Silver Enigma

'Silver Enigma' is the first volume of a three-book 'Preeminent War' series from new author Rock Whitehouse. Set about fifty years in the future, 'Silver Enigma' brings us into a world surprisingly different from what we see around us today. Randy Forstmann's faster-than-light 'Drive' has redefined space exploration and widespread space mining is now both practical and profitable. Our exploration of the near stars has brought us to meet the Inori, a peaceful, friendly, industrious alien species.

When an unknown alien culture attacks the Inori home world, also destroying the Terran warship Liberty, our new Fleet finds itself thrust into the conflict. This same culture could just as easily come to Earth and the Fleet simply cannot risk letting that happen.

The story centers around young Ensign Carol Hansen, and her classmate and friend David Powell. They find their way in the chaos of conflict even as they find their way to a new relationship together. Along with Carol and David, we see the struggles of the Fleet Intelligence staff to understand what to do, and when, and how. Their smart and innovative thinking may tip the stakes in our favor, but if they're wrong, it might not help.

The Drive is fast, but in space the distances are enormous. Their 'SLIP' faster-than-light communications are even faster than the Drive, but even light-year-per-day ships and ninety-minutes-per-light-year communications may not be fast enough. The Inori home world is sixteen light years away. The Fleet Commander struggles to decide what to do when he doesn't know for a full day he's lost a ship, and when he does, it might be more than two weeks to respond. It's a hard place, this deep space, and even with revolutionary technologies, our innovation and imagination just might come up short.

Carol was lucky to be on the Inori home world that day. She and the other survivors have passed the first test. They lived.

David, his career derailed by a family tragedy before he could graduate, is working his way back to where he really wants to be: in the Fleet, and with Carol.

Now, they must both get down to doing their part in the lethal business of finding, and killing, an enemy they know nothing about.