Out Of The Dark – Snippet 08
Chapter .III.
Master Sergeant Stephen Buchevsky climbed out of the MRAP, stretched, collected his personal weapon, and nodded to the driver.
“Go find yourself some coffee. I don’t really expect this to take very long, but you know how good I am at predicting things like that.”
What Distant Deeps — Snippet 55
* * *
Adele was going over inventories of material unloaded at the Farm when, without warning, Cazelet said, “Ship, prepare to extract in thirty, repeat three-zero, seconds,” over both the PA system and the general push.
1635: The Eastern Front — Snippet 47
Chapter 22
Chemnitz, in southwestern Saxony
John George’s face was almost literally red. The Elector of Saxony’s eyes were bulging, too. Half in disbelief, half in fury.
1635: The Eastern Front — Snippet 46
Berlin
“We are agreed, then,” Gustav Adolf concluded. Standing at the head of the long row of tables that had been set up for the conference, he nodded to Mike Stearns, who was seated four chairs down on the king’s left side. “As soon as we defeat the Poles and Brandenburgers in a major battle, General Stearns will take his division to Bohemia. Wallenstein has been requesting our support for months. He fears the Austrians will soon invade.”
Out Of The Dark – Snippet 07
Thikair was well aware that many of the Hegemony’s other member species believed the Shongairi’s “perverted” warlike nature (and even more “perverted” honor codes) explained their readiness to expand through conquest. And to be honest, they had a point, because no Shongair ever born could resist the seduction of the hunt. But the real reason, which was never discussed outside the Empire’s inner councils, was that an existing infrastructure, however crude, made the development of a colony faster and easier. And even more importantly, the . . . acquisition of less advanced but trainable species provided useful increases in the Empire’s labor force. A labor force which — thanks to the Constitution’s namby-pamby emphasis on members’ internal autonomy — could be kept properly in its place on any planet belonging to the Empire.
What Distant Deeps — Snippet 54
CHAPTER 19: The Matrix, between Zenobia and Palmyra
Daniel lived with enthusiasm and liked most of what life had brought him. What he felt on the hull of a ship in the Matrix was on an even higher plane than sex or a perfect piece of ship handling, however. It was –
What Distant Deeps — Snippet 53
According to the records, the Farm had cadre of eighty-two personnel, but Adele didn’t trust the figure. She had never seen a military organization on the fringes of civilization where the officers weren’t inflating their personnel strength and pocketing the excess pay themselves. It was even more common than cheating subordinates on their food.
1635: The Eastern Front — Snippet 45
Magdeburg
“Good news, finally,” said Matthias Strigel, as soon as he entered the room. The governor of Magdeburg province closed the door behind him and came over to the large table in the center. Rebecca, Constantin Ableidinger, Helene Gundelfinger and Werner von Dalberg were already seated there.
Out Of The Dark – Snippet 06
Chapter .II.
The attention signal whistled on Fleet Commander Thikair’s communicator. He would remember later how prosaic and . . . normal it had sounded, but at that moment, as he looked up from yet another ream of deadly dull paperwork, when he still didn’t know, he felt an undeniable sense of relief for the distraction. Then he pressed the acceptance key, and that sense of relief vanished when he recognized his flagship commander’s face . . . and worried expression.
Out Of The Dark – Snippet 05
PLANET
KU-197-20
Year 74,065 of the Hegemony
Chapter .I.
So, fearless hunter, are you ready for your venture into the deepest, darkest wilderness? And did you pack enough pemmican and jerky?” Sharon Dvorak inquired with a sweet smile.
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