title: Belisarius II: Storm at Noontide
author:  Eric Flint 
description: <B>David Drake</B> is one of the grand masters of military science fiction, known for his best-selling Hammer&#8217;s Slammers series and many other novels. A Vietnam veteran, he employs his first-hand experience with the military life and combat to give his work the vivid images and feel of battle that have won him a huge readership. He was attending Duke University Law School when he was drafted. Upon his return from the U.S. Army, he completed his law degree at Duke and was for eight years Assistant Town Attorney for Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A full-time writer since 1981, his other books for Baen include the RCN-Leary series, the latest being <I>In the Stormy Red Sky</I>, and the Belisarius series, written in collaboration with Eric Flint, the second and third novels of which are now combined in this volume. <BR><BR>&nbsp; <BR><BR><B>Eric Flint</B> is the co-author of three <I>New York Times</I> best sellers in his &#8220;Ring of Fire&#8221; alternate history series. His first novel for Baen, <I>Mother of Demons</I>, was picked by <I>Science Fiction Chronicle</I> as a best novel of the year. His <I>1632</I>, which launched the Ring of Fire series, won widespread critical praise, as from <I>Publishers Weekly</I>, which called him &#8220;an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major, measure.&#8221; A longtime labor union activist with a Master&#8217;s Degree in history, he currently resides in northwest Indiana with his wife Lucille.
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  The Dance of Time-ARC
  
  Belisarius 06
  
  Eric Flint & David Drake
  
   **Prologue**
  
   **The Iron Triangle**
  
  _**Autumn, 533 A.D.**_
  
  Belisarius watched Eusebius and his crew as they carefully slipped the mine
  off the deck of the _Victrix_ , using a ramp they'd set up in the stern for
  the purpose. Because of its design, it had been relatively easy to adapt the
  fireship to the task of becoming a mine-layer. Doing so with the _Justinian_
  would have required a major reconstruction of the armored gunship.
  
  The sun still hadn't come up, but there was enough light from the approaching
  dawn for Belisarius to see.
  
  Quietly, almost soundlessly, the mine slid below the surface of the water.
  Eusebius measured off the depth of the mine's placement using the prepared
  lines, squinting at the marks nearsightedly.
  
  A trio of ducks flew past swiftly, jus