Old Guns: A Military Sci-Fi Adventure

Two battle-scarred Marines, long past their prime and haunted by a first contact that should have killed them, are dragged back into service when the alien enemy they barely survived resurfaces. Frank Cage and Martin Kelvin have spent a decade trying to forget the horrors they witnessed, but the Colonial Shield Federation has no one else who knows the Hollow firsthand. Now they must suit up in outdated armor alongside a team of scientists who think their data trumps lived experience, and descend into something far more terrifying than a straightforward fight.

R.C. Bray is perfectly cast here, bringing gravel-voiced authenticity to a pair of veterans who are equal parts reluctant and relentless. His pacing captures both the darkly comic friction between the old soldiers and the younger scientists, and the mounting dread as the mission reveals its true stakes. Chaney and Smith write action that translates exceptionally well to audio, and at just over twelve hours, the story moves without ever feeling rushed.