About this ebook
What could go wrong?
Solitary spacejock Landry Krieger ekes out a living transporting data through the galaxy—and smuggling people past the watchful eyes of governments, in hiding places he builds in his ship.
When the priests of Tao Pacem ask for his help, Landry resists. Dow patch’em? Yin-yang symbols? A plan to sneak a young boy, the “reincarnation” of their spiritual leader, to their conquered homeworld to spark a rebellion?
After earlier experiences with religious leaders, he needs far more than the big payday they offer to say yes.
He gets it when an arrogant agent of the oppressors tries to scare him off the job.
But during a month-long interstellar journey, what starts as just another hustle gets complicated.
The oppressors track Landry’s ship.
His personality clashes with the priests…
…and meshes with the boy’s beautiful young governess.
Fail in his mission, and not only his passengers will suffer. Millions of innocent people will remain in bondage.
Then Landry finds evidence one of his passengers is a saboteur and spy…
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About the author
Raymund Eich is a science fiction and fantasy writer whose middle American upbringing is a launchpad for journeys to the ends of the universe.
His most popular works are military science fiction series The Confederated Worlds (novels Take the Shilling, Operation Iago, and A Bodyguard of Lies) and the Stone Chalmers series of science fiction espionage adventures (novels The Progress of Mankind, The Greater Glory of God, To All High Emprise Consecrated, and In Public Convocation Assembled).
He has over ten other published book-length works and more than forty published short stories. His short fiction has appeared in Analog, Odyssey, Boundary Shock Quarterly, and the anthology Surviving Tomorrow, and has earned honorable mentions and a semi-finalist award in the Writers of the Future contest. His works are available worldwide in ebook, trade paperback, and audiobook editions.
After circling the world by age five, he grew up in the Ozark Mountains of southwest Missouri. He earned a B.A. and a Ph.D., both in biochemistry, from Rice University. Though he’s no longer a working scientist, hundreds of papers cite his graduate research.
In addition to his writing career, he works in patent law, won a national quiz bowl championship, is a husband and father, and affirms Robert Heinlein's dictum that specialization is for insects.
He lives in Houston with his wife, son, and daughter. His last name has one syllable and is pronounced “eye-sh.” He can be found online at https://raymundeich.com.
