Dive into Assassination Protocol and Begin This Epic Sci-Fi Journey!
If you’d
have asked me a year ago if I would ever consider writing sci-fi, the answer
would have been a resounding no.
Fantasy is
and always has been my first love.
It’s the
genre that inspires me most and fires up my imagination to new and greater
heights.
Until Nolan
Garrett came along…
The idea for
this story—a former drug addict paraplegic former special ops sniper turned
government assassin—dropped into my lap in late 2019, and it was such an
exhilarating concept that I HAD to write it.
It took me
less than four weeks to write the entire Book 1, and I had so much fun doing it
that I immediately set out to write the prequel, Kill Order (Cerberus Book 0).
(Which
happens to be absolutely free to download here, by the way.)
By the time
that second sci-fi novel was done, I was absolutely hooked!
The
character with his many complexities, flaws, abilities, and failings was so
intriguing I had to find out more. And more. And more.
Flash
forward to now, and I’m 75% of the way done writing the SIXTH book in the
Cerberus series (which will be twelve books long).
Yes, the story of Nolan Garrett, call sign Cerberus, the Silverguard’s deadliest sniper, has been an absolute thrill ride, one I’m so excited to share with you!
Here’s a fun little snippet to give you a taste:
Nolan’s
suit masked any hint of sound as he raced up the metal stairs toward the
catwalk overlooking the warehouse floor. Operating in stealth mode drained the
suit’s power fast—he had just 6% charge left after using the boot thrusters. He
needed to get up high, settle into a comfortable perch before—
The
loud, fiery hissing of boot thrusters shattered the silence of the warehouse.
Brilliant light gleamed through the hole in the roof as two figures descended
slowly into the darkness.
Growling
a silent curse, Nolan slowed his climb, dropped to one knee, and brought the
Balefire up to sight on the two goons. He didn’t even need the telescopic
sight; from four hundred meters away, he could hit a bitefly’s wing with his
eyes closed.
He
squeezed the trigger, paused, and squeezed again. Two needles of light zipped
toward the two figures dropping through the hole. One hit center-mass and tore
through the first goon’s chestplate, incinerating the man alive within his
suit. The next, a heartbeat later, caught the next one right in the visor. The
man’s helmet exploded, and the concussive blast sent his headless torso
shooting off into the warehouse to crash into the pile of debris Nolan had left
with his hasty entrance.
Drawing
in a deep breath, he waited for the next pair to make their entrance. Two quick
shots and he’d be in the clear. He might have to take the long way home, but it
would be worth it for a clean getaway.
Cool
calm settled over him as the sound of firing ion engines drew closer to the
roof of the warehouse. He pulled the trigger to its break point, sighted on the
hole, and prepared to fire.
The
first pair of boots appeared in the hole, and Nolan pulled the trigger.
Click. No burst of
energy, no sizzling bolt of white-hot light.
He
tried again, only to hear that little click.
Crap! The firing mechanism must have been damaged in the fall. Or one of
the myriad explosions that had nearly brought him out of the sky.
Biting
back a curse, he swung the rifle onto his back and reached for his pistol. He
half-drew it, then froze as he remembered who he faced. More accurately, what he faced. His sidearm couldn’t
punch through even old-model IAF armor. Those military-grade combat suits could
shrug off most small arms and light weapons. Shooting at them with his pistol
would do nothing more than reveal his position.
Time to go old
school, then. Grimacing,
he reached for his Echoblade and drew the knife slowly, smoothly, without so
much as a whisper of rasping metal. The impossibly sharp twenty-centimeter blade
was Echosteel, a mixture of steel and reverbium, a rare element found and mined
on the Nyzarian Empire’s capital planet of Genesis. Reverbium was so sensitive
to resonance that, when set vibrating, it could literally slip between molecules and cut anything short
of the thickest space-grade durasteel.
Rising
from his kneeling position, he crept up the staircase toward the crosswalk, his
eyes locked on the two goons descending into the warehouse. He had no need for
the IR night vision built into the helmet—the bright blue flames of their boot
thrusters was the only light source in the massive warehouse.
The
two goons dropped toward the ground floor, using their thrusters to slow the descent
and land lightly. Their heavy assault rifles—modified Machnikov X-ARs, judging
by their bump stocks and high-capacity magazines—swiveled in every direction as
they moved with surprising coordination and efficiency through the shelves.
Almost like trained
pros. Nolan
cocked an eyebrow. No way they’re
Rücksichtslos. Former IAF, maybe?
Military-trained
grunts working for a drug kingpin like German French. Just one more impossible
piece of a puzzle that shouldn’t exist, one he’d have to give due consideration
when this was all over. For now, it was enough to know that they wouldn’t go
down easy. If he didn’t get the drop on them, he’d have a fight on his hands.
Creeping
along the catwalk overlooking the warehouse, Nolan tracked the two goons’
movements. They kept close, formation tight, aware of each other while making
steady progress in clearing the rows of shelves.
Yet
they made one fatal mistake: they didn’t look up.
Nolan
clipped his carabiner onto the railing, tested it once to make sure it was
secure. “Ready to voice-project?” he
asked in his mind.
“Just say the word,” Taia replied.
With
a grin, Nolan jumped off the catwalk. Thin black steel cable spooled out in
total silence as he dropped the ten stories toward the two goons. His heart
leaped into his throat and he tightened his grip on the Echoblade. He had to
time it just right.
At
the last moment, he gave a quiet grunt—barely audible, the sort of reactionary
sound someone made when bumping into something.
Taia’s
external speakers cast the sound twenty meters away, bouncing it off a nearby
stack of pallets. Instantly, the goons spun toward the source of the noise,
guns snapping around to aim at the spot where they expected to find their prey.
They
never had a chance.
Start reading
now and dive into this new adventure in a universe not quite as far from the
world of the Hunter, Ilanna, and Aravon as you might think…
Assassination Protocol: A Military Space Opera Thriller (Cerberus Book 1)
Nolan Garrett
is Cerberus. A government assassin, tasked with fixing the galaxy’s darkest,
ugliest problems with a bullet to the brain.
Armed with cutting-edge
weapons and an AI-run cybernetic suit that controls his paralyzed legs, he is
the fist in the shadows, the dagger to the heart of the Nyzarian Empire’s
enemies.
Then he found Bex on his doorstep…
A junkie, high on the drug he’d fought for years to avoid,
and a former elite soldier like him. So he takes her in to help her get
clean—Silverguards never leave their own behind.
If only he’d known his actions would put him in the
crosshairs of the most powerful cartel in New Avalon.
Facing an army of gangbangers, drug pushers, and thugs, Nolan
must fight to not only carry out his mission, but to prevent the escalating
violence from destroying everything he loves.
Cerberus:
Assassination Protocol is the riveting, heart-pounding first book in the epic
military sci-fi Cerberus series. If you like fearless heroes, non-stop
futuristic action, and neck-breaking plot twists, you’ll love Andy Peloquin’s
thrilling military space opera series.
Buy Cerberus: Assassination Protocol now to watch an assassin
fight to protect the innocent!
Get it on Ebook:
Or try the absolutely AMAZING audiobook, narrated by Bronson Pinchot
The post Dive into Assassination Protocol and Begin This Epic Sci-Fi Journey! appeared first on Andy Peloquin.
