Star Shield Breach
Where Technology Meets Treachery
When U.S. space dominance is threatened by a Russian mole inside a DARPA space weapons contractor, a brilliant and relentless Army Counterintelligence officer must lead his elite team in a high stakes hunt to expose the spy before America loses control of the final frontier.
Dead Drop
A Cold February Morning in Maryland
The air bites at her cheeks as she runs, her pace is steady—measured. This isn’t a jog for fitness—it’s a cover.
In the hushed, gray light, a lone figure moved along the winding path of the park. Her stride was even, efficient—not the bouncing gait of a fitness enthusiast, but something practiced. Purposeful. The kind of rhythm born not from health obsession, but necessity.
She wore a runner’s gear: thermal leggings, gloves, a close-fitting vest with a high collar, and a knit cap pulled low. She looked every bit the casual morning jogger, but her eyes betrayed her. They were too alert, too focused. This was no run for cardio.
The park was still the kind of quiet only found in the lull between sunrise and the city’s awakening. She approached the tunnel, a squat, weather-stained underpass of stone and moss-darkened concrete yawning before her, empty and echoing. A faint scent of wet stone and earth lingered as she slipped into the tunnel.
Her shoes made soft slaps against the damp ground as she entered the tunnel. The sound of her footfalls bounced off the walls like a quiet metronome. At the midpoint, she slowed. Her eyes flicked behind her—once, twice. Nothing but silence and shadow.
Under the shelter of the arch, she reached into the tight chest pocket of her vest and pulled out a slim, semi-rigid folder a muted shade of blue, made from durable polymer, entirely unmarked. She didn’t hesitate.
She knows this place—chosen with care long ago.
A narrow crevice in the wall, half-hidden behind a bulging stone. The folder slid into the gap with a soft click.
And she was gone.
The sound of her footsteps faded down the trail as she resumed her pace, vanishing like morning mist. Just another woman in her thirties out for a run before work.
Evening fell with the chill still in the air. The sun had long since sunk beneath the horizon, casting the park in steel-gray shadows. A man now took to the same path, his breath rising in steady white clouds.
He ran with the familiarity of someone who didn’t fear this place. His movements were efficient, economical, calm. The tunnel appeared ahead of him, cloaked in darkness.
He didn’t hesitate.
Once inside, he slowed his pace, glancing behind him in the half-light. Empty.
He stopped at the crevice, his fingers reaching forward without fumbling. He knows exactly where it was. In one swift motion, he retrieved the blue folder, tucking it beneath the thermal layer of his jacket. Flattening it against his chest.
No pause. No backward glance.
He continued on, merging with the shadows.
Overview
40 Chapters
320 Pages
MAJOR WILL MORGAN is a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command (ACIC) at Fort Meade. A legendary figure in military intelligence, Will leads the Army’s most elite CI team — an unyielding taskmaster with a sharp mind and a loyal heart. His life is the mission.
As the global race for space supremacy escalates, the U.S. stands at a crossroads. Rivals like Russia and China are pouring resources into militarizing space. Russia’s latest threat: a nuclear-powered, space-based anti-satellite system capable of disabling America’s satellites via electromagnetic pulses —jeopardizing everything from missile defense to communications.
DARPA, “the Pentagon’s brain,” has quietly launched a Space Superiority Initiative to counter the threat. But when the CIA’s deep – cover mole in Moscow transmits a classified DARPA document suggesting a Russian mole embedded within a top defense subcontractor, panic ensues.
The Pentagon assigns Will and his team to lead the most critical counterintelligence investigation of their careers. The mole must be found—and fast. The order is clear: No limit on resources. No margin for error.
As Will assembles his team, including DEREK WILSHIRE, an Asperger’s-diagnosed mathematical savant with a genius for patterns and encryption, the CIA intercepts a second Russian document. This one suggests the space system may already be compromised. Derek confirms the worst: the mole has access to DARPA’s most sensitive files.
The investigation quickly narrows to three lead physicists — all brilliant, all deeply embedded. The pressure intensifies as the team races to expose the traitor. But the truth is even more dangerous: the mole is a double agent, protected by the FBI.
Just as the net tightens, U.S. Space Command confirms the unthinkable—a Russian killer satellite has destroyed one of America’s retired satellites in orbit. The system works. The U.S. declares a Dark Sky alert. Space is now an active warzone.
In a last-ditch effort to slow Russia and buy DARPA time to respond, Will’s team launches a bold countermeasure: using the FBI double agent to feed disinformation back to the Russians, sending their program into disarray. The move buys precious time as DARPA races to deploy a leapfrog defense.
But the cost is high, and the clock is ticking.