Sister Time (9) (The Posleen War)

Baen books through their fifth imperium website has most of the Posleen War series available for free.

Sister Time (2007) is the third SF novel in the Legacy of the Aldenata series, following Cally's War. In the previous volume, a Bane Sidhe team extracted Cally O'Neal from the Darhel controlled interrogation team at Titan Base. General James Stewart used the Tong to set up his apparent death. Cally has a pleasant surprise when Stewart shows up at Selene Base. In this novel, Cally O'Neal has a mission to steal code keys from a Darhel executive. After her climb down from the top of the building, she goes through a thirteenth floor window and changes into party clothes. She is busily opening the drawer containing the keys when her sister Michelle suddenly appears. Michelle O'Neal has been living with the Indowy for decades and has worked her way up to the status of Michon Mentat. However, the Darhel are attempting to trap her in a contract violation involving a stolen Aldenata artifact. She convinces Cally to present a job offer to the Bane Sidhe to retrieve the artifact. Michael O'Neal, Senior, is the Head of Clan O'Neal, the grandfather of Cally and Michelle, and is important within the human side of the Bane Sidhe organization. He is also a member of Cally's team and is driving the car that picks her up after the run. So Cally first tells Papa O'Neal about the job offer. Yen Kato -- AKA Manuel Guerrera and James Stewart -- is an assistant to a Tong Grandfather. He is also married to Cally, but they haven't yet told her grandpa. During one of his conjugal visits, Cally casually mentions something about the code keys theft and Stewart immediately deduces the reason that the Darhels have acquired these valuable (and negotiable) objects. Pardal is a Darhel executive within the Eptar Group. When the code keys are stolen from him, an important purchase is jeopardized. Still, the stolen artifact is working out nicely at the Institute for the Advancement of Human Welfare. Atlantic Company of SOCOM has a new commander, Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Mosovich. Bravo Platoon of Atlantic Company has a high percentage of Clan O'Neal personnel, all learning their trade at government expense. The new commander is a hot topic among the men, especially the O'Neals. In this story, the Darhel project is using the artifact to condition humans in a way that bypasses their normal defenses. The project is being conducted at the Institute building on Lake Michigan. The Bane Sidhe inserts agents within the Institute to ease their infiltration of the structure. Bravo Platoon is providing backup security for the Institute. Soon after the Bane Sidhe team begin their operation, the Platoon receives urgent orders to provide additional security. Two squads arrive in the middle of a firefight between the Bane Sidhe team and building security. Stewart dispatches the Tong courier ship to carry certain orders to several planets. If the ship reaches these destinations ahead of the Eptar Group couriers, the Tong has a chance to make a huge profit. Of course,

Unfortunately, it's a five-way tie. Ringo is one of my favorite authors, and the Posleen War Series has been great fun to read. Sister Time is as enjoyable as Hymn and Hell's Faire, and more entertaining than Hero or Watch on the Rhine. The balance between story and action was perfect, and the authors did an excellent job developing the Michelle character. Cally's War was good, Sister Time was much better.

Julie Cochrane and John Ringo have created another good book in the Posleen War novels. It continues the story of Cally, Papa O'neal and brings in her sister Michelle. Provides good combat, plenty of action plus humor. If you are a fan of the previous novels in the Posleenverse, make sure to pick this one up.

Have to admit when I picked up Cally's War I expected another Ringo shoot-em-up. Nothing wrong with that, I enjoy all his stuff. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a totally different perspective, a viewpoint from a troubled conflicted grown version of the little girl I'd come to know in the earlier Aldenata series. Frankly blew me away. Now Julie Cochrane has done one better, picking up the story, adding in the sister that barely existed in the prior story line and making her a pivotal force to play against not only with the sisterly familial interactions but very subtle politics on the interstellar level. Excellent read, high adventure, characters you can care about. My only gripe is for pete's sake get Cally back to a slab and fix her double barrelled handicap. It's only right.