Chapter Thirteen

Shawn Blakeley

**An untested crew. A new warship with a parts problem. An enemy armada driven by a divine mandate to conquer Earth.** War came to Mars when John Harrigan was twelve years old. He watched an Islamic Bloc infantry drone fire a plasma grenade, and his mother sacrificed her life to save his. For twenty-four years, that open wound has haunted him. **Now, twenty-four years later, he is ready to take command of the *ASC Galaxy*—the Astro Corps and the Galactic Alliance’s newest, most advanced warship.** But on the eve of their first day of active duty, disaster strikes. Shoddy engineering from the Corps' biggest contractor causes a parts failure, triggering a devastating cascade malfunction in the *Galaxy’s* point defense systems. Worse yet, industrialist Joran Kell is operating in the shadows, orchestrating a terrifying alliance between the Islamic Bloc and the Zontaerian Empire. Driven by a fanatical belief that it is the divine will of the universe for them to rule all of creation, the Zontaerians are executing a cosmic manifest destiny. They know that if they conquer Earth, the Galactic Alliance will dissolve. Outgunned Captain Harrigan must lead an untested crew into the dark to sound the alarm. But even if they deliver the warning, can the fleet respond in time? **The invasion is coming. Can Harrigan and the *Galaxy* rally the Astro Corps before Earth burns?**  **Honor to those who endure, so others will rise.** **Dive into *Those Who Endure*, the explosive first book in the ASC Galaxy military space opera series. If you love deep political intrigue, gritty space battles, and unbreakable characters holding the line against impossible odds, scroll up and start reading today!**  **For fans who like the optimism of *Star Trek* the grit and frenetic battles of *Battlestar Galactica* and the military setting this is your series.** This is character driven military sci fi/ space opera. ***Those Who Endure* has tropes of first command, found family, burden of command, cost of service.** Sign up for the Astro Corps HQ newsletter for all the latest Galaxyverse news: <https://www.endurepress.net/contact>