Meisha Merlin is pleased to present two never-before published Liaden Universe(TM) novels, Local Custom and Scout's Progress, in one omnibus edition entitled Pilots Choice.

Pilots Choice deals with the shifting necessities of honor and morality in the clash of cultures caused by an expanding galactic trade system.

In the first novel, Local Custom, we view the difficulties caused by the obvious problems of language and custom as Terrans and Liadens intermingle. In the second, Scout's Progress, we see how the forces of interstellar trade cause conflicts even within the apparently monolithic and superior culture of Liad as a greater culture, galactic in nature, is hinted at by the Scouts, pilots, and traders who inhabit the fringes of Liad's polite society.

In both novels it is the importance of individuals and their insistence on behaving with honor, rather than bowing to overwhelming social force, that drives the story.

Local Custom

Master Trader Er Thom yos'Galan, of Liad's de facto ruling house, Clan Korval, is facing an arranged marriage. The Liaden Code of Proper Conduct requires him-and every Liaden-to provide a 'child of the body' to the Clan, something the otherwise obedient pilot has been avoiding despite Korval's precariously dwindling population. As his 'contract marriage' approaches, the serious-minded trader finds himself longing for a lover he hasn't seen (or heard from!) for years.

His former lover is no ordinary pleasure love: She's Terran professor of linguistics Anne Davis, who teaches on the planet University and whose radical theories have brought her to the attention of the Liaden Council of Clans, where Korval's enemies openly plot against her-and against Korval itself.

Challenged and supported by his foster brother, Er Thom must not only surmount Liad's rigid social strictures, but overcome the plots of Korval's enemies-and his lover's stubborn heart.

Scout's Progress

Daav yos'Phelium, Delm Korval, the planet's most powerful individual, must marry to provide his Clan with a child. Although he is arguably the most eligible bachelor in Liaden-speaking space he is hardly the most willing, having long been the target of marriage-minded females as well as their power-seeking mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles.

A political and economic power among the High Houses, Daav, a former Scout Captain, is also a force among pilots, and is much more likely to be found in a spaceport piloting 'dive' than mingling with society at the parties of the rich.

One such 'dive' is Binjali Spaceship Repair Shop in Solcintra Mid-Port; it's a base away from home to a shifting population of Scouts, pilots, and various 'wounded kittens'. There, Daav is known only by his first name, and relies on his reputation as pilot extraordinaire rather than Korval's power.

Retreating to Binjali's to come to terms with his decision to contract-wed, Daav comes face to face with the knottiest problem of his career, and if he doesn't find the correct solution, he may lose his fortune entire, and his future.