The Project Gutenberg EBook of Fearful Symmetry, by Ann Wilson

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Title: Fearful Symmetry
A Terran Empire novel

Author: Ann Wilson

Release Date: June 9, 2008 [EBook #25743]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FEARFUL SYMMETRY ***

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FEARFUL SYMMETRY

A Terran Empire Novel

Copyright 1992 by Ann Wilson

Chapter I

Deep Space, 2568 CE

For the first time in his century-long career, Fleet-Captain Arjen of
Clan D'gameh disapproved of a mission he had been given. That his
orders came straight from the Supreme made no difference to his
feelings, nor did the First Speaker's assurance that the Circle of
Lords deemed it vital to the survival of the Traiti race.

It wasn't the goal of the mission that disturbed him, as much as the
means. In the war between the Traiti and the Terran Empire, two things
were, if not exactly sacred, proprieties that both sides respected.
One was hospital ships, and the other was the return of bodies to their
kin. By extension, ships delivering wounded or picking up dead were
also immune, a principle that neither side had violated . . . yet.

Arjen and his reinforced fleet were about to violate that unwritten
taboo. The Fleet-Captain looked around his flagship's control central,
conscious that nobody else aboard the Hermnaen knew of the planned
deceit. He traced the honor-scars on his upper body through the cloth
of his shirt, wishing he were elsewhere and free of the orders that
seemed so dishonorable--then he told himself sternly to get on with it.

His mission wa