Once a Hero

Resplendent

... dazzling.... Moon's mastery of contemporary science fiction is evident in every line. The characters spring to life on the page ... the action never flags .. riveting.... A resplendent addition to Moon's already impressive catalog."
—Booklist

Excellent

"There are so many nice touches [in Once a Hero], it's hard to know where to start.... more than a good read, with excellent world building and appealing characters
—Science Fiction Age

Satisfying

Moon has established herself as one of the best-known and most acclaimed writers of SF adventure.... [Once a Hero] is a satisfying read, full of the finely detailed settings and excitement that Moon's readers have come to expect, and featuring a heroine whose self-doubt and inner strength lend her considerable appeal."
-Publishers Weekly

Splendid

"If you have not yet discovered the joys of reading Elizabeth Moon, now is definitely the time to do so.... Esmay Suiza stands out as a splendidly enduring character who takes on a wonderful life of her own. . .."
-Romantic Times

Cover Art by Gary Ruddell

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, March 1997

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moon, Elizabeth.
Once a hero / Elizabeth Moon
p. cm.
"A Baen books original"—T.p. verso
ISBN 0-671-87769-0 (HC)
I. Title.
PS3563.055705 1997
813'.54—dc21 96-48176
CIP

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13: 978-0-671-57842-8
ISBN-10: 0-671-57842-1

A Baen Books Original
Baen publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
https://www.baen.com

Electronic version by Baen Books
https://www.baen.com

Dedication

For James, the newest Marine in the family.
Semper Fi.

Acknowledgements

As usual, many people helped with the details. Tim Bashor, Major U.S. Marine Corps, retired, and presently an exemplary bookstore owner, offered innumerable good suggestions on how to cause trouble aboard a large ship. If you think that part of the book makes sense, it's thanks largely to him. Richard Moon, Malcolm McLean, and Michael Byrd also helped out on specific details. Judy Glaister kept me from making a worse hash of the role of nurses in therapy. Any mistakes are my own (I don't need help to make mistakes . . . ). R.S.M. provided the medical texts; the Tuesday Lunch & Ice Skating Club approved the ship design (approved may not be the right word for "collapsed in helpless giggles"). Consultants for various bits who would prefer not to be named include the ubiquitous M.M. and E.M. and T.B.