検索キーワード： ファーストコンタクト

Испытание — проверка моральных, духовных и физических качеств на соответствие идеалу. Авторы сборника "Испытательный срок" — и признанные мастера, и совсем молодые писатели-фантасты — подвергают героев своих текстов самым фантастическим испытаниям, как в настоящем, так в прошлом и будущем. Таким образом, предпринимается попытка найти ответ на вопрос: способен ли человек в нынешних непростых условиях выдержать испытательный срок на нашей планете.

Everyone aboard Kilgore Station is living their best life. Everyone except for Johnny Gomez. While humans, the augmented, and aliens of all shapes and sizes enjoy exotic cuisine on the dining deck or gamble away their credits on the entertainment deck, Johnny is elbow-deep in oily, black, alien excrement. A "space broom" custodian for the entire station. This was obviously not the life Johnny dreamt of.

Dr. Greg Schorn is now working with the Department of Extraterrestrial and Alien Defense (D.E.A.D.). And no one is more surprised than him. After the events in Norway, Greg was sure he would never go back into government work. Yet just a few months later, he is back in the United States working at the new D.E.A.D. headquarters in upstate New York. But it's not the same D.E.A.D. that existed under Martin Drummond's tyrannical rule. The biggest change starts at the top: Norah Tidwell is the director. But more importantly, missions are not always kill on sight.

Mother's Night had passed unmarked for many years for Betani and her children. After all, there was little to celebrate when living on the streets. This year was different. For the first time, they are going to celebrate Mother's Night and holiday cheer fills their small apartment despite the tight control of the warders who have risen to power in the poor districts. Despite her limited means, when a triad shows up on her doorstep during a snowstorm with their poisoned lead male, she can't turn them out.

The fate of humanity rests on a lie, but the truth is infinitely more deadly. ‘When a mysterious signal from the outer reaches of space is detected, the world is on the brink of an unimaginable breakthrough—first contact with an advanced alien race. Fleeing their dying planet, they offer Earth an extraordinary alliance that could alter the course of human history. But beneath this promise lies a chilling ultimatum: for the aliens to survive on Earth, half of humanity must be sacrificed. The choice is stark—comply or face complete annihilation.

A strange, glowing object lands in the forest. Tim is the only one who sees it. Venturing out to investigate, he discovers animals infected with a mysterious black growth. When he returns to his cabin, he realizes the horrifying truth: whatever disease the object brought to Earth, Tim has caught it too.

Verbannt von den Zen-Huan, sieht sich Captain Matthew River einem Feind gegenüber, dessen Existenz von den meisten als bloßes Gerücht abgetan wird. Seine letzte Verbündete ist die Aspirantin Nika Valuria. Gemeinsam machen sie sich auf den Weg, ein uraltes Geheimnis zu lösen, doch bald schon werden sie von den Schatten der Vergangenheit eingeholt.

Stephanie Harrington didn’t discover treecats—they were indigenous to the planet Sphinx, a colony of the tiny Star Kingdom of Manticore. But at age ten she was the first human to bond with one. Now, almost 17, she is the species greatest champion. To the rest of the human galaxy, if they are known at all, they are recognized as tool using, socially organized, fuzzy little creatures, with no known method of communication—who also happen to be fierce hunters. But are they sapient?

Decades after a successful invasion of Earth and the Terran Democratic Empire by the Ryqril—hostile, leathery-skinned aliens—resistance fighter Allen Caine is training for an undercover mission. He will assume the identity of an aide to the senate—part of the government that colludes with the invaders.

Damon Lathe and his blackcollar combat team face their most serious challenge. On one of the conquered human colony worlds is a Ryqril tactical center through which flows an entire sector's worth of military data. If the blackcollars can find a way inside, it could tip the balance in the current Ryqril-Chryselli war. It could even start humanity on the path back to ultimate freedom.

The Earth Cruiser Agamemnon is destroyed in combat, and the search for answers begins. The veteran crew of Borag gets the assignment, and the race is on. Sgt. Starn of Red Company must visit the disaster site, perform a search and rescue mission, and return to Mars alive. What kind of technology could destroy an Earth warship so easily? Why is a single life-pod found floating, transponder pinging away—with no one aboard? Most important of all, what is the prowling alien super-ship going to do next?

In the heart of the South Pacific lies Point Nemo, the most desolate and remote place on Earth. At its core is a dead zone, devoid of life, where government agencies crash their obsolete satellites and space stations, confident they won't harm a soul. When the International Space Station suffers a catastrophic failure and plummets through the atmosphere, it's here that Mission Specialist Julie Rohr, an astrobiologist studying living space dust called xylem, finds herself marooned. Julie's only hope for rescue lies in the hands of her estranged father, Dr. Finn Maddern, a renowned mycologist.

Cassandra 22007 continues to hold the world in its grip. After the destruction of large parts of Los Angeles, the remaining inhabitants fight for their survival. Among them are Lee Rifkin, who must not miss the most important rocket launch of his career, and Branson, who is confronted with a truth that will change his life forever.

The Chahwyn created the Spiders to keep their intra-galactic transportation system, the Quadrail, safe and running smoothly, and contracted ex-security agent Frank Compton to protect its integrity. So far, Compton and his half-human, half-Chahwyn partner, Bayta, have had their hands full keeping this essential link between occupied worlds open and preventing the evil collective intelligence called the Modhri from using it to spread their mind-controlling infection. But now a new threat has boarded, one that troubles even the Modhri.

Die Invasion der Union durch die Aternier hat begonnen, aber Hauptkommandant Carter Rose hat noch immer weder ein funktionierendes Kriegsschiff noch eine vollständige Mannschaft. Er braucht beides, wenn er eine Chance haben will, die Pläne des Gottkönigs zu vereiteln. Frustriert über seine Unfähigkeit zu handeln, nimmt Rose die Sache selbst in die Hand und reist zum besetzten Planeten Terra 6, um ein wichtiges Mitglied seiner Crew zu finden, das nun in großer Gefahr ist.

Kat watched the Earth die at the hands of an alien intent on seeing the human race extinct. Determined to stop him at any cost, she risks all she has left to travel through time and space in order to save a world that’s already dead and to stop this killer before he can stop her.

In Conquest of the New World, the inevitable moment arrives—humanity’s century-long broadcasts into the cosmos are finally answered. But as an alien ship enters Earth’s orbit, claiming peaceful intent, the world is on the brink of unprecedented transformation—or catastrophe. This brilliantly crafted thriller blends the geopolitical depth of Tom Clancy with the scientific precision of Arthur C. Clarke, creating a narrative that is as much about international power struggles and crisis management as it is about the philosophical and existential dilemmas of First Contact.

Mostly, he's accomplished this antisocial feat by exterminating them because they posed a threat to galactic peace or common decency. As with any action, there can be an equal and opposite reaction. Now, a fundamental force of existence named Xyándor is after Jon. You see, Xyándor's sole purpose is to spawn chaos. So he's dead set on killing Jon because our hero snuffs out chaos on a routine basis. Most likely, this Xyándor character must've had a really troubled childhood, right?

Every bureaucracy has a rhythm, even the Department of Extraterrestrial and Alien Defense (D.E.A.D.). Dr. Greg Schorn has gotten used to that rhythm: go on assignment, take down a government-created alien hybrid, write up a report, rinse, and repeat. Not that there's no danger. Rounding up the escapees comes with more than a little risk. But Greg trusts the people around him, especially Mitch Haldron. At the D.E.A.D. Mitch has pulled him out of the fire more times than he can count. But everything is about to change: Mitch, solid, dependable, downright boring Mitch, has a secret.

The stage is set, and the battle for the fate of the galaxy is about to begin. Adrian and Anessa, their daughter Ryaana, and Lurker of the Depths prepare for the final fight against the Enlightened. Meanwhile, Emperor Tomas Klein gathers a great alliance from races across the galaxy, building another Great Fleet. His intention is to fight the Enlightened, but his plan might not be the same as Adrian's.