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eBook Category: Science Fiction
eBook Description: Colonial Marine Sergeant George "Mountain" Horiuchi single-handedly ended the Spiratz planetoid mining rebellion, losing his ear in the effort. He consents to an interview with a nosy reporter, but he doesn't want to talk about how he won the war. He wants to talk about how he lost his ear in a poker game.

eBook Publisher: Fictionwise.com, Published: Challenging Destiny #16, 2003
Fictionwise Release Date: September 2003

12 Reader Ratings: Great Good OK Poor

Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [74 KB], eReader (PDB) [31 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [17 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [16 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [68 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [90 KB], hiebook (KML) [70 KB], Sony Reader (LRF) [46 KB], iSilo (PDB) [14 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [18 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [46 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [27 KB]
Words: 4854
Reading time: 13-19 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED

I knew the instant I walked into the Wafaerer's Siding that I'd more likely leave as an organ donor than as a Kirov Prize for Journalism candidate.

An outer ring runway informant had tipped me that I'd find CMC Sgt. George Horiuchi in the pub. I wanted to be the first newsworker on Berenson Corp. Station Number One--or "the One," as everybody called the orbital city--to interview Horiuchi after what Colonial Marine Corp execs had called his "selfless bravery in the face of enormous odds, blah, blah," and "single-handedly securing an amicable resolution of the Spiratz Mining Division Altercation, etc. blah, blah." CMC media releases were pure static, so I wanted to talk to Horiuchi himself, away from his handlers, to get the real story, to find out how he really won the war.

Many newsworkers covered the "Altercation," as the government called the rebellion on Spiratz, but maybe my runway sources were better than others were or maybe I just got lucky, I don't know. Anyway, Slinky Tomasi, one of my contacts, earned his extra twenty-mark chip for being the first to find Horiuchi. I flipped Slinky what he called his "eyeball coin" and got to the Wafaerer's quick. Who knows which of my rivals Slinky would deliver the same message to next or how long I had before the pub looked like an Intersystem Newsworkers' Assn. convention.

Who knew if Horiuchi would talk to me at all? Still, I had to try.