The greatest cover up of all time . . . was orchestrated five thousand years ago . . . this is the continuation of that story. ORION CONNECTION is the first installment in the Legends trilogy, in which fiction novelist, S DeGiorgio, offers an eerily plausible connection between Mars and the rise of modern civilization. It's 2050, Earth's resources are nearly gone, armies guard what precious little remains, and as mankind prepares to set foot on Mars, leaders of an ancient society are forced out of the shadows to protect secrets they've guarded for millennia. NASA veteran and living legend, Commander Robert Lawson, is having the worst day of his life. On the eve of Earth's first manned mission to Mars, unknown adversaries have murdered four members of his crew, including his pilot and hand-picked successor, Mitch Reynolds. Rumor and espionage threaten to tear the crew apart at a time when America can't afford to fail. Continuing our way of life requires the world to witness the stars and stripes being plunged into Martian soil, but as the reserve team is pressed into service, fears grow within government circles that co-conspirators may be on board. Standing down is not an option. Control of Mars' mineral rights will reestablish America's position as the leader of the free world--except we're not the only country in the race for the red planet. No one's ever gone farther than the moon. Members of the crew only have each other, elite training, and raw instincts to rely on. Not everyone believes they'll make it home, and some consider them expendable--acceptable losses to advance the cause--but Lawson has no intention of letting that happen. Inspired by the real, but highly controversial "anomalies" detected in the Cydonia region of Mars by Viking I in 1976, and the unexplainable technological marvels that predate the rise of Egypt on Earth by thousands of years--this novel is rocket fuel for people seeking answers to the question, "Are we alone?"