What Do We Know About Pack 1

They found a planet where none belonged. They should have left it alone. It is a planet like nothing the galaxy has seen. Found deep in the astral. Inhabited by creatures out of myth and legend. Formerly inhabited by a race far more advanced than anyone could have imagined. And now it's been discovered a bunch of reckless opportunists and enthusiastic amateurs. No one is prepared for what comes next. Mission 1: Shadow Planet Her family's company went bankrupt. With nothing but a failing mining station as severance pay, Director Fujita Hiroko moves to the edge of the galaxy to keep the station afloat. When the nearby planet vanishes with her and her survey team still on the surface, hopes of mining are quickly replaced by a more pressing goal: finding a way back to her station. Mission 2: Wizard Zero When a survey team unearths buildings on prospective mining planet, at first, it’s hailed as an archeological jackpot. But the ancient structures are more advanced than anyone’s seen. And the hedge against technology is a wizard. Mission 3: Shielded Sun With rival factions in orbit around Shadow Planet, the obvious threat was one another. When the defenses of an ancient alien outpost activate, trapping everyone in the star system, it becomes clear that there was more to worry about beneath the planet’s surface than in orbit around it. Mission 4: Prime Guardian The ancient solution to get magic and tech to coexist lies within an alien structure older than any race in the galaxy. Now, the balance of power threatens to tip. As factions reinforce their fleets for a war to claim the ultimate technological prize, Hiroko finds herself trapped between three races—one of them her own—in a quest where even victory promises disaster. Bonus Short Story: Tour of Darkness The galaxy's oldest historical site has become a tourist attraction. It also holds untold secrets that could shift the course of civilization. How far will one lone wizard go to protect the ancient technology that lies within? Black Ocean: Astral Prime hearkens back to location-based space sci-fi classics like Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Astral Prime builds on the rich Black Ocean universe, introducing a colorful cast of characters for new and returning readers alike. Come along for the ride as a minor outpost in the middle of nowhere becomes a key point of interstellar conflict.

Science to build a starship. Wizardry to take it past light speed. A crew to give it a soul. The Mobius is a cobbled-together ship with a matching crew. Captain Carl Ramsey is an ex-Earth Navy pilot whose crew won’t let him fly his own ship. The pilot is his ex-wife, the mechanic is a drunk, and the chief of security is from a predatory species. Instead of a star-drive to travel through the astral space between worlds, the ship’s wizard does it by hand. Mission 1: Salvage Trouble A salvage mission turns into a rescue, and no good deed goes unpunished. With two refugees onboard, the Mobius crew is hounded by bounty hunters, border partols, and corporate enforcers. Mission 2: A Smuggler’s Conscience “Don’t open the package.” It’s the smuggler’s credo for good reason. When the Mobius crew takes a peek at their illicit cargo, the entire job takes an about-face. Mission 3: Poets and Piracy The Mobius crew gets caught in a turf war between a pirate fleet and a galactic criminal syndicate. The trick is getting everyone out alive (and maybe getting paid in the process). Mission 4: To Err is Azrin Sometimes you can’t go home again. When a job takes the crew to their security chief’s homeworld, she gets dragged into a familial power struggle. Can the rest of the crew bail her out of an old feud gone horribly wrong? Bonus Short Story: Guardian of the Plundered Tomes Mordecai The Brown has been on the run from the Convocation for decades. How does a respectable wizard with a wife and two kids end up crisscrossing the galaxy in the company of outlaws? Black Ocean is a science fantasy series set in the 26th century. Do you wish there had been a second season of Firefly? Do you love the irreverent fun of Guardians of the Galaxy? Have you ever wondered how Star Wars would have turned out if Luke and Obi-wan had ditched the rebellion to become smugglers with Han and Chewie? Then Black Ocean is the series for you! Pick up your copy and aim to misbehave with the crew of the Mobius!

People used to think that Earth was flat, but now we know it isn’t. How did we find out Earth is actually a sphere? How did science help us understand the shape of our planet? Readers will delight in exploring the history and science behind Earth’s spherical shape. They’ll learn how satellite images and modern technology give us an image of the Earth. Readers will also learn all about early scientists and how they gradually came to enlighten others that the Earth wasn’t flat. Clear diagrams and fascinating sidebars help explain this important science topic, as supplemental science experiments give readers the hands-on experience they need to grasp the topic.

-~- T he articles in this book are dedicated to Martin Gardner, the world's greatest expositor and popularizer of mathematics. While our papers are confined to this single subject, Gardner's interests and accomplishments have a wide range of subjects. Hence, we have entitled the book the Mathematical Gardner, and would like to see other volumes such as the Magical, the Literary, the Philosophical, or the Scientific Gardner accompany it. Of course, our title is also an appropriate pun, for Martin Gardner's relationship to the mathematical community is similar to a gardener's relationship to a beautiful flower garden. The contributors to this volume comprise only a small part of a large body of mathematicians whose work has been nurtured by its exposition in "Mathematical Games"; Martin's column which appears every month in Scientific American. More than just a mathematical journalist, Martin connects his readers by passing along problems and information and stimulating creative activity. Thus, he is a force behind the scenes as well as a public figure. Two people were particularly helpful in putting this book together.

Pupils can progress through the differentiated activities, using the 3 star system to aid progression.Pupils' interest is maintained through the use of an attractive design and cartoons at intervals. Text is also kept simple.Activities will appeal to all lower ability pupils and have been extensively tested by practising teachers in the classroom.Flexibility and cost efficiency is maximised by a wide variety of worksheets.