by Timothy Zahn
First published 2009
The Cobra worlds face a crisis of faith. Years after Earth's cybernetic warriors helped defeat the Troft aliens and earned three planets as their reward, many colonists question whether the Cobras remain necessary. The surgically implanted weapons that make these fighters deadly also shorten their lives dramatically. Training costs run high. Research into improvements drains resources. A generation that never witnessed interplanetary warfare sees the Cobras as an expensive relic. The Moreau family, legendary among the Cobra ranks, watches this debate with growing concern. Their invisible weapons once turned the tide when Adirondack and Silvern colonies fell to Troft forces. Earth had gambled everything on ground-based guerilla fighters rather than space battles, and the Cobras proved that desperate strategy correct. Now those same enhanced warriors face a different challenge. Public opinion turns against them just as sensors detect new movement in deep space. Something approaches the Cobra worlds, and early reports suggest this threat may exceed even Troft capabilities. The colonists who dismiss their protectors as obsolete may soon discover their mistake.
Genres: science-fiction, military-fiction, adventure, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, public-opinion
Setting: Cobra Worlds, Adirondack, Silvern
288 pages · Hardcover · Baen