On a planet peacefully and harmoniously populated by both humans and the gorilla-like Pagayans, civil war has broken out, fostered by a third species, the Damargs. None of Earth's ex-colony worlds want to hear about it, much less get involved. But one member of the space-based Trading League, Colleen Yrden, is raising an Interplanetary Brigade to fight on Pelgraff. Alan McLean left the New Brittain police service under a cloud: he killed a man under questionable circumstances. His need to belong to something, anything, drives him to accept Colleen's offer of employment--to help train the Interplanetary Brigade--despite his natural disgust at the endeavour and his dislike for the Pagayans. It doesn't hurt that she believes in him where all others have turned their backs. Though he signs on to train men in weapons and tactics only, he finds himself drawn into the conflict and his growing hatred of the brutal Damargs--as well as his unrequited feelings for Colleen--holds him on Pelgraff even as politics makes the prospect of eventual victory increasingly unlikely and his bigotry towards Pagayans makes equally unlikely a relationship with Colleen. Others may leave, but McLean is determined to stay to the end, however it turns out.
About the Author: D.A. Boulter hates talking about himself in the 3rd person. Finds it annoying. Since my early school days, Science Fiction and Fantasy have intrigued me, starting with Heinlein, whose Starship Troopers I read in the middle 60s, long before I knew about the social and political themes it carried. My seminal year, though, came in 1974 when I got my hands on a copy of Frank Herbert's "Dune", which fascinated me with its depth and scope. At that moment I knew SF&F had hooked me. However, it took another ten years before I seriously considered writing my own material and another ten after that before I began writing in earnest. Now, with the advent of e-readers and publishing-on-demand (POD), I find myself in the very strange position of being a published author, rather than someone who wrote for himself only. It gratifies me that many have read and enjoyed my works. Thank you. I've worked as a cook, a first-aid attendant, weather observer, radar operator and tech. I've worked in the city, in the woods, and in the Arctic. Just now, I find myself on the West Coast of Canada, with my feline companion -- one of a line of cats who have shared my writing moments (and interrupted them as well).