The Death of Biggar Fro

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  So the quest for the Magi begins, a saga to be told over several volumes that will take An Kohli and her friends to the far reaches of the galaxy and expose them to unimaginable perils. Each volume is a story complete within itself, so you don’t have to start at the beginning, though it is recommended, if you really want to know what is going on.

  Author’s note: Automatic firing shotguns

  In 1990, while I was serving in the RAF, I was introduced to the automatic firing shotgun while on a visit to view the East German border security arrangements (from the western side). Fortunately it wasn’t a close encounter. These devices were installed by the East German government along the security fence that separated East and West Germany. They were not designed to keep West Germans out, they were intended to keep East Germans in. They were also installed along the Berlin Wall. Having crossed a mine field to reach the fence any East German attempting an escape had to face the real possibility of being killed by one of these weapons.

  Each shotgun resembled nothing more than an oversized ice cream cone and was mounted on a fence post, aimed along the line of the fence. The guns were usually mounted in pairs, firing in opposite directions. At the closed end of the cone was a shotgun charge in front of which was packed a mass metal fragments. When the gun was fired the metal fragments created a lethal cloud of shrapnel, killing or maiming anyone within range who was standing close to the fence. The firing hammers of the shotguns were kept cocked, ready to fire and were triggered by trip wires.

  While this work is one of science fiction, I have included a very 20th century weapon, just to show that there is very little that is new under the sun.