“The possibilities,” sus-Airaalin concluded, “are disturbing.”
He halted his dictation as the door of the observation deck opened to admit a trooper with a message tablet.
“Report from the bridge, sir. Hyperspace communications are starting to come back up, and the captain says you might want to take a look at this—it came through on the widebands just a few minutes ago.” sus-Airaalin accepted the tablet, which was flashing the orange light that meant a stored audio or video message. “Thank you,” he said to the trooper. “You may go now.”
As soon as he was alone, he pressed the button which would allow the tablet to replay its message. The first thing to come up was a red and yellow design identified in the commentary screen as a commercial trademark belonging to General Delivery and Communications Technologies of Suivi Point, Limited. The red and yellow trademark faded into a white and blue logo belonging—so the commentary informed him—to Dahl&Dahl Mercantile Bankers, also of Suivi Point. The Dahl&Dahl logo dissolved into a picture.
The image in the message tablet’s palm-sized screen had the fuzzy edges and dead colors of a holovid transmission picked up flat, but that didn’t matter. sus-Airaalin recognized the face. In his youth he had seen a copy of the message Perada Rosselin of Entibor had sent to the Lords of Eraasi, telling them that she would see her homeworld dead rather than give up the fight; and in the fullness of years he had met and spoken with the Domina herself.
Perada was gone—to the sorrow of the galaxy, thought sus-Airaalin; had she lived, things would have been different—but the young woman in the pale green gown had the same fair, arrogant face and the same startlingly bright blue eyes. Her yellow hair was braided in the same complex pattern, and she wore on her head the black tiara of twisted metal that was the Iron Crown of Entibor.
This one was supposed to be dead, thought sus-Airaalin. And then the young woman began to speak.
The voice that came over the message tablet’s on-board speaker didn’t have much volume, but the words came through clearly and without distortion.
“People of the Republic! A Mageworlds warfleet has attacked Galcen. Singly we cannot stand against them; we must work together if we are to survive. If you have a ship that can fight, or a ship that can be made to fight, or the knowledge and skills to work such a ship, come to Suivi Point, where we will build a fleet such as can capture the galaxy. To this goal I pledge my resources; to this goal I pledge my name and sign myself:
“Beka Rosselin-Metadi, Domina of Lost Entibor, of Entibor-in-Exile, and of the Colonies Beyond.”
Tor books by
Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald
The Price of the Stars
SNEAK ATTACKS!
Elimax raised his blaster. The ugly snarl of the weapon filled the cramped space as he sent two high power beams on tight focus into the heads of the sleepers.
In the silence that followed, another sound erupted—the buzz of a single-shot needler, fired at close range. Elimax crumpled forward; his blaster fell to the deck.
Beka stepped out of the shadowed corner where she’d stood watching … .
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in the book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.
STARPILOT’S GRAVE
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Cover art by Romas
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10010
Tor ® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.
eISBN 9781466802728
First eBook Edition : October 2011
Table of Contents
Title Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PROLOGUE - PLEYVER: FLATLANDS
PART ONE
I. - NAMMERIN: NAMPORT; SPACE FORCE MEDICAL STATION GALCEN: THE RETREAT
II. - THE NET: WARHAMMER MAGEWORLDS BORDER ZONE: RSF KARIPAVO
III. - NAMMERIN: SPACE FORCE MEDICAL STATION DOWNTOWN NAMPORT
IV. - RAAMET: GEFALON NAMMERIN: NAMPORT
VI. - NAMMERIN: DOWNTOWN NAMPORT; SPACE FORCE MEDICAL STATION
VII. - GALCEN: PRIME BASE NINGLIN: RUISI PORT
VIII. - NINGLIN: RUISI PORT GALCEN: PRIME BASE; THE RETREAT
PART TWO
I. - GALCEN: THE RETREAT; PRIME BASE NINGLIN: RUISI PORT
II. - THE NET: RSF KARIPAVO; RSF EBANNHA
III. - GALCEN: PRIME BASE NAMMERIN: SPACE FORCE MEDICAL STATION; NAMPORT ONTIMI SECTOR: PLANETARY INFANTRY BARRACKS, KIIN-ALOQ INFABEBE SECTOR: RSF FEZRISOND
IV. - GALCEN: PRIME BASE HYPERSPACE TRANSIT: WARHAMMER
V. - MAGEWORLDS ZONE: ERAASI NEARSPACE; ERAASI PORT
VI. - THE MAGEWORLDS: ERAASI; ERAASI PORT WARHAMMER: HYPERSPACE TRANSIT TO THE INNER NET
VII - NAMMERIN: DOWNTOWN NAMPORT RSF NAVERSEY: HYPERSPACE TRANSIT TO THE NET
VIII. - MAGEWORLDS BORDER ZONE: RSF KARIPAVO; RSF EBANNHA
PART THREE
I. - WARHAMMER: THE OUTER NET RSF KARIPAVO: THE OUTER NET
II. - WARHAMMER : GALCEN NEARSPACE RSF FEZRISOND: INFABEDE SECTOR
III. - WARHAMMER: GALCEN PATROL ZONE RSF NAVERSEY: THE OUTER NET GALCEN: THE RETREAT
IV. - RSF SELSYN-BILAI: INFABEDE SECTOR GALCEN NEARSPACE
V. - WARHAMMER: GALCEN NEARSPACE GALCEN: THE RETREAT
VII. - GALCEN: THE RETREAT INFABEDE SECTOR: RSF SELSYN-BILAI; RSF FEZRISOND
VIII. - GALCEN NEARSPACE THE OUTER NET GALCEN: PRIME BASE
PART FOUR
I. - GYFFER: PORT OF TELABRYK DEATHWING: THE OUTER NET
II. - NAMMERIN: DOWNTOWN NAMPORT OPHEL NEARSPACE
III. - NAMMERIN: NAMPORT OPHEL: SOMBRELIR
IV. - ASTEROID BASE RSF SELSYN-BILAI : INFABEDE SECTOR
V. - GALCEN NEARSPACE GYFFER: TELABRYK ASTEROID BASE
VI. - NAMMERIN: NAMPORT THE OUTER NET
VII. - THE OUTER NET: NIGHT’S-BEAUTIFUL-DAUGHTER NAMMERIN: NAMPORT
EPILOGUE - GALCEN NEARSPACE
Also by
SNEAK ATTACKS!
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