Acknowledgments
Many people contribute to make facts behind a story true; one person, the author, is responsible for all the errors. Special thanks go to the following people for helping me right some of the wrongs in this story: Katharine McEwan, who introduced me to Jack Ainsworth and Hart Baddeley; Terry Stanley, who lent her intelligence to the birth of Dark Alpha 42; and Judith Anderle, who made the girls resplendent.
Thanks to JonLundy3d for the spaceship on the cover which was used under creative commons.