A short novel about interstellar colonization, the dangers of scientific discovery, and the end of the world. Image credit goes to Space Engine.

Several years ago Joseph and Tyrone became business partners, pooling their money to buy a light interstellar transport ship. Most of their business is taking cargo to and from the poorly-policed unaffiliated planets. They almost never make the same run twice, and if there's one thing they've learned, it's that owner-operators get all the most interesting work.

Federation takes close encounters to a whole new level. A galactic empire of a quarter of a million worlds stumbles across the Earth. Their philosophy on life is totally unexpected. With the help of intelligent automatons, they've turned a reviled political system into a utopia for the masses, but are they a force for good or evil? A Daragnen university graduate, Yol Rummy Blin Breganin, discovers that Earth failed in its attempt to join the Federation, and, for some unknown reason, members are forever banned from visiting or contacting the planet. Rummy had never heard of a whole world being outlawed. Perhaps it would be sensible to leave well enough alone but no, he decides to investigate... FEDERATION is the first in a series of near-future, hard science-fiction novels by Tony Harmsworth, the First Contact specialist. Submerge yourself in humankind's cultural and economic dilemma by reading Federation today. (c) Tony Harmsworth 2019