Hope comes in many forms . . .

 First Officer Robert Lee VI, executive officer of the Robert E. Lee, named after his prestigious family, has a decision to make: Either allow his captain to flagrantly refuse orders and continue his dereliction of duty to bring the terrorist Cassandra Kurtz to justice, or follow Earth’s admiralty’s orders to terminate Earth’s greatest insurrectionist, bring the Martian colonies under control, and rein in the rogue Fort Deadly. Clear orders, achievable military objectives, and simple measures to success are easy to see. Seize the ship. Track, find, and kill Kurtz, and rendezvous with the loyal armada en route to meet in just over a week. Lee’s crew is trained, prepared, and ready to do what’s right in the face of failing strength and the need for duty, honor, and glory.

Willard Bennett, former captain of Jefferson Davis, finds himself embracing his banishment to Mars as a second chance to live a meaningful life for the time he wasted on Earth. He never once imagined that hardship, adversity, and immersion in the hellish underground Martian world would be restorative, a purging of his past.

Finally, Cassandra IX, former elite of the Patrician class, convicted insurrectionist on Earth for spreading rumors and lies that attacked the core of society, and a terrorist for the hijacking and destruction of Earth ships used as a weapon of mass destruction to obliterate the standing force at Fort Sumter, now finds herself wanting to put her “Colonel Kurtz” persona aside for a chance at happiness, if not some peace. With her personal AI implant Alethia as her guide, she now embarks on a totally alien experience that dwarfs all other prior struggles—how to ask another human for connection.

            In the end, at the intersection of two brave, dark worlds, Cassandra’s hunting armed men will set the stage for either Earth’s or Mars success or failure – one world’s sunset is another world’s sunrise.

Based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Hunting Armed Men follows the events of EndlessFall of Night and Heavy Weight of Darkness as it concludes the story of one woman’s daring leadership to create an unlikely alliance to battle imperialism, racism, classism, and capitalistic expansionism that finds its way to the stars.

Author: J. M. Erickson

Publisher: Emergency Comms Press

April 16, 2026

ISBN (Kindle Format): 978-1- 942708-52-0
ISBN (KDF Soft Cover): 978-1- 942708-57-5
ISBN (KDP Hard Cover): 978-1- 942708-58-2
ISBN (ePub): 978-1- 942708-59-9
ISBN (B&N eBook): 978-1- 942708-60-5
ISBN (B&N Soft Cover): 978-1- 942708-61-2