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March Upcountry
THE ROYAL BRAT IS IN TROUBLE
 Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock didn't understand.
He was young, handsome, athletic, an excellent dresser, and third in line for the Throne of Man ... so why wouldn't anyone at Court trust him?
Why wouldn't even his own mother, the Empress, explain why they didn't trust him? Or why the very mention of his father's name was forbidden at Court? Or why his mother had decided to pack him off to a backwater planet aboard what was little more than a tramp freighter to represent her at a local political event better suited to a third assistant undersecretary of state?
It probably wasn't too surprising that someone in his position should react by becoming spoiled, self-centered, and petulant. After all, what else did he have to do with his life?
But that was before a saboteur tried to blow up his transport. Then warships of the Empire of Man’s worst rivals shot the crippled vessel out of space. Then Roger found himself shipwrecked on the planet Marduk, whose jungles were full of damnbeasts, killerpillars, carnivorous plants, torrential rain, and barbarian hordes with really bad dispositions. Now all Roger has to do is hike halfway around the entire planet, then capture a spaceport from the Bad Guys, somehow commandeer a starship, and then go home to Mother for explanations.
Fortunately, Roger has an ace in the hole: Bravo Company of Bronze Battalion of The Empress‘ Own Regiment. If anyone can get him off Marduk alive, it’s the Bronze Barbarians.
Assuming that Prince Roger manages to grow up before he gets all of them killed.
 ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Granted, the decade has just begun, but David Weber shows all signs of being the science fiction phenomenon of the decade. Weber is often compared to C.S. Forester (celebrated creator of Captain Horatio Hornblower) for his novels of the exploits of starship commander Honor Harrington, the most recent of which was the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon.com bestseller, Ashes of Victory. Weber’s work ranges from epic fantasy (Oath of Swords, The War God’s Own) to breathtaking space opera (Path of the Fury, The Armageddon Inheritance) to military science fiction with in-depth characterization (the awesomely popular Honor Harrington novels). Weber lives in South Carolina and, in spite of having gotten married a year ago, shows no sign of slowing down. . . .
John Ringo had visited 23 countries and attended 14 schools by the time he graduated high school. This left him with a wonderful appreciation of the oneness of humanity and a permanent aversion to foreign food. A veteran of the 82nd Airborne, he later studied marine biology, but the pay was for beans, so he turned to quality control database management (much higher-paying). Then Fate took a hand, and he now is in the early stages of becoming fabulously wealthy, which his publisher has ASSURED him is the common lot of science fiction writers. With his bachelor years spent in the Airborne, cave diving, rock-climbing, rappelling, hunting, spear-fishing, and sailing, the author is now happy to let other people risk their necks. He prefers to read (and of course write) science fiction, raise Arabian horses, dandle his kids and watch the grass grow.
Illustration by Patrick Turner
Cover design by Carol Russo Design






Hardcover

Paperback
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.
First printing, May 2001
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataWeber, David, 1952–March upcountry / by David Weber & John Ringo.p. cm.ISBN 0-671-31985-X1. Princes—Fiction. 2. Life on other planets—Fiction. I. Ringo, John, 1963– II. Title.PS3573.E217 M37 2001813'.54—dc21 00-051940
Production by Windhaven Press, Auburn, NHPrinted in the United States of America


ISBN-13: 978-0-671-31985-4ISBN-10: 0-671-31985-X
Copyright© 2001 by David Weber & John Ringo
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.
A Baen Books OriginalBaen publishing EnterprisesP.O. Box 1403Riverdale, NY 10471http://www.baen.com
Electronic version by WebWrightshttp://www.webscription.net





This book is dedicated to our mothers.
To Alice Louise Godard Weber,who put up with me, taught me, edited me, believed in me,and encouraged me to believe I could be a writer . . .despite all evidence to the contrary.I love you. There. I said it.To Jane M. Ringo,for dragging me to places I didn't want to go and trying to make me eat stuff that would turn a monkey's stomach. Thanks Mom.You were right.
BAEN BOOKS by DAVID WEBER
Honor Harrington:
On Basilisk StationThe Honor of the QueenThe Short Victorious WarField of DishonorFlag in ExileHonor Among EnemiesIn Enemy HandsEchoes of HonorAshes of VictoryWar of Honor
edited by David Weber:
More than HonorWorlds of HonorChanger of Worlds
Mutineers' MoonThe Armageddon InheritanceHeirs of Empire
Path of the Fury
The Apocalypse Troll
Oath of SwordsThe War God's Own
with Steve White:
InsurrectionCrusadeIn Death Groundthe Shiva Option
with John Ringo:
March UpcountryMarch to the SeaMarch to the Stars (forthcoming)
BAEN BOOKS by JOHN RINGO
A Hymn Before BattleGust FrontWhen the Devil Dances
March Upcountry (with David Weber)March to the Sea (with David Weber)March to the Stars (with David Weber, forthcoming)




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