Published by Popular Library, 1987.
paperback, $3.50, ISBN: 0-445-20408-7
411 pages.

Sometimes, the Empire is a force for all that is good and pure. In Galactic Convoy, the sequel to The Helmsman, the Imperial worlds under Emperor Greyffin IV are the forces of light fighting the League of Dark Stars and its emperor, Nergol Triannic, who represent the forces of, er, darkness. And the greatest hero of the Imperial empire is none other than a lowly helmsman, Wilf Brim, who just happens to be the secret lover of Princess Margot. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

If this sounds like a space soap opera, then you are absolutely correct, for the good guys are true blue, the women voluptuous, and the cause just. And Wilf is the brightest of the bright, even if he is only a lowly ship's helmsman. Mr. Sulu is quite jealous I assure you.

Bill Baldwin's epic contains death-defying space battles against insurmountable odds, a mystic order of monks with the secret to victory, and some R and R in the arms of local beauties. The prose brings a lightness to the plot, playing up to soap opera flavor, even if it sometimes takes itself a tad too seriously, and you don't read very far into the book before realizing that Wilf Brim and his friends will defeat whatever gadget (like a cloaking device) or situation (an all-out assault by an armada of Dark Star League ships against the primary naval yards at Haelic) or obstacle (bureaucrats) they run up against. Oh, and get the girl in the end.

Galactic Convoy is a romp, hardly serious, and not necessarily a page turner, but you will understand when you meet Wilf Brim, who fights for truth, justice, and the Imperial way...and yes, wears a blue cape (like the rest of the Imperial fleet), but no tights.

Related

The Trophy
The Mercenaries