A "what if?" story about Mary Christian, half-Tahitian daughter of Fletcher Christian, second in command and leader of the mutiny on the British ship Bounty.

"Solid adventure, intrigue and speculative space-tech, from a rising star in military science fiction."- DAVID BRIN, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of 'EXISTENCE, ' 'THE POSTMAN, ' and 'STARTIDE RISING' HUMANITY IS NO LONGER ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE. AN UNKNOWABLE THREAT APPROACHES EARTH . . . AND WE ARE COMPLETELY UNPREPARED TO FACE WHAT'S COMING. Aerospace tycoon Gordon Elliot Lee cannot stand idly by while a mysterious alien presence from Delta Pavonis bears down upon mankind's only home. Shut out from NASA and military support, Gordon is forced to go it alone, to sow the seeds for an entirely new sort of planetary defense: a space-based naval force. Joined by Nathan Kelley -- a bloodied naval warrior, scarred by his own actions in the waters off North Korea -- and Kris Munoz -- an avant garde scientific genius with more ideas than sense -- these three will scour the very edges of fringe science and engineering to attempt development of Earth's first space navy in time to oppose the Deltan invasion. Beset by ridicule, government obstruction, industrial espionage, and their own personal demons, it will take a miracle just to get off the ground. But the challenges on Earth are nothing compared to what awaits them in space. Against an unknown alien enemy with vastly superior technology, a handful of human scientists and warriors must become the sword that holds the darkness at bay. MISSILES WILL FLASH, RAILGUNS WILL RUMBLE, LASERS WILL BURN, AND DEFENDERS WILL DIE. IF THEY FAIL, OUR END IS AT HAND. "There are brilliant first contact stories, great space combat stories, and amazing stories of technological discovery. Rarely do you find all three in the same novel. Remember the name Thomas A. Mays. You're going to be seeing it on the bestseller list."- JEFF EDWARDS, Award-winning author of 'SEA OF SHADOWS, ' and 'THE SEVENTH ANGEL' "Sharply written, suspenseful and tightly plotted, A SWORD INTO DARKNESS reads like the best Tom Clancy novels, with a science fiction heart provided by Arthur C. Clark. Can't wait to read more from Thomas Mays "- GRAHAM BROWN, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of 'ZERO HOUR, ' 'BLACK RAIN, ' and 'THE EDEN PROPHECY'