The Central Control Series

by Andre Norton

 

Star Rangers ~ 1953 (aka) Last Planet, The ~ 1955;

Central Control, for years in supreme command of the first Galactic Empire, had fallen on corrupt and bitter days by 8054 A.D. And so when the crew of the Patrol ship Starfire found themselves wrecked on an unknown planet without hope of rescue, it was up to the Rangers - those scouts whose business it was to explore and map new territory - to establish a way of life for the survivors. Led by Kartr, they left the wreckage of their spaceship and struck out across the desert for the green country beyond. There they found a deserted city in such a state of preservation that all its complex mechanized devices could be operated once again. How they battled almost to the death - using not only blasters but mind control - with Vice-Sector Lord who wished to rule as dictator in this forgotten planet makes a top-flight novel of suspense.

 

Star Guard ~ 1955;

In a breathtaking novel of outer space, Andre Norton spins a web of excitement and intrigue, this time taking the reader into a future epoch where men are not the masters but the underdogs of the universe – hired soldiers who wear the uniforms of their alien masters.
Andre Norton’s Star Guard in the fast-action account of the courageous recruit was first dared to challenge that science-dictatorship on behalf of the whole of Earth.
It’s a thriller,” said The Cleveland Press

 

Star Soldiers ~ 2001;

Omnibus featuring Star Rangers and Star Guard