The Brighter the Stars: Volume 1 (Earth United)

Caught between love and revenge Jake has one chance to live up to the man his uncle was.Earth crashed into interstellar politics as a lightweight lagging so far behind other planetary weapons systems everyone feared they wouldnt survive first contact with other worlds without quick action. By 2185 Earth had united itself into five geographic sectors and developed a defense system powerful enough to keep aggressors at bay―for now at least.Jake Saunders became a Legion soldier to honor the memory of his war hero uncle who was brutally murdered in front of him when he was still a young teen. Fast forward a few years and Jake and his best friend Cal have been tasked with escorting Cals older sister Diane to become Earths ambassador on a far-off planet. Its the opportunity of Dianes career very likely a lifetime post. But for Jake that could mean a lifetimes heartbreak. He has loved Diane since they were kids and every step closer to that ambassador assignment is a step closer to goodbye.But somebody is after more than Earths defense and Jake Cal and Diane are on a trajectory to crash headlong into that dangerous plot. Somebody wants to play Earth against its most immediate threat Craton and convince both to develop super weapons―and hes working with the person who killed Jakes uncle all those years ago. When he reappears on Jake Cal and Dianes journey to the ambassadorship Jake is faced with difficult choices to look out for his friends and honor his uncles memory.