Crisis of Empire Series by Roger MacBride Allen, David Drake, Thomas T. Thomas, William C. Dietz, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

The first Crisis of Empire begins with the death of the Emperor, leaving a child as his successor. Will the leaders of the empire rally behind the child-Emperor? If they do not, interstellar civilization will once again dissolve into civil war and slide into another long night of barbarism.

Their finest hour, or their final days...The first Empire has entered what may very well be its last crisis: the Emperor is dead by assassination and has left an infant heir. Worse, the imperial mystique is but a fading memory: nobody believes in empire anymore. Indeed nobody believes in much of anything beyond the boundaries of self... moreTheir finest hour, or their final days...The first Empire has entered what may very well be its last crisis: the Emperor is dead by assassination and has left an infant heir. Worse, the imperial mystique is but a fading memory: nobody believes in empire anymore. Indeed nobody believes in much of anything beyond the boundaries of self. There are exceptions, of course, and to those few falls the self-appointed duty of maintaining a military-civil order that is corrupt, despotic - and infinitely preferable to the barbarous chaos that will accompany its fall.One such is Command Anson Merikur.This is his story. less

What's worse than a corrupt, decadent, autocratic, oppressive regime? Corrupt, decadent, autocratic, oppressive aliens..."For Reasons of State" they ripped his marriage apart and forced his wife into the bed of another man. Now their empire is in danger and he is the one man in place to stop the alien threat.But there's a problem: when the Empire ruined this loyal servant's perfect marriage—and his life—with its political maneuverings they turned Captain Allison Spencer into a junkie... moreWhat's worse than a corrupt, decadent, autocratic, oppressive regime? Corrupt, decadent, autocratic, oppressive aliens..."For Reasons of State" they ripped his marriage apart and forced his wife into the bed of another man. Now their empire is in danger and he is the one man in place to stop the alien threat.But there's a problem: when the Empire ruined this loyal servant's perfect marriage—and his life—with its political maneuverings they turned Captain Allison Spencer into a junkie.But sometimes necessity can bring out the best in a man, no matter how far he's fallen. In a story of personal heroism and individual boldness Drake & Allen bring The Crisis of Empire to a rousing climax.At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management). less

When the High Secretary of the Pact, the ruler of a powerful empire, dies, the head of the armed services, powerful corporations, the High Secretary's children, and a secret cabal vie for power.