ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The problem with acknowledgements on this book is remembering all the people who’ve contributed over the last two plus years to its development. So let’s start with a limited list of the people who’ve kept me from looking like a complete fool.
A good place to start is probably Dr. Robert Hampson, Ph.D. (Pharmacology, Physiology) for help with, well, gosh, everything, mostly the neurological effect of the H7D3 virus, some details on vaccine production and, oh, yeah, pointing out (as several did) that influenza viruses use RNA, not DNA. (Which I knew but I also once had a manual safety on a Glock. Sue me.)
Kelly Lockhart (yep, real person) for doing enough research so some of the discussions between experts was at least vaguely reasonable handwavium. Also for occasionally coming over to the house to kick my butt into finishing the book. (I’d “finished” it already but there were, shall we say, some gaps to fill in. Like most of one chapter.)
Then there’s Douglas Wyatt, USCG, for pointing out about a billion things I’d gotten wrong (that fortunately you gentle readers will never see) about the most basic aspects of sailing, not to mention “There’s no way in hell they’d have parked in the East River or the sound. The currents are ferocious.” When I asked for some details on the USCGC Campbell his reply was “Yeah . . . most of that’s classified but I’ll give you what I can . . .” Which, alas, is what what many of my technical experts often are forced to say since I have, I think, some really cool friends.
Speaking of Michael Massa, former something something special operations, former Head of Security and Disaster Response for “a major international bank,” and who has no resemblance whatsoever to either Thomas the Tank Engine or Mike Jenkins, I’d like to thank him for his assistance on aspects of, well, it should be obvious. Alas, I never did write “the battle of the BERTs.” As a singer once said, most of writing is “what to leave in, what to leave out.” This is another universe I’ve created that is made for anthologies of “the other stories.” (For one of which I only have the title, “Something funny happened on the way to Peoria.” Which would also work for the Posleen, Special Circumstances and Vorpal Blade universes.) If only I was an editor. Anyway, thanks again, Mike.
Deborah Fishburn and Brian Carbin for straightening out some of my Aussie slang as well as general edits and suggestions.
Michael “Subdude” Gants for some unclass details of life on a fast attack. Sorry, Mike, Dallas stays for now.
There will be a much longer list for the sequel, To Sail a Darkling Sea. But I gotta get this to the publishers, like, now.
—John Ringo
Chattanooga, April 2013