Acknowledgments

Writing “The Black Fleet Crisis” has been either the most grueling fun or the most enjoyable marathon of my writing career. Either way, the last seventeen months have been amazingly full—a new home, two new babies (Amanda and Gavin), and more than three hundred thousand new words of fiction.

Though I was on my own in the many long hours I spent with my old friend Qwerty, I couldn’t have had those hours, or done nearly as much with them, without the help of a grand conspiracy of allies.

First among them are my immediate family, Gwen Zak and my son Matt, and my de facto extended family, Rod Zak and Arlyn Wilson. With unflagging grace and good humor, they pitched in wherever they were needed, doing whatever had to be done to keep the home fires burning and the dragons at bay.

The seasoned professionals of this conspiracy were SCG superagent Russ Galen, Bantam editor Tom Dupree, BDD Audio producer Lynn Bailey, and Lucasfilm’s Sue Rostoni. Working their mysterious ways through such arcane media as the fax, the telephone, and E-mail, they skillfully managed the more far-reaching elements of the master plan.

Then there were the many sympathizers, who—though not formally part of my cell—nevertheless offered their knowledge or services to further our cause. Prominent on that long list are Dan Wallace, Craig Robert Carey, Timothy O’Brien, R. Lee Brown, Michael Armstrong, Jim Macdonald, Daniel Dworkin, Evelyn Cainto, and Mike Stackpole.

Meanwhile, John Vester, Dave Phillips, and Jennifer Hrynik took the point on a fiendishly clever disinformation campaign.

Though security concerns limit my freedom to name names, I also want to acknowledge the aid and comfort I drew from the volunteer flyspeckers in CompuServe’s SF Media Two forum (GO SFMEDTWO) and Genie’s SF Roundable Three (SFRT3), and from the rascals of RASSM.

I offer my most earnest salute to the chief architect of the Rebellion, George Lucas, without whose inspiration none of us would be here.

Finally, I want to thank the true believers of the cause—Star Wars fans around the globe—for coming along on this journey. Your boundless enthusiasm and vocal support have meant a great deal to me.

—Michael Paul McDowell
August 31, 1996
Okemos, Michigan