Joe Zieja

The Two Hundred Years (And Counting) Peace Treaty led to inept military bureaucracy, and no one is more perfectly suited to take advantage of it than R. Wilson Rogers (don’t ask what the ‘R’ stands for). After drinking, gambling, and swindling his way through the military, he’s ready for something bigger: professional space pirate.

But pirating is risky, namely it’s illegal, even in space. And when Rogers is arrested attempting to pull off his biggest con yet, his sentence is re-enlistment. More drinking, grilling, and poker? Rogers couldn’t agree fast enough.

However, the military he left is not the military he finds upon boarding the MPS FLAGSHIP. A conspiracy is afoot, with soldiers doing actual soldier things and AI-droids handling sensitive intelligence. Rogers is the only one who questions the droids' information, but the bureaucracy doesn’t care. Which means his worst nightmare: he might have to do actual work to prevent a war.