The First Strike (The Origin Series, #0)

The First Strike
A prequel short story from The Origin Series

Humanity's first blow against the Xenari should have been a moment of triumph. For Captain Sandra Ramirez, it feels more like the beginning of a nightmare.

Strapped into her Nova interceptor, Ramirez leads her squadron on a daring ambush against a Xenari supply convoy - a strike designed to cripple the enemy's war machine before it gains momentum. But as the battle unfolds in fire and wreckage, Ramirez finds herself torn between duty, survival, and conscience.

The enemy's transports fall. Her pilots cheer. The Emperor calls it justice.
Yet Ramirez cannot shake the haunting question: was this victory forged on truth, or on a lie that will damn them all?

The First Strike is a pulse-pounding story of sacrifice, suspicion, and the spark that ignited the interstellar war at the heart of The Last Hope.