Fifty Degrees South

What happens when a starship meets an eighteenth century warship? In "Fifty Degrees South," the result is a battle that rages from the huge seas of the southern Atlantic to the iceberg strewn waters below the fiftieth latitude in one of the most unusual sea actions in science fiction. The story begins in 1803 during the Napoleonic war. Ambitious young captain, Alexander Burns is aboard his first command, HMS Morgause, a Royal Navy frigate. His orders are to capture an enemy French vessel, the Besancon, and find the mysterious sea chest she carries in her hold. Failure is not permitted, of course. The mission turns bizarre when the Besancon sails relentlessly south down the Atlantic and beyond the Cape of Good Hope toward the frozen southern latitudes where no ship ever dares go. Driving the Morgause in pursuit, Captain Burns and his crew are buffeted by huge seas, and menaced by the sudden appearance of giant blue beams of light shining straight from the clouds and piercing the sea around them. If that weren't bad enough, things really turn strange when a woman is found floating in the sea: a mysterious, beautiful and enigmatic lady named Lavinia. For Captain Burns, terrible decisions must be made regarding the new 'passenger, ' the mission, and the limits of his ship and her crew to take on an enemy who comes from beyond the stars. Prepare yourself to travel back in time in this unputdownable novella. Click 'Buy' and get ready to beat to quarters today.