Rise of the Peacemakers

Peacemakers. The Galactic Union's most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union's citizenry. It is a time of upheaval throughout the Galactic Union. As the effects of the Omega War ripple outward, a Peacemaker falls silent at the outpost mining colony of Parmick. Sensing danger, the Peacemaker Guild dispatches two new graduates of the Academy to investigate and report. They are a new breed of Peacemaker, perfect for the clandestine infiltration mission. Parmick is in chaos. The miners are planning to revolt, and the mine owner is rallying every mercenary and ne'er-do-well he can to protect his illegal mining operation; the Peacemakers soon realize it will require combat operations to free the citizens of Parmick. Meanwhile, the Peacemaker Guild also finds the mining operation is financing the actions of the disgraced Enforcer Kr'et'Socae. Honoring the threat, the Peacemaker Guild unleashes its Enforcers. With the galaxy teetering on the edge of chaos, can the Peacemakers and their surprising new allies liberate Parmick, stabilize the Galactic Union, and unlock the next clue to find Snowman? From the minds of Kevin Ikenberry and Kevin Steverson comes a new set of heroes who will forever change the Peacemaker Guild and the course of the Galactic Union.

Peacemakers. The Galactic Union's most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union's citizenry. After the vicious attacks on Victoria Bravo, Commander Tara Mason and the newly formed Force 25 have no time to refit and reconstitute their depleted forces. Deputized by the Peacemaker Guild and charged with a time-sensitive mission - finding James "Snowman" Francis - Tara and her mercenaries deploy to the wintry world of Snowmass to follow a 50-year-old lead on Snowman's disappearance. Snowmass, though, is far from peaceful. A project of the controversial Dream World Consortium, the planetary government's promises of pleasant weather and long growing seasons have fallen far short of expectations. Tempers are rising, and unknown attackers are damaging the Dream World Consortium's equipment. They are also drawing the ire of Mayor Citsym and the Trenta Knights; Zuul mercenaries with more than 40 years of less-than-stellar experience providing the planet's security. Force 25 arrives on the planet and clandestinely deploys their attached Peacemakers, Vannix and Jackson Rains. But their hopes for a peaceful investigation of Snowman's past are doomed from the start. Not only do they run into an assassination staged by the rogue Enforcer Kr'et'Socae and his minions, but the Trenta Knights also believe the newly arrived mercenaries to be a threat. They stage an attack to drive them from the planet. But neither Kr'et'Socae, the local government, nor the Trenta Knights have ever seen anything like Force 25, and when the battle is joined, all of them - including Force 25 - will be forever changed.

Peacemakers. The Galactic Union's most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union's citizenry. Being a Peacemaker isn't easy. They're charged with setting the terms and doing anything which needs to be done - even if it personally costs them everything. They must learn to honor the threat to all life, and, in the end, they must stand or fall, based on their own convictions. Welcome back to the Four Horsemen universe, where only a willingness to fight and die for money separates Humans from the majority of the other races. Edited by Mia R. Kleve and best-selling author Kevin Ikenberry, Set the Terms includes 14 all-new Peacemaker-themed stories in the Four Horsemen universe by a variety of best-selling authors - and some you may not have heard of...yet. From pigs flying to cats landing on their feet, Set the Terms shows Peacemakers at work from the origin of the guild to present day. Journey with a Lumar Peacemaker as he tries to complete his first mission and watch as a Phidae Peacemaker tries to complete his final one. They will have to use their wits as well as their weapons if they hope to remain standing at the end of the day. Are you ready to set the terms? If so, then step inside!

In the Galactic Union, few human corporations are as storied or as well-known as the Intergalactic Haulers. Yet, they're only one piece of a larger story. During the Alpha Contracts, 100 of Earth's finest mercenary organizations went to the far reaches of the galaxy to fight for credits. Only four returned. The rest, tens of thousands of humanity's best warriors, were gone. Unbeknownst to most, a small, unconventional group chose a different path. Their foresight and unique talents set the stage not only for the long-haul shipping company of the present day, but of something else. Years later, a promising young mercenary receives an invitation to a strange, secretive shipping company. There, he discovers a shadowy organization dating back to the Alpha Contracts. An organization dedicated to rescuing human mercenaries and returning them with honor. An organization, which - despite its many faults - restores his faith in humanity. It gives him purpose and earns him his nickname: Bull. Unfortunately, this clandestine company - and their heroic efforts - have not gone unnoticed. When a high profile hostage rescue goes bad, Bull and Jimmy Francis - the young pilot known as Snowman - find themselves searching for a way to create a better, more capable company so that others may live...all while hiding in plain sight.

Peacemakers. The Galactic Union's most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union's citizenry. After the fight for Snowmass, Jackson Rains questions everything he thought he knew. As Force 25 regroups and prepares to rescue Snowman, Jackson steps away and returns to the trail of the elusive Kr'et'Socae. The disgraced Enforcer is not so easily found. Needing assistance, and to heal his wounded heart, Jackson turns to family. Returning to Earth and the adopted family he loves, Rains discovers Kr'et'Socae's agents have beaten him there and taken the people he loves most as hostages. To get them back, the demand is simple. All Jackson Rains has to do is destroy the Peacemakers.

Peacemakers. The Galactic Union's most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union's citizenry. Following their successful mission on Parmick, young Peacemakers Jyrall and Larth remain teamed up with the newly formed Blue Ridge Kin and its unique cast of characters. As the events of the Guild Wars spiral out of control, the Peacemakers prepare for a mission they believe will provide early intelligence to Guild Master Rsach, only to be called off their mission and sent on one with a much high priority. Separated from the Peacemakers, Cora McCoy and the Blue Ridge Kin report to the jungle planet Weqq to defend against an attack the Peacemaker Guild has determined will come. They arrive and are immediately met by the Crusaders - mostly Human units formed under the auspices of the Peacemaker Guild - who flaunt the laws of the Galactic Union ruthlessly. All is not well within the Peacemakers. Meanwhile, Jyrall and Larth find themselves drawn into a much larger mission at the request of Jessica Francis, Earth's first Peacemaker. All they have to do is steal a stargate - a hyperspace-capable portal - from a group of mercenaries that vastly outnumbers them. Will they be able to recruit the assistance they need, or will they be the latest casualties of the Guild Wars?

In the Galactic Union, few Human corporations are as storied or as well-known as the Intergalactic Haulers. But the Haulers are no more - victims of Peepo and her minions at the start of the Omega War. Now, her followers seek to destroy the Intergalactic Haulers' more secretive counterpart - Bull and his black ops rescue company. Yet, this is only one part of a larger story.... A Human mercenary unit is trapped and abandoned - betrayed like so many others at the start of the Omega War. Another mercenary unit is captured and given a choice: fight for its captors or die. A Hunter and her companion - her former target - follow a path of vengeance, and Earth's first Peacemaker becomes aware of the shadow that's loomed over her shoulder for most of her life. All of these forces are on a collision path which intersects within the walls of a vast arcology on a faraway planet. The Veetanho masterminds conspire to crush all of the Human forces, with no concern for the destruction they'll cause, but Bull - like always - has a plan. Sooner or later, though, his luck is going to run out. Will his strategies and tactics once again be enough to carry the day, allowing him to rescue the remaining Humans, or will they all be just more casualties of Veetanho vengeance?