Showing results by publisher "Podium Audio" in Space Exploration

When Simon and Katherine Hawke stumble upon an alien shuttle that has landed on Earth, it will not only change the course of their lives but also the entire world. Taking the shuttle into orbit, they discover a much larger ship left adrift with no one on board. Commandeering it, they confirm that we're not alone in the universe and must prepare the human race for what is about to come.

A company of Army Rangers is sent on an interstellar colony ship to secure a foothold on a dangerous, alien planet through violence of action. Leaving behind a warring Earth flung headfirst into a conflict of mutual assured destruction, the Rangers and the accompanying crew of first colonists are guided on a 40-year journey by an unprecedented artificial intelligence. But when they emerge from the frigid embrace of cryosleep, they awake to a nightmare, finding themselves greeted by the same ruthless enemy that brought about the ruin of Earth.

He'd been a Guild Peacemaker, once. But he lost his badge, his family, even his home, to a few bad decisions. Now he works as muscle for one of the planet's more wretched crime lords. Even at rock bottom, Gaelin still believes in honor and protecting the innocent. But in those low circles, being a man of integrity just means absorbing more lumps than he dishes out. A mysterious figure from his past appears out of the shadows. The Peacemaker Guild that once cast him down now needs his help. But help with what?

As an engineer on the arkship Pilgrim-9, bound for the Tau Ceti solar system, Morgan Hall thought his life would revolve around maintaining and repairing the ship and supporting the needs of the five thousand colonists aboard. But when he’s roused early from a 240-year stasis, he’s confronted with chaos. Along with his shipmates, Morgan is brought down to a planet teeming with peril. Forced to fight for their survival without any of their tech to hand, they must adapt quickly to overcome countless threats in a world where magic is as real as science.

Mars and the Moon have been colonized, piracy runs rampant in the asteroid belts, and a thriving society grows in the depths of space. Humanity prepares to embark upon its greatest journey - the colonization of Alpha Centauri. Then, everything changes. A deep space reconnaissance probe discovers a new Earth-like planet 12 light-years from Earth’s sun. The probe also finds something unusual, something unnerving. A new mission is created, a space fleet is formed, and humanity embarks on unravelling the greatest mystery of all - the origins of life itself.

Colton Beck has six months to live. He works for the Angor near Los Angeles, aware that any day could be his last. The Angor arrived twenty years ago, resolved to help mankind survive, but not everyone believes their motives are honorable. When the Angor offer humanity a colony world, Colton is determined to see another planet before his final breath. He's been diagnosed with Xeno, a rare disorder that surfaced with the Angor's arrival, but he won't let this stop him.

An alien Entity had waited megaannum, millions of years, for sentience to emerge on a planet with an ecosystem vibrant enough to foster the evolution of complexity. Impervious to impatience, dispassionate, and deliberate, the Entity's patience was rewarded with a promising species—humans. When the time was right, the warning was given: "The tenure of sentience is ephemeral." The Entity had borne witness to the extinction of civilizations and their species, an outcome that must not be repeated. Not this time. Not with a species of such potential.

Daniel Clay fought across the galaxy as a corporate soldier. He left the violence behind for a life of science, raising a family far from the bloodshed of the Corporation. With his wife, Sarah, and son, Michael, he studied the alien Tyr for years, hidden among their complex societies. Their mission should have ended with the arrival of a replacement team. Instead, the Clays’ corporate overlords choose a death sentence: an invasion fleet to conquer the Tyr.

Alexander Hawkes built the Galactic Knights Uniformed to be different. Not mercenaries. Not enforcers. Peacekeepers. But ideals don't pay the bills. Now the Charter Directorate speaks a new language—one of revenue targets and moral flexibility. While Alexander patrols shopping malls, the galaxy's ugliest truths fester in the shadows. The Nacendo are being herded onto transports like cattle. Planets are harvested for profit. And entire ecosystems are poisoned for mineral rights.

Ralph could be described as a rogue on a good day. A bad day involved a lot of cursing, calling him a pirate, or sometimes even having a shoot-out. It wasn't really his fault of course, or so he would have you believe. It was the fault of those who wanted to get in his way of making as much money as possible as a smuggler. His family had been gifted with a letter of marque for the Terran Confed, one that is inherited and has been passed down to him. Essentially, it gives him a lot of loopholes and ways through regulations to be a fantastic smuggler. Or as a legal pirate, a Privateer.

Ralph could be described as a rogue on a good day. A bad day involved a lot of cursing, calling him a pirate, or sometimes even having a shoot-out. It wasn't really his fault of course, or so he would have you believe. It was the fault of those who wanted to get in his way of making as much...

After thirty-three years of peace, the millennia-spanning House War reignites with brutal force. The galaxy trembles as the Corvad House, a dynasty once thought vanquished, emerges from the shadows with a vengeance. In a precarious alliance with the Colonial Council, the Corvad goal is the complete obliteration of the Nexus House, the guardians who have steered humanity through its darkest epochs.

Jack Schafer saved Earth by accident. Saving his newly adopted home, Dravos, won't be any easier. Dravos has fallen into a new star system, sunlight blazing down on a civilization that's never known day or night. Its people are terrified. Its nobles are plotting. Its king wants answers Jack doesn't have. And the Archon Draven—the centuries-old tyrant Jack thought he'd disposed of—is recovering in the mountains, preparing for his next move. With rebellion spreading and old enemies becoming uneasy allies, Jack, Lisa, and Erik must hold a fragile kingdom together long enough to strike back.

After two decades of learning at the Nexus, the children of Van and his crew are ready to take their first steps out in the big black. Aboard their new ship, the AnaDarko, the young officers begin unraveling a mystery that goes beyond the depths of time—where did Gabby's people come from, and why does life, scattered across the gas giants, all sound so familiar to her? Under the capable guidance of Rab, a seasoned Peacemaker, the young crew pursues science and knowledge—even as Van and Torina push back against a threat that originates on earth itself.

The Charter is signed. The Galactic Knights Uniformed is born. And yet, Alexander faces a whole new challenge: success. With the galaxy drowning in the chaos of the Afterfall, the fledgling Galactic Knights Uniformed is stretched thin. Trade agreements need mediation. Border disputes require careful observation, while the greatest conflict looms above it all.

With the Stillness and their Wulgor allies growing in power, Van and the Fist of Orion reach a crossroads of epic proportions. Who will lead the charge for justice? Will it be Van and his friends, or will the former GKU demand a seat at the table in a universe where nothing is ever settled, and old grudges don't die—they just linger? Old problems require new solutions, and Van sees the need for soldiers as an opportunity. From the growing ranks of the Shrikes, elite young leaders emerge, ready to answer the call when the Fist of Orion decides that sometimes, the best defense is a good offense.

Earth has fallen under the influence of the Fermion Party, whose members believe humanity’s future lies in the metaverse, a simulated environment to which people can upload their consciousness to become immortal. As a simulant, one cannot get sick, grow old, or die. Human beings have no business risking their lives in the betaverse, where injury and illness can kill them. And those who wish to explore beyond the solar system blaspheme what the Fermions believe is the natural order.

Rejected scientist Alexander Hawke is down to his last chance. Brilliant but sheltered, every banker in New York has refused to finance his ideas. Enter the Russian—charming, dangerous, and offering an Antarctic expedition that promises answers to all of his questions. Now, Alexander stands at the edge of a bottomless chasm. With a helpful shove from his foreign benefactor, he plunges into adventure. Landing in darkness, Alexander finds a portal to destiny—weirder than New York, colder than Russia, and filled with the ruins of an empire that once spanned the galaxy.

In a single act of courage, the young American grunt saves an interstellar soldier from certain death at the hands of a vicious killer. Afterward, she promises to show him the stars. Mark will begin his new life far away from Earth—a life not so different from that of a humble soldier. Out among the asteroids, he learns of swords and honor, starships and empires. He learns what it means to be a Peacemaker. Along the way, he's joined by Perry, his combat AI companion who helps Mark learn how to survive—and earn a living—among the stars.

The wrong guy just got the right AI. In a society where every citizen is given an AI at birth, Cal Bennett is one of the rare few who doesn't have one. These AIs can do all sorts of things, depending on how expensive they are, so the rich have the best and the poor have the worst. Cal never...