All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced,
or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system,
without permission in writing form the Publisher.
Shooting Range 12,000km by Kosyu Tani
Copyright (C) 1984 by Kosyu Tani
First published 1984 in Japan by HAYAKAWA PUBLISHING,INC.
English translation copyright (C) 1996 by Mineko Yamamoto (JINGAIKYO)
Yamamoto Mineko
Why I translated this story is only because I was coaxed to translate this story. I had been a very lonely SF fan before I knew the existence of JINGAIKYO, a fan group of Kosyu Tani and consists of many active SF fans in Japan,
A year ago, I was the newest member of JINGAIKYO and ordered to translate any story I love because it was a duty of a newcomer. Of course it was just a joke. But I was too inexperienced in the ways of the SF fandom.
When I noticed I had been wheedled, I already was enslaved to the allurement of Kosyu Tani's world. The fascination of his world exists in the accuracy plot. Tani depicts himself as 'a civil engineering constructer'. He has a tendency to consider things in the view of an engineer. For example, to constrict even a trivial structure, they needs many blueprints, management of raising budget, contraction with traders, purchase of land and so on.
When he considers about a spaceship, he also thinks of the people who constructed it and even the wages of them. So his world is very minute. The characters can't save their mates because they can't reach there without spending a few hours to change their course.
All technologies in the story are those we can achieve in a few decades or seems possible to perform someday. When you calculate the orbits of the ships, you will be astonished at their accuracy.
All calculation is exact. There would be no mistake if I didn't make mistakes in the process of translating.
I am not a professional translater but a fan of Kosyu Tani.
I translated this story only because I want you to love this story and to know the world of Kosyu Tani.
I would like to thank Mr. Masaya Sakamoto. He gave me this chance to translate this story. And I also thank my best partner Mitsuhiro Toma. He patiently checked my translation and corrects errors.
All right reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.