Author Mike Sheperd bring us an interesting tale in the Kris Longknife saga. Among the Kicking Birds is a set on a planet solely inhabited by walking birds who like the presents that Kris gives them. And the main reason why Kris and her crew are here is so they can have a drydock on the planet. The bird tribe whom they meet with agree but they want to use some of the weapons to hunt the other walking birds of which Kris would have none of it. This is a great addition to the Kris Longknife saga and one that reminded me of the ST:TOS episode A private little war. And sadly to say Kris's second in command on the planet sees things that way too. I highly recommend this short story to all science fiction fans.