(Found) Sci fi Story - Corporate Mercs, traveling to interstellar colonies to collect ‘Taxes’

[DarrenMilleraus]

Hi guys,
Looking for a sci fi book that I read around 2008 I think.

It had corporate mercenaries flying starships to far flung colonies to collect taxes from the colonies, seeing as it was the corporations that sent the colonies in the first place.

when they arrive at a colony world they coerce compliance by placing an explosive collar on people that cannot be removed without going bang.

There is a subplot where there are two people, one from the colony and one person from the ship, they have both at some past time encountered a software entity that now lives within them, that can subvert any human made software or electronic device. They keep this ability secret.

It will be great to know what this book was called.

thanks in advance.

Darren.

 

[Danny McG]

Possibly "One jump ahead" but I can't think of the author

 

[royheil]

Possibly "One jump ahead" but I can't think of the author

Possibly Mark L. Van Name?

One Jump Ahead by Mark L. Van Name

M ilitary SF fans will welcome Van Name’s solid debut, the first in a projected series, though they should be prepared for...

www.publishersweekly.com

 

[DarrenMilleraus]

I’m not sure that’s it.

I can remember more scenes from the book,

there’s a scene where the starship people are in basically impregnable armor until one is shot by some kind of armor piercing bullet - it’s all tactics to unnerve the starship contingent.

There’s a scene where they use a possible minor to sexually entrap a starship guy - she doesn’t have a collar - then next day she tearfully says she was effectively raped because of her collar she had to comply - you see while the starship crew are on planet they have to obey the local rules until the starship crew ‘realize’ their ‘investment’
The collar cannot be removed by the tech level of the planet - it’s the work of the planet member with the software entity that arranged this.
Again the idea is to discredit, unnerve, demoralize the starship contingent.
Hope the extra helps.
Darren.

 

[Stenevor]

It's years since I read it and It's probably not it but I seem to remember some of these elements in Peter F Hamiltons Fallen Dragon.

 

[DarrenMilleraus]

That’s It - Yaaaahoooo

 

[DarrenMilleraus]

Yeah , now you say his name I can remember that people would datavise devices to communicate with them , that’s commonwealth technology , all through his books —— thank you - thank you for your help .
Not knowing the name of a book but remembering so much, and wanting to read it again , it’s like having a splinter in your brain and you won’t be comfortable again until you can answer the question and remove the irritant.

 

[Stenevor]

Glad I could help. The only thing that rang a bell in your description was the line about mercenaries, far flung colonies and taxes. I should probably give it a re-read myself.