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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


ORDER 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

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


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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