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Futuristic, Military Science-Fiction novel about intragalactic competition and conflict

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1
ELEANDOR-BESTIENNE
ilf Brim pointed into the shimmering globular display
and glared across the drafting console, angry now in
spite of himself. “If Nik Ursis says a waveguide
installed like that could short the vertical generators,” he insisted to a
determinedly unpliant Senior Engineer, “then a xaxtdamned
waveguide installed like that could short the vertical generators.
Nobody understands antigravity like Sodeskayan Bears, and you
bloody well know it!”
“Bears or no Bears,” the engineer sniffed, haughtily, “I was not
placed in my position of trust and authority to question Admiralty
plans, Lieutenant.” He was a tall, aristocratic man whose expression
was the perfect physical manifestation of bureaucratic arrogance,
though his features themselves were indifferent to the point of
banality. “I build starships strictly to specification,” he continued,
“and I greatly resent the interruption of my busy day with complaints
from flight crews. You may be certain your superiors will hear of this
insubordination. Imagine, summoning a senior engineer—with wild
tales of design flaws. Certainly you do not believe we meet
production quotas by challenging Admiralty design teams, do you?”
“Voot’s beard!” Brim exclaimed. “This has nothing to do with a
challenge.” He pointed to a drafting console. “Look for yourself—
your design diagrams are just plain wrong! A hit anywhere near the
KA’PPA tower could cripple both vertical gravity generators, trip
‘em out completely. And verticals are the only things I know that
keep starships from falling out of the sky, at least when they’re
anywhere near something that’s got gravity

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Copyright 2008 Bill Baldwin. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

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