Book Tour/Giveaway - Red Dragon by Brian H Roberts

 

Red Dragon

by Brian H. Roberts

 

GENRE: Science Fiction

 

 

BLURB:

How do you fight a hidden adversary on Mars?

 

Dallas Gordon’s miners keep disappearing. Back on Earth, general Zhang Aiguo has seized control of the Chinese military and declared himself emperor.  His forces have secretly dispatched to the Red Planet to plunder EPSILON’s hard-won treasure.

 

Time is running out. Can Dallas Gordon and the Prospector team find Zhang’s hidden bases before they are all killed?

Excerpt:   

John asked, “Is this everyone?” Malcom nodded.

“Yes, John.”

John intoned, “For everyone’s information, this transmission is secured with quantum encryption. Everything spoken during this conference is absolutely secure. The content of this discussion is classified and is not to be discussed outside of this room.

“An hour and a half ago, a video was sent to Prospector Base. Dallas Gordon forwarded a copy to EPSILON’s mission control. The rest of you are here in response.”

The screen went black. The figure of a middle-aged Asian man appeared. He sat straight behind a bare table, clad in a Chinese People’s Liberation Army general’s uniform. Seven rows of service medals bedecked his left chest. A red communist China national flag hung on the wall behind him. Above the flag hung a curious banner. The design consisted of a small yellow disc within a larger blue disc, within a larger black disc with black rays or spikes protruding from it, all centered in a bright yellow field.

The man looked squarely into the camera and spoke in passable English, “I am General Zhang Aiguo, Commander-in-Chief of the People’s Liberation Army. China declares the entirety of Hellas Planitia as its exclusive economic zone. Prospector Base is in violation of Chinese sovereignty and must be vacated.
 

“I am holding Commander Genady Antonov, and crewmen Ted Andrews, Veronique Trudeau, Daniyal Najjar, LaDonna Pleasant, and Dave Caraway, until two conditions are met. First, you will deliver to me the traitorous commander Chan Huoxing of Chinese Mining Base 1. Second, your remaining crewmen will abandon Prospector Base aboard one of your ascent rockets and dock with your orbiting command module. When these two conditions are met, I will return your crewmen aboard another ascent rocket to dock with your command module.
“You have five days to meet these conditions. If you fail to meet this deadline, one crewman will be executed each day until you comply. If you fail to comply after eleven days, I will take Prospector Base by force. Be assured, I will take no prisoners. “As a token of my sincerity, I offer you this image of your captured crewmen.”

The screen went dark. Six figures appeared, wearing pressure suits and seated against the interior wall of a fabric dome, their hands bound behind their backs. Eyes wide in fear, they stated their names one by one as an anonymous arm pointed a finger at them. Then the arm pointed at Genady Antonov. Genady’s left eye was blackened and swollen shut. Dried blood crusted his left temple. When his turn came, he defiantly spit on the hand. The hand disappeared from view, then reappeared as a fist, smashing Genady’s nose with a powerful blow. Blood immediately poured down over his mouth and dripped off his chin.

The camera panned to the final two crew members, who stated their names, obviously terrified.
 

The view returned to Zhang.
 

“You have one week. I will start with the women first. I am saving the Russian for last, so he can enjoy the show.”
 

The screen went dark. The images of Dallas and John Weston reappeared. The faces around the table were a mixture of concern and terror.  John broke the silence…

“China has been growing more aggressive as Zhang has risen within the PLA hierarchy. He has eroded civilian control of the military to the point where he has usurped the Commander-in-Chief title from President Li Chen. Zhang directly controls four of China’s five theater commands. It’s only a matter of time before the Central Theater Command, and Beijing within it, fall under his control. Bihn, do you recognize the banner that was positioned above the Chinese national flag on the wall behind Zhang?”

Bihn hesitated only momentarily. “It looks similar to flags and banners flown by the Tang Dynasty.”

John continued his query, “And what’s the significance of the Tang Dynasty?” 

Bihn recited like a student in class, “During the Tang Dynasty, China reached its greatest territorial expansion and the zenith of its power. Zhang Aiguo fancies himself as a student of the Tang dynastic period.” Malcom cleared his throat.

“John, what would you have us do?”

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

In his first life, Brian worked as a contractor and civil engineer in bustling Seattle. Desiring a change, he and his wife traded big city life for the outdoor adventures of Central Oregon. His writing draws deeply on his lifelong loves of science/technology and adventure sports. His EPSILON Sci-Fi Thriller series now boasts two novels: Red Dragon and Crimson Lucre.

 

Follow him at

https://brianhroberts.com

https://www.facebook.com/bhrauthor/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-h-roberts-792b15212/

 

Brian H. Roberts will be awarding a $75 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway