Rebel Guns of Alpha Centauri — John Bowers

Eight years ago, when Nick Walker was a twenty year-old Star Marine, his unit was deployed to Alpha Centauri 2 to put down an insurrection by the Rebel Coalition. Eighteen months of hard fighting led to a dramatic showdown in the little mountain town of Trimmer Springs, where Nick's unit-cut off, surrounded, and outnumbered-held out for two days until relief arrived. With most of his comrades dead or wounded, Nick took a sniper rifle into the church tower and became a one-man killing machine, stopping the rebel forces cold for more than thirty-six hours. Now a United Federation Marshal, Nick returns to Trimmer Springs to keep the peace. The war is over, but memories remain. Most of the men Nick killed in those terrible two days still have relatives living in the area, and they know who he is. Fueled by hatred and cultic religious fervor, some have vowed to take revenge, by any means necessary…and they don't care who gets hurt along the way. Guns of Alpha Centauri is Nick Walker's third assignment as U.F. Marshal, and his most deadly to date. At least he isn't alone this time-Suzanne Norgaard, his stunning Vegan girlfriend, is with him, and she's a crack shot with a rifle…but how long can the two of them survive against a quarter million rabid religious fanatics?104,500 words (equivalent to 392 pages in mass market paperback form)Rated "R".