Kren of the Mitchegai
The
Virtual-Reality Mercenaries of
A Boy and His Tank Face a New Menace
—and There’s Nothing Virtual About It!
First, the involuntary colonists of New Kashubia rescued their planet
from crushing debt by becoming virtual-reality mercenaries, then they
successfully revolted against the oppressive government of Earth, but now
they are menaced by the Mitchegai, a species whose biology has made them
inherently evil. The carnivorous adults lay and abandon vast numbers of
eggs, some of which grow into vegetarian juveniles, which are the adults’
only food supply. Their culture has no family life, they eat only meat,
have nothing like sex., and their main pleasures are gambling, art, and
killing each other. They are an ancient civilization, millions of years
old, with thousands of densely populated star systems in their realm.
Lacking an immune system, they must completely sterilize any planet before
they colonize it. The region of the galaxy they occupy is rapidly
expanding . . . and Human Space is their next frontier!
Praise for Leo Frankowski and A Boy and His Tank
“When I teach science fiction, I use Frankowski’s books as an example
of how to do it right.” —Gene Wolfe
". . . a literate military adventure laced with political allegory—and
a great deal of fun.” —Starlog
“. . . the action is gripping, and there are plenty of novel twists and
ironic moments.” —Locus
“A blend of Keith Laumer’s Bolos and David Drake’s Slammers. . . .”
—Science Fiction Chronicle
Cover art by Gary Ruddell
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Hardcover
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and
events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real
people or incidents is purely coincidental.
First printing, March 2004
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Printed in the United States of America
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ISBN: 0-7434-7182-2
Copyright 2004 by Leo Frankowski & Dave Grossman
All rights reserved, including the right to
reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.
A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
http://www.baen.com
Production by Windhaven Press Auburn, NH
Electronic version by WebWrights
http://www.webwrights.com
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This one is again dedicated to my lovely wife,
Marina, and to her father, Vasili Ivanovich,
for making the roof fit on my castle.
Leo Frankowski
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my most excellent partner, Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman, for all his encouragement and enthusiasm.
Richard T. Bolgeo, Bruce R. Quayle, Ed Dunnigan, Mike Hubble, Mike Thelen, and Rodger Olsen all made many valuable suggestions and did yeoman service at proofreading.
And special thanks go to Dave's Ever Perfect Lieutenant, Susan, in the hope that she will someday stop calling me "Sir."
Leo
* * *
I want to take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation, first and foremost, to Leo Frankowski, a wise and experienced science fiction writer who has helped me to enter into the world of SF. Leo has been one of my heroes as a writer, but now he is a hero and a friend as a person.
Hooah!
Dave
Baen Books by Leo Frankowski
A Boy and His Tank The War with Earth (with Dave Grossman) Kren of the Mitchegai (with Dave Grossman) The Two-Space War (with Dave Grossman) The Fata Morgana Conrad's Time Machine
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