Apollo Wept: Overture (Paperback or Softback)

In 2103, America's last fighter ace faces his strangest mission yet.
Pen "Duke" Lencoln once ruled the skies in an F-61 Mustang, defending his country against overwhelming odds. Now, after a forced career change and the dismantling of America's military might, he's relegated to ferrying the elite between Earth and the lunar colonies—a far cry from the adrenaline-fueled combat that defined him.
But when government archivists discover the Voyager probe carrying a plaque depicting only male and female humans, a scandal erupts. In New America, where 101 genders and 68 sexual orientations are federally recognized, this "erasure" constitutes the highest crime. To save humanity's cosmic legacy, Pen is selected to command the USS DESPAIR on an unprecedented mission: intercept Voyager beyond the solar system and replace the offensive artifact.
With weeks before departure, Pen meets Rene, an elementary teacher in an illegal 1980s-themed speakeasy, igniting an unexpected connection that complicates everything. As he assembles his crew and prepares to leave Earth, Pen discovers that powerful forces in both America and China are conspiring to ensure his mission fails. Armed with little more than his fighter pilot instincts and unexpected allies—including the Second Republic of Texas and help from a relative who died before he was born—Pen must navigate political minefields, sabotage, and impossible odds.
The future of Western Civilization hangs in the balance, and failure isn't in Duke Lencoln's vocabulary. Sometimes the most important battles aren't fought in the skies—they're fought in the stars.
If you enjoyed Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver, and Able Archer 83 by Phillip Jennings, you'll love Apollo Wept: Overture.