Stealing Thunder — Peter Telep

In DESCENT, Material Defenders Benjamin St. John and Sierra Taurus destroyed Lunar Outpost MN001 2 and hundreds of compromised mechs along with it, but the war is just beginning...

The universe, as the Post Terran Mining Corporation knows it, is about to end. Reports show massive build-ups of mining drones Infected with the alien transmode virus near all PTMC holdings outside the Sol system; estimates put total contamination at forty-eight hours.

When intelligence reveals that an alien command post or ship is directing the mech invasion, Benjamin St. John is paired with a sexy, tough-as-titanium Collective Earth Defense pilot and ordered by PTMC Director Samuel Dravis to find and destroy the alien stronghold.

But-first Ben and his partner must battle through an unprecedented attack by CED and PTMC mercenary forces and uncover the mystery behind it--all while contending with the blackmailing, double-crossing Director Dravis, who schemes to crush the mech invasion and his bitter enemy, the CEO, in one fell swoop. But his plan has a flaw, for his instrument is again Ben St. John--ex-Marine Corps pilot and control freak hell bent on saving the universe, collecting his money, then kicking Dravis's butt from Sol to Tycho Brahe.