Preface

THIS STORY takes place in Thinking Horndog’s Swarm Cycle Universe. The story has been helped along significantly by other Swarm authors and their writings, including Omachuck, Zen Master, John Lewiston, Frostfyre, Kenn Ghannon, starfiend, Anne N. Mouse, Duke of Ramus, akarge, ElSol, and all the other Swarm Cycle authors whose 270-plus stories in the universe on SOL have been a profound influence on me.

I would especially like to thank John Lewiston for the loan of his Tuull AI T’krunkskit, AMD131, known as “Eddie” [See First Cruise of Lt. Steward] and ElSol for the loan of his rebellious Darjee AI “Sparta” [See All These Things That I’ve Done]. I also refer to the Earth Observation AI, Hermes, [See Pretty CAPable by Kenn Ghannon]. Characters and settings from other authors have also made cameos here and there. I’ve tried to be respectful of the originator’s intent for the character when that happens, and I’ve cited several stories in the text so you can explore more of the Swarm Cycle.

Still, this story is my own contribution to the Swarm Cycle and, undoubtedly, I have bollixed up some things. That’s all my fault. They did their best to straighten me out.

If you are unfamiliar with the Swarm Cycle, it would be helpful to read some of Thinking Horndog’s stories for a grounding. “Average Joes” and “Pickup Number Eighteen” would be a good place to start. In general, an alien race, called the Sa’arm (“Dangerous Ones”) is eating its way across the galaxy. Some races of the Confederacy have already been consumed. The Confederacy is so old and peaceful, however, that it is unable to defend itself or even contemplate violence against another sentient species. The Darjee, birdlike members of the Confederacy, make contact with humans by way of their AIs (artificial intelligence computers). Humans are considered almost as dangerous as the Swarm (Sa’arm) but, since they can fight, it is hoped they can delay indefinitely the encroachment of the Swarm on other Confederacy territory. Besides, Earth lies in the path of the Swarm.

The dating of this story is based on the Swarm Cycle calendar in which Month 0 is the first human contact with the Swarm. This is over a year before information is first leaked to the public that the Confederacy exists. In Month 16 (April), the President makes a general announcement about what is coming and makes testing for acceptance into the Confederacy (CAP tests) mandatory. The news is greeted with mixed reviews. Some are gung-ho, some reluctant, some disbelieving, and of course many just want to see what’s in it for them. It’s in that world that we join this story.

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Cover illustration by Limbitech, ID: 626291234, licensed from Shutterstock.com.

Online serial ISBN 978-1-950183-56-2

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