The invasion fleet was swift and powerful, breaking through the defenses of the United Coalition of Earth and laying siege to the worlds of the Coalition. Unprepared and outnumbered, the Coalition forces have fought back, but are fighting a losing war. Soon the Earth's only hope rests in a newly developed cloaking shield and the few ships that have been equipped with it so far. Lt. Commander Trenety and the crew of the Coalition star ship Victorious have been placed in command of this last hope to avert disaster as the enemy fleet prepares for its final assault against Earth. This is the story of that desperate battle, with the fate of humanity in the balance.

Edwin Amis, new commander of the Eridani Light Horse Brigade, must decide whether to openly defy Sun Tzu Liao, First Lord of the Star League, whose "peace-keeping" efforts are not what they seem. His unscrupulous actions have stirred up opposing forces, threatening to smash the painstakingly rebuilt Star League to pieces

A publication that is intended to answer questions about how to score big game trophies. Contains numerous illustrations, as well as pointers on field judging trophy quality in the field.

In the early years of the seventeenth century, Gerard Thibault--poet, physician, architect, painter, occultist, and master swordsman--astonished the courts of Europe with a new system of swordsmanship based on the principles of sacred geometry and Renaissance occult philosophy. [Thibault] set out to put everything he knew about the way of the sword into a single comprehensive textbook of rapier fencing that could be used by students who had no access to a teacher of his system. Originally published in 1630, The Academy of the Sword is that textbook--the most elaborate manual of swordsmanship ever published in any language, packed with hundreds of clearly described and illustrated techniques.--

Perhaps no other weapon represents Renaissance Italian fencing like the rapier. But do we know how it was used and how it was taught? This book takes you to the fencing School, or Salle of celebrated renaissance rapier Master Nicoletto Giganti of Venice, one among the period teachers leaving instructions on the use of this weapon. More uniquely, his 1606 text The School, or Salle is a veritable training curriculum, with its stepwise lessons and easy-to-follow explanations on the use of the rapier alone and rapier and dagger. This faithful translation of Giganti's The School, or Salle by internationally-known rapier teacher Tom Leoni includes the complete text, original illustrations, and an introduction on rapier fencing that will make Giganti's text easy to follow. If you are a martial artist, a fencer, or have an interest in European martial culture, this book belongs on your shelf.

In the depths of night, customs officers board a galley in a harbor and overpower its guards. In the hold they find oil and silver, and a naked boy chained to the bulkhead. Stunningly beautiful but half-starved, the boy has no name. The officers break the boy's chains to rescue him, but he escapes. Venice is at the height of its power. Duke Marco commands the seas, taxes his colonies, and, like every duke before him, fears assassins better than his own. In a side chapel, Marco's thirteen-year old cousin prays for deliverance from her forced marriage. It is her bad fortune to be there when Moorish pirates break in to steal a chalice, but it is the Moors' good fortune -- they kidnap her and demand ransom from the Duke. As day dawns, Atilo, the Duke's chief assassin, prepares to kill the man who let in the pirates. Having cut the traitor's throat, he turns back, having heard a noise, and finds a stranger crouched over the dying man, drinking blood from the wound. The speed with which the boy dodges a dagger and scales a pillar stuns Atilo. And the assassin knows he has to find the boy. Not to kill him though -- because he's finally found what he thought he would never find. Someone fit to be his apprentice.