Description
A colony's hidden SkunkWorks; revolutionary technology forbidden by the home world. Could they only keep it secret?
The first book in a new series by Philip Nolen, an epic tour de force that will draw, hold, and envelope you in a tale of Earth's first star colony; the coming of age of a people.
Steve Alten — NY Times & international best-selling author of The MEG series
New military sf with both the physics and the history meticulously worked out in interesting ways.
David Drake
2170 — Kraken Colony of Tau Ceti
An unregistered prototype starship of the North American Union (NAU) colony of Kraken is confronted by a frigate and is told to come alongside and be boarded. Development of high technology industries are forbidden in the colonies so Captain Jeremy Alfred does not want to be inspected.
The NAU frigate has made a mistake by hiding within the rock-and-ice filled rings of Kraken and when the frigate extends its gantry, Alfred commands his ship to run. The prototype sails through the rings with amazing agility and speed but the frigate sends out swarms of microbots to track and disable them — yet skill and the unique capabilities of their craft allow them to reach Kraken's ocean and find cover deep within a trench.
Eventually the NAU frigate gives up the search and the Kraken vessel flies to the mainland; a hidden facility called the Skunkworks. Here research, forbidden by the NAU, is focusing on developing new ships and a new supralight drive called a Slipdrive.
2171 — L2 Starport, Astral Service Docks
A new merchant, CSS Stodard, leaves port — its smooth lines and response draw attention as they head out for Jasper Colony to deliver goods and pick up freight, then off to the lava-plains of Mars. All goes well and they push off once again to return home, but they never return.