Young faces stared at the display and then shifted to another when it came up, unspeaking but unable to turn away. I didn’t look. I watched the people instead. I hadn’t done that the last time, at Cappa. There hadn’t been time. Now I had nothing but time. I wondered if I looked like they did, if I’d looked that way for the last couple years, carrying the weight of thousands of deaths. More than thousands, in my case. At some point flight ops did their thing and sent ships in close to check things out. Drones, too. They’d either find the Cappans or they wouldn’t. I’d done what I could. I walked out of the room without speaking to anybody. Soldiers stepped out of my path, almost stumbling in their haste, as if touching me would somehow infect them.
I reached the medical bay without really knowing that was where I was headed. Almost every bed in the long, narrow room had a soldier in it. I found Matua about halfway down a row of almost twenty along one wall. He looked up as I stood over him.
“You made it, sir.” His voice seeped out in a croak.
I smiled at him. “I did. Partly thanks to you.”
“No way, sir. You know that’s not true.”
“You did your job, Matua. That’s all any of us can do. Trust me on that.”
“I’m so sorry, sir.”
I smiled again, thinner this time, and shook my head. I didn’t trust myself to speak without losing it.
I headed for the bar.
I was three drinks in when Danner found me. “You might want to slow down, sir. We got word that we’re breaking station.”
I raised my glass, toasting him. They say that it’s not healthy to go into stasis with alcohol in your system. But then they say lots of things aren’t healthy, and it’s never stopped me before. “So the scans came up clean?”
“They did. No signs of life. We’ll leave the satellites in orbit to keep an eye on things, but the folks back home seem pretty happy.”
I nodded, and poured myself another drink. He wanted me to ask about my own situation, so he could tell me and unburden himself. I didn’t. “How long until stasis?”
“Within the hour.”
I looked at him, nodded again, and turned back to my drink. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Danner left me alone.
The Cappans weren’t out of danger. They’d have to avoid detection by the satellites and find a way to get off the planet before anybody else came looking. They had assets like Sasha and Riku on Talca, and probably others in other systems. From what I’d seen of their abilities, I liked their odds. I poured a final drink. My biggest fear was for Ganos. She held no value to Omicron, now that the mission was done, but once everything hit the news, I wouldn’t put it past them to be petty and go after her in vengeance. But she was smart, and Plazz and the Cappans would look out for her. I had to believe that.
For me, I’d go into stasis and I’d either wake up or I wouldn’t. I figured I had a decent chance, depending on how they decided to deal with what just happened. They could try to cover it up, but they’d have to know that wouldn’t work. Someone in the crew would talk, and if they didn’t, Plazz would figure it out anyway, with the help I’d given her. They might want to keep me around as a scapegoat. Then again, they might not.
I just wanted to sleep, deep and peaceful, without the dreams. I didn’t know if that would happen or not, but I hoped.
“Sir?” Someone stood at a respectful distance. “It’s time.”
I stood up and smiled. “I’m ready.”
Acknowledgments
As I continue my writing journey, so many people have helped me that I couldn’t possibly name them all, but I want to acknowledge some who were especially critical to this project.
I want to thank my agent, Lisa Rodgers, who gives me excellent advice about my writing career in general, and who has a sharp editorial mind that made this specific book better in so many ways. I could not have a better partner in my writing endeavors.
I would like to thank David Pomerico and the entire team at Harper Voyager for their continued belief in my work and their efforts at making it into the product you see here on the page. Without the outstanding editing, this book would be much less than it is. Additional thanks to the art department for the cover, and for all the people who work behind the scenes to bring the book to market. I’d like to thank Andrew Gibeley specifically for his work promoting Planetside and getting it in front of more readers than I ever could have on my own. Promoting books is hard, and I couldn’t have asked for better support.
I had fewer readers on this book than on my previous work, so each person was, by definition, more important. Red Levine provided essential feedback, especially focused on characters and their behaviors, that added depth that would otherwise be lacking. Rebecca Enzor provided early notes and talked me down off of several ledges. Jason Nelson provided critical insights into the computer-network aspects of the book, as well as specific character thoughts for Butler and Ganos. I could not have done this without them.
Special thanks to Dan Koboldt who came up with the title and gave outstanding notes on this project. More than that, he continues to give me career advice and insight on a regular basis. Years after he mentored me in Pitch Wars, I continue to learn from him.
Thanks to Pancho, who inspired me to create Cisco, Ganos’s dog.
I want to thank everyone who read Planetside, and especially everyone who read it and told somebody else about it. That continues to overwhelm me—it means so much. Your time is valuable, and the fact that you chose to spend it with my book is amazing to me. Thank you. Really.
Finally, and most significantly, I’d like to thank my wife, Melody. Her support, advice, and understanding are more significant to my success than everything else combined. Without her, I could do none of this.
About the Author
MICHAEL MAMMAY is a retired army officer and a graduate of the United States Military Academy. He has a masters degree in military history and is a veteran of Desert Storm, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He lives with his family in Georgia.
Visit Michael at www.michaelmammay.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Praise for Planetside
“A tough, authentic-feeling story that starts out fast and accelerates from there.”
—Jack Campbell, author of Ascendant
“Not just for military SF fans—although military SF fans will love it—Planetside is an amazing debut novel, and I’m looking forward to what Mammay writes next.”
—Tanya Huff, author of the Confederation and Peacekeeper series
“Planetside is a smart and fast-paced blend of mystery and boots-in-the-dirt military SF that reads like a high-speed collision between Courage Under Fire and Heart of Darkness.”
—Marko Kloos, bestselling author of the Frontline series
“This was a brisk, entertaining novel. [ . . . ] I was reminded a bit of some of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War novels.”
—SFFWorld
“Mammay capably writes Butler’s gritty, old-school soldier’s voice, and the story delivers enough intrigue and action for fans of military SF.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The book was an enjoyable read and would likely sit well with any fan of military SF looking for an action-thriller to browse while lying in the sun at the beach.”
—Chris Kluwe for Lightspeed Magazine
“In Planetside Mammay mixes a brevity of prose with feeling of authenticity that would be remarkable in many experienced authors, let alone in a debut novel. Definitely the best military sci-fi debut I’ve come across in a while.”
—Gavin Smith, author of Bastard Legion and Age of Scorpio
“A fast-paced tale of military investigation that reads like a blend of Jerry Pournelle and NCIS. Michael Mammay brings an exciting and authentic voice of experience to military science fiction.”
—Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones
“Planetside, the debut novel by M
ichael Mammay, is an easy book to love. [ . . . ] a page-turner and an extremely satisfying read.”
—Washington Independent Review of Books
“If you like military SF you’ll love this, or if you like SF mysteries or probably just SF in general. It’s a highly impressive first novel that left a real impact.”
—SFCrowsnest
By Michael Mammay
Spaceside
Planetside
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
spaceside. Copyright © 2019 by Michael Mammay. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition SEPTEMBER 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-269469-0
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-269468-3
Cover design by Guido Caroti
Cover illustrations by Sebastien Hue
Harper Voyager and the Harper Voyager logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
HarperCollins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
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