History Literature / PinwheelSeries

Not to be confused with Series.{{Pinwheel}}.

The Pinwheel series is a ScienceFiction book series written by an author [[PenName known as]] [[https://snekguy.com/ Snekguy]]. The series takes place in the 2600's and centers around [[TheFederation the Coalition]], an interstellar multispecies alliance formed as a defense against a species of InsectoidAliens known as the Betelgeusians.

The series takes its name from the largest space station in Coalition space officially known as Fort Hamilton but affectionately called the Pinwheel due to its shape.

** TRAPPIST-1e, a planet that is tidally locked to a star with a total of seven planets orbiting in close proximity, meaning that the sun is always in the same place in the sky and the six other planets are quite visible in the sky.

* InsufficientlyAdvancedAlien: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] with the Krell and the Borealans, both of whom are technologically primitive but have more advanced allies who can help with space travel. The Krell choose not to advance their society due to not needing or wanting to do so, while the Borealans ''are'' modernizing, but slowly. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] with the other species we've met so far, they're as advanced as you would expect space faring species to be.

* InsufficientlyAdvancedAliens: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] with the Krell and the Borealans, both of whom are technologically primitive but have more advanced allies who can help with space travel. The Krell choose not to advance their society due to not needing or wanting to do so, while the Borealans ''are'' modernizing, but slowly. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] with the other species we've met so far, they're as advanced as you would expect space faring species to be.

* ArtificialGravity: Used extensively to increase or decrease the gravity within limited areas. AG fields as they're known use quantum technology to achieve the effect. The limited area that a single AG field can cover means that CentrifugalGravity is necessary for some particularly large stations, such as the titular Pinwheel itself.

** Kerguela, a habitable moon that orbits a gas giant which itself orbits [[BinarySuns a binary star system]]. Said gas giant is 'very' visible in the sky in addition to the suns.

* OneBigLie: Somewhere between this an Mohs/PhysicsPlus. Most of the technology is based on real word technology and science but there are a few things that require made-up natural laws to work, chief among them is the method of FasterThanLightTravel.

* FantasticFirearms: Being a ScienceFiction book series where there is war there are several types of these:

* FantasticFirearms: Being a ScienceFiction book series there are several types of these:

** RayGun: Until recently, laser weapons were preferred by the Valbarans and they do still use them for some things. [[spoiler:The UNN has recently started fielding an experimental laser weapon called a Soliton Crystal Pumped Electron Laser.]]

* MaleToFemaleUniversalAdaptor: All alien species, including Humans, are capable of having sex with each other, although alien interspecies reproduction is impossible without genetic technology.

* TranslatorMicrobes: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]. There is translation technology for those species that are incapable of speaking English, but it's imperfect.

* TranslatorMicrobes: Downplayed. There is translation technology for those species that are incapable of speaking English, but it's imperfect.

* SubspaceAnsible: Humanity uses quantum entanglement satellites to communicate across lightyears, but said satellites can only send limited amounts of data at a time.

* OneBigLie: Somewhere between this an PhysicsPlus. Most of the technology is based on real word technology and science but there are a few things that require made-up natural laws to work, chief among them is the method of FasterThanLightTravel.

Books in the series:

* Pinwheel: Stanley drops out of agricultural college to join the Navy, and is shipped off to a space station known as the Pinwheel to complete his training as a UNN Marine. There he meets Raz, an unruly alien who he will be forced to befriend if he wants to complete the program.
* Splashdown: Stranded in an alien jungle during a botched mission, a plucky shuttle pilot and a fierce alien warrior must learn to overcome their differences if they want to survive their ordeal.
* Fineprint: Dennis has a once in a lifetime opportunity to leave his desk job far behind when he accepts the position of ambassador to Earth on Borealis, but he gets more than he bargained for when he realizes that his new position might not be the promotion that he thought it was...
* Fineprint 2 - Republic: The Polars travel to Earth to found their new colony. (Needs to be updated.)
* Purple Heart: Moralez is horribly maimed when a recon mission in the Kruger system goes badly wrong, costing him both his limbs and his pride. His only hope for recovery lies in Kaisha, an alien doctor on the notorious Pinwheel station. With her help, he might be able to heal his body and his mind, but only if he can overcome his mistrust of her people.
* Outpost: When Schaffer uncovers a network of black markets and corruption in the heart of the Pinwheel, he is made to disappear, exiled to a remote and inhospitable region of Borealis where he is expected to die of exposure. A fight for survival begins as he braves the dangers of an alien environment and attempts to restore power to an abandoned listening post, but his true salvation may lie in the planet's mysterious natives. (Has both a hetero edition and a bisexual edition.)
* Hostage: When a deal on a used starship goes badly, a merchant must leave his spoiled daughter in the custody of the Patriarch of Borealis as collateral. With no knowledge of their unique culture, how will she fare in the company of the aggressive aliens? (Needs to be updated.)
* Worlds Apart: Lizka is the daughter of Borealan diplomats, raised on Earth and immersed in human culture. Jamie is a human with a burgeoning love for the feline alien that he's afraid to express. When an upheaval forces the two to confront their feelings, they must make the most of what little time they have.
* Highway to Krell: There is an infestation of tiny lizards on the Pinwheel, and Doctor Reid is assigned a crack team of scientists to get to the bottom of it before they threaten the space station's air supply. The more they discover, the stranger things get. Where did these critters come from, and how are the enigmatic Krell involved? (Has both a hetero edition and a bisexual edition.) (Needs to be updated.)
* Or Die Alone: When a shipment of weapons goes missing on a remote mining colony, Agent Boyd is sent to assess the situation. What he uncovers is a plot to take control of the planet, but during his getaway his spaceship is shot down. Stranded on the planet's moon and with only his survival suit at his disposal, he must find a way back to civilization, all while trying to deal with an unwitting alien companion.
* Raz the Farmer: Raz travels to Earth with Stanley to visit the farm where he grew up, and to meet his parents, but how will they react to his giant alien companion?
* Friendly Competition: James is new to the Pinwheel, and the first place he finds himself is the bar, where he meets a friendly Borealan named Datz. As he gets to know the rowdy alien, they're interrupted by her acquaintance, a Polar Borealan named Railha who seems intent on showing Datz up. James soon finds himself moderating a drinking competition between the two rival species.
* Outpost 2 - Snowed in: Schaffer and his adopted pack are visited by a shuttle pilot when a storm brings down her vessel. (Has both a hetero edition and a bisexual edition.) (Needs to be updated.)
* Rig Runner: A freighter pilot is plunged into a fight for his life when Borealan pirates board his vessel, but their sadistic captain may have more on her mind than just his cargo.
* Queen of Jarilo: When a survey vessel stumbles upon an undiscovered Earth-like planet, the UNN scrambles to lay claim to it. Unfortunately, a Betelgeusian hive fleet also has its eyes on the rare prize.
* Housecat: Zhari and [=McGregor=] take some much deserved shore leave, and the wily pilot takes full advantage of his dominant position over the alien to explore the limits of her submissive nature. (Needs to be updated.)
* Hot Kofe: When Miller meets a Polar Borealan named Kofe, she takes an immediate liking to him. After the surly engineer rejects her advances, the giant alien makes it her mission to change his mind, using every dirty trick at her disposal.
* Return to Krell: After months of negotiations, the United Academy of Sciences secures permission to send an expedition to the Krell homeworld. But there's a catch, the enigmatic Brokers will only allow a single human to set foot on the planet. As the foremost expert in her field, Lena Webber is chosen for the role, journeying to the primitive swamp world with her alien lover in tow.
* Birds of Prey: A UNN fleet on routine patrol near the outskirts of Coalition space encounters a previously uncontacted civilization, but while the aliens seem friendly, the Betelgeusian hive fleet that's sizing up their homeworld is not. Undersupplied and months from the nearest reinforcements, the fleet must coordinate with the locals in order to organize a last-ditch defense of the planet. (Has both a hetero edition and a bisexual edition.)
* Black Velvet: An advisor to the Coalition Security Council travels to an uncharted territory of Borealis in order to evaluate its inhabitants for admission into the alliance, but what he finds there goes far beyond the scope of his assignment.
* Firebrand: When a council meeting on the Pinwheel is interrupted by an assassination attempt, Security Chief Moralez is given seventy-two hours to unmask the culprit, all while under the watchful eye of two mysterious intelligence operatives with an unknown agenda. The suspects range from hostile aliens to shady special forces operatives, even elements of his own government are not above suspicion. Only by piecing together the clues can he uncover who carried out the attack, and why.
* Tepin's Muse: Tepin, a shy Valbaran artist, travels to the Pinwheel in search of inspiration. During his exploration of the space station, he encounters a Krell, a giant alien with an uncanny resemblance to the ancient deities of his people's past. Enamored, he attempts to make friends with the creature, despite their problems communicating and their difference in size. (Has both a hetero edition and a gay edition.)
* The Rask Rebellion: Betrayal! The Rask have launched a surprise attack against their former allies, plunging the territories of Borealis into a bloody war. The tyrannical Matriarch deploys her pirate legions to seize control of the planet's trade routes, while a UNN Assault Carrier lands a battalion of armored vehicles on its surface to restore order. The Coalition forces must drive across the Dune Sea, thousands of kilometers of inhospitable desert, fighting off the Rask army as they go.
* Worlds Apart 2: Liz and Jamie are settled into their new life together, but their inability to reproduce starts to cause tension between them. Intent on finding a way to make the impossible happen, they embark upon a journey that takes them across Coalition space.
* The Autumn War:
** Volume 1: Invasion: The Coalition launches a full-scale planetary invasion to recapture the lost colony of Kerguela, seeking to drive off the occupying Betelgeusians who have claimed the moon as their territory. As war rages all around them, a special forces team led by a grizzled veteran hunts down a mysterious signal, while a Marine and some unlikely allies embark on a mission to take down a cunning enemy that threatens the success of the campaign.
** Volume 2: Remnants: Xipa and her team make inroads into an abandoned Valbaran city in search of answers, while Delta company launches daring raids against Bug infrastructure on the moon's embattled surface.
** Volume 3: Defiance: Xipa's fight for survival becomes more desperate, while on the other side of the moon, Evan and his friends face off against the Red King in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
** Volume 4: Succession: Evan and his squad fight their way across a blasted hellscape of trenches and fortifications as they push toward the Queen's mountain stronghold, intent on delivering a killing blow to the Bugs on Kerguela. With all of their cards on the table, the Coalition fleet must band together and use every tool at their disposal if they want to put an end to the alien occupation of the moon.
* Brokering Trust: A scientist is granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to the Trappist system, home of the Brokers, where no human has set foot before. A seemingly simple expedition grows more complicated as he is forced to balance the interests of his government and those of the enigmatic aliens who have requested his help. (In progress.)

* MaleToFemaleUniversalAdaptor: All alien species, including Humans, are capable of having sex with each other, although alien interspecies reproduction is impossible without genetic technology.

* Housecat: Zhari and [=McGregor=] take some much deserved shore leave, and the wily pilot takes full advantage of his dominant position over the alien to explore the limits of her submissive nature.

* InterspeciesRomance: ''Every single book'' in the series has one or more of these. It's one of the few things that all of the books have in common. Most of the time one of the partners is Human, but not always.

* AliensSpeakingEnglish: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] since English is Humanity's [[CommonTongue lingua franca]] in the setting and [[InvokedTrope invoked]] with the Borealans and the Valbarans who learned English from the Humans, as well as the Jarilans who [[ItMakesSenseInContext have DNA from their Human "father"]] that allows them to speak English. [[AvertedTroped Averted]], however, with the Brokers and the Krell who are physically incapable of speaking English and require imperfect translation technology in order to effectively communicate with other species, as well as the Betelgeusians who communicate via pheromones and are incapable of speaking at all.

* Housecat: Zhari and McGregor take some much deserved shore leave, and the wily pilot takes full advantage of his dominant position over the alien to explore the limits of her submissive nature.