this tiny island in the Mediterranean, and these stories encourage the imagination to soar. Join 11 authors as they explore the magic, the mystery, and the sometimes rocky terrain that is Malta.

For mercenaries in the Galactic Union nothing is easy. And if you happen to be human, you're fighting an uphill battle through the snow both ways just to get a contract.

Sometimes those contracts just don't work out.

Rawlins' Raiders take a garrison contract to defend a pharmaceutical processing plant on the planet Ksshtah. It was supposed to be easy. Hold the fort until the engineers finish setting up automated defenses and wait out the rest of the contract in peace. But it wasn't to be. Now Curtis Adams, Jacob Rawlins, and their Raiders have to fight for their lives against invading Zuul mercs.

Can the Raiders hold out and win the day? Who will survive? And who will pay the ultimate price for victory?

Originally included in The Gates of Hell: More Tales from the Lyon's Den anthology by Seventh Seal Press.

The Caroons of Efmaht just wanted two things: to make billions of credits off their lucrative red diamond mines and to be left alone to spend their profits in peace. But the Galactic Union doesn’t work that way. You can’t sit on a treasure for long without someone trying to take it from you. And the Caroons, well, violence isn’t their strong suit.

Veetanho mercenary commander Treeta wants to be the one to capture the Caroons’ nearly unlimited wealth, and she’s put together a deadly combination of Besquith and Zuul mercenaries, two of the most dangerous mercenary races in the galaxy.

But then the Caroons enlist an unlikely group of allies to help them: Rawlins’ Raiders, a Human mercenary company.

These are dangerous days for Humans to be mercenaries, though, as they’re soft, squishy, and nearly defenseless without their armored CASPer mechs. And even with the CASPers’ massive firepower, more Human mercenary units vanish on contract than successfully return.

Will the Raiders be able to withstand the combined might of two of the most dangerous merc species in the galaxy and help the Caroons hold what they have, or will Rawlins’ Raiders be the next Human merc company to not return from a contract?

From the outside, The Lyon’s Den doesn’t look like much; there isn’t even a sign. But Mercs of all species know that if you head to southwest Houston, near the Starport, there’s a particular run-down strip mall that looks like it’s been abandoned for years. The glass door second from the south end of the strip is plastered over on the inside with blue paper, and the faint golden outline of a rampant lion is the only clue.

The door is locked, of course, and beyond the door is nothing but a darkened hallway with a downward slope and a slight curve to it. Once you follow this curve far enough, you are greeted by two very large, very well-armed Lumar. “Welcome to the Lyon’s Den,” the larger of the two says without a translator, and without a trace of an alien accent. “You know the rules?”