Scorched Planet

The aliens hit Dator 5 without warning. The Earth colony has every communication severed and every defense overwhelmed. In the entire sector, exactly one combat pilot is still flight-ready: Alex Gibson, a former commander who washed out of active service years ago. He is what Dator 5 has. His asset is a hybrid vehicle capable of splitting between an aircraft for aerial threats and a ground assault tank for the surface. The colonists are still alive — some of them. There is a warp gate. The mission is to keep as many people breathing as possible long enough to get them through it.