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The Reformer
 ON
THIS PLANET,
HUMANS HAD FORGOTTEN
THEIR HERITAGE—
UNTIL IT CAME
LOOKING FOR THEM!
After the collapse of the galactic Web, civilizations crumbled and
chaos reigned on thousands of planets. Only on planet Bellevue was there
a difference. There, a Fleet Battle Computer named Center had survived
from the old civilization. When it found Raj Whitehall, the man who
could execute its plan for reviving human civilization, he and Center
started Bellevue back on the road leading to the stars; and when
Bellevue reached that goal, Center sent copies of itself and Raj to the
thousands of worlds still waiting for the light of civilization to dawn.
On Hafardine, civilization had fallen further than most. That men
came from the stars was not even a rumor of memory in Adrian Gellert's
day. The Empire of Vanbret spread across the lands in a sterile splendor
that could only end in another collapse, more ignominious and complete
than the first. Adrian Gellert was a philosopher, a Student of the
Grove. His greatest desire was a life of contemplation in the service of
wisdom . . . until he touched the 'holy relic' that contained the
disincarnate minds of Raj Whitehall and Center. On that day, Adrian's
search for wisdom would lead him to a life of action, from the
law-courts of Vanbret to the pirate cities of the Archipelago and
battlefields bloodier than any in the history he'd learned. The prize
was the future of humanity.
Cover art by Gary Ruddell
Interior maps by Preston Wilson
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 Hardcover
Paperback
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, April 1999
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: 0-671-57860-X
Copyright © 1999 by S.M. Stirling & David Drake
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
Typeset by Brilliant Press
Electronic version by WebWrights
http://www.webwrights.com
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To Marjorie Stirling
NOT WITHOUT MY BROTHER!
. . . Suicide, Adrian thought. My brother can't possibly cut his way into Vanbert—riots, chaos, street fighting—and get out with her.
probability of success 35%, +/-7, Center said.
Raj's mental voice cut in: If you're going to stage a raid into a major city, riot and insurrection make it a lot easier.
"If I help him . . . how much does that improve the chances?"
There was a long silence in his head; he was conscious, somehow, of Raj and Center speaking at a level and speed beyond his comprehension.
Tell him, Center, Raj said at last.
probability of successful rescue attempt increases to 53%, +/-5, with your participation, the new weapons, and full support from raj whitehall and myself, Center said. however, this is an unnecessary risk to you, our operative, and does not advance the prime objective to any significant degree.
Raj's voice added with a flash of amusement: You're going to do it, son—I would, if I were you and alive—and we hardly have a choice other than to give you all the help we can.
Adrian nodded and walked out into the bright morning light. "Fered," he shouted. "Gather the grenade slingers. I need their help."
Also in this series:
The Forge
The Hammer
The Anvil
The Steel
The Sword
The Chosen
BAEN BOOKS by DAVID DRAKE
Hammer's Slammers
The Tank Lords
Caught in the Crossfire
The Butcher's Bill
The Sharp End
Cross the Stars
The Belisarius series
with Eric Flint:
An Oblique Approach
In the Heart of Darkness
Destiny's Shield
Fortune's Stroke
(forthcoming)
Independent Novels
and Collections
Birds of Prey
The Dragon Lord
Redliners
With the Lightnings
Lt. Leary, Commanding
(forthcoming)
Starliner
Ranks of Bronze
Lacey and His Friends
Mark II: The Military Dimension
All the Way to the Gallows
The Undesired Princess and The Enchanted Bunny
(with L. Sprague de Camp)
Lest Darkness Fall and
To Bring the Light
(with L. Sprague de Camp)
Enemy of My Enemy
(with Ben Ohlander)
BAEN BOOKS by S.M. STIRLING
The Draka series
The Domination
Drakon
Drakas!
(forthcoming anthology)
with Jerry Pournelle:
Go Tell the Spartans
Prince of Sparta
Blood Feuds
Blood Vengeance
The Children's Hour
with James Doohan:
The Rising
The Privateer
The City Who Fought
(with Anne McCaffrey)
The Ship Avenged
Snowbrother
Saber and Shadow
(with Shirley Meier)
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