Rob Howell [Howell - The Feeding of Sorrows

A couple of years ago, Mark Wandrey asked me if I wanted to write a short story for an anthology in the Four Horsemen Universe. I was nervous. I had only written novels up to that point, and I wasnt sure I could write something good and short.

I am not known for being terse, after all.

But I needed the challenge, so I said yes. I looked to Randall Garrett for the pacing of short stories, David Drake for the energy of military science fiction, and my grandfathers service in World War One for direction. And thus, Where Enemies Sit was created, and I became part of something thats growing like mad.

It is an incredible honor to be a part of the Four Horsemen Universe. Many thanks to Mark and Chris Kennedy for creating the universe and to both of them for believing in me enough to let me join in. Few writers avoid imposter syndrome. I am not one of those lucky few, and to have people like Mark and Chris give me not only one, but now three opportunities to write in the Galactic Union has been wonderful.

Id also like to thank the incredible group of fans that have begun coalescing around this world. I say begun coalescing as in the last few months the 4HU Facebook group has almost doubled, and the fan group, the Mercenary Guild, has gone from birth to hundreds of members across the world. Thanks to all of you.

Id say Mark and Chris have done well, as have so many others. Kacey Ezell, Christopher Woods, Kevin Ikenberry, Marisa Wolf and Jon Osborne come to mind, and thats just a few of the sixty plus authors involved.

And now to The Feeding of Sorrows . It started when I kept banging my head on my story for Luck is Not a Factor . I tried to keep it within the constraints of the word limit, but the story kept demanding to be a novel. My draft short story that couldnt stop growing? Its Chapter 3 here. You can see why it had to be part of something greater. Too much going on. Too many questions. Too much fun. But thats what the 4HU is like, and The Feeding of Sorrows is just one example.

I need to give some specific thanks. Thanks to Mark for taking the time to brainstorm story ideas. To Mark and Marisa who had to pull me back when I ran way too far ahead with a bunch of ideas about the Zuul. To Kevin who patiently answered every question I had about the Peacemakers. To Ken Ferguson who answered a specific tech question. To Jonny Minion and Christopher Woods who gave me feedback on the basic idea. To the Lion for FantaSci, but also for giving us a fun venue, even if fictional, to tell no shit, there we were stories. To Beth for going above and beyond editing this. And to Chris who has waited patiently for me a few times and did it again. Thanks to all of you.

Also, Id better thank Nic Deplazes for putting up with me. Im a lucky man. Thanks to my mom, Susan Howell, who has been the big mover behind my writing career. Finally, I want to take a moment to remember her dad, Edward R. Gay, who made sure I got his copy of Arthur Empeys Over the Top when he died. Grandpa may not have been in the front lines because he enlisted at fourteen, which they knew, but he saw the Great War from close up. At fourteen, I was just trying to survive junior high. He went to Europe, not wanting to die, but knowing, as the oldest living male in his family, that if he did, the death benefit would help his brothers and sisters.

Fortunately, he survived, so I get to be here, and I get to write in this universe and in my own settings. Thanks to all of you who have read my stuff. Ill keep doing my best.

Again, thank you for reading The Feeding of Sorrows and all the other great stuff in the Four Horsemen Universe.

Rob Howell

* * * * *

Cover Design by Brenda Mihalko

Original Art by Ricky Ryan

* * * * *

Contents

* * * * *