The crew of a WWII destroyer face their greatest challenge yet as they try to survive in a strange new world in the next thrilling book in the New York Times bestselling series . Commander Matt Reddy and his crew are afraid it may finally be the end of the USS Walker . Ever since their ship was transported to another world, and they became embroiled in a deadly conflict between the Lemurians and the vicious Grik, the Walker has been taking a pounding. With Walker out of commission for repairs, Reddy takes command of a different ship and joins a desperate battle to block the Grik swarm. Meanwhile, the humans and their allies face a deadly second front in the Republic to the south. All of Reddy's forces are committed, and there's no turning back. Either they'll win—or lose—everything... Praise for the Destroyermen Novels “A new, genuinely different ‘alternate Earth’ story.”— New York Times Bestselling Author David Weber “Gripping and riveting.”— New York Times Bestselling Author S. M. Stirling “Intriguing what-ifs and convolutions by the boatload combine with churning, bloodthirsty warfare.”— Kirkus Reviews “Taylor Anderson...[has] steamed to the forefront of alternative history.”—National Bestselling Author E. E. Knight “Action sci-fi doesn’t get significantly better than this.”— Booklist Taylor Anderson  is the  New York Times  bestselling author of the Destroyermen series. A gunmaker and forensic ballistic archaeologist, Taylor has been a technical and dialogue consultant for movies and documentaries. He is also a member of the National Historical Honor Society and the United States Field Artillery Association, which awarded him the Honorable Order of St. Barbara. He has a master’s degree in history and has taught that subject at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. He lives in nearby Granbury with his family. Chapter 1 ////// Baalkpan, Borno Capital of the United Homes and Headquarters of the Grand Alliance November 29, 1944 It was a bright, gloriously clear, and pleasantly dry afternoon when Commander Alan Letts, Chairman of the United Homes and currently the entire Grand Alliance, came down to the waterfront to watch their latest achievement, the light cruiser USS Fitzhugh Gray (CL-1), return to port after her high-speed trials. Accompanying him was Surgeon Commander Karen Theimer Letts and all their children (one human and two adopted Lemurian war orphans); Commander Steve Riggs, who was Minister of Communications and Electrical Contrivances, and Henry Stokes, the director of the office of strategic intelligence. A Lemurian aide supported a broad, colorful parasol above them, at Karen's insistence, to protect her husband's sensitive skin. He "sloughed off skin like a snake," in her words, when he burned. Dozens of Lemurian ministers were there as well, as was almost every member of the legislative assembly representing the various Homes, or "states," in the Union. Their furry pelts and wide, bright eyes were as multicolored as the parasol. Most strongly supported Alan as chairman, as did the vast majority of the Union population, but Alan understood and even sympathized with the fact that, with the war increasingly distant, a disconnected weariness was beginning to set in. That couldn't be allowed to take deep root, because the war was in a critical tipping-point phase, and he was fully aware of how quickly it could get dangerously close once more. Fortunately, many understood this, particularly the ministers and assemblypersons who'd been present during the apocalyptic battle that had consumed this very city. They'd continue to support him as long as his policies were successful. On the other hand, Baalkpan had grown tremendously as labor and troops flooded in from all over the Union, and most of the newcomers had no personal experience with the war besides the hard work they performed to support it. That was the true source of the disconnect. There was a growing desire to get on with the better life promised by the industrial and economic revolution Alan himself had set in motion. Therefore, though he remained highly popular with the people, only the assembly members from Maa-ni-la, Aryaal and B'mbaado, North Borno, Austraal, and Baalkpan itself, of course, were solidly behind him. And of those members, only "King" Tony Scott of the Khonashi in North Borno might be considered a close personal friend, who'd stick through thick and thin. Then again, Tony shared his perspective in a number of ways. Not only had he ridden herd over an even more bizarrely diverse constituency-the Khonashi were a mixed tribe of Grik-like beings and humans, who'd absorbed former enemies into their population-but Tony was also a former shipmate from USS Walker. Members from Saa-leebs in general, and Sular in particular, were generally more antagonistic and stood figuratively and literally somewhat apart on the pier that day. Assemblypersons from Sina-pore and B'taava (which barely had eno