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| Volume 2, Part 2, Fawcett Crest 1980 |
With 1962's The Hugo Winners being a great success, 9 years later a second anthology of Hugo-award winning stories appeared as The Hugo Winners Volume 2, this time containing 14 short stories from 1962 to 1968. Below are complete summaries (or interpretations) which might be useful for those wishing to revisit the plots and concepts contained in these stories for analysis purposes. Included are covers of the original magazines these stories first appeared in (primarily from the Internet Archive or the ISFDB).
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| Doubleday 1971 |
- “The Dragon Masters” (1962), Jack Vance
- “No Truce with Kings” (1963), Poul Anderson
- “Soldier, Ask Not” (1964), Gordon R. Dickson
- “"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman” (1965), Harlan Ellison
- “The Last Castle” (1966), Jack Vance
- “Neutron Star” (1966), Larry Niven
- “Weyr Search” (1967), Anne McCaffrey
- “Riders of the Purple Wage” (1967), Philip José Farmer
- “Gonna Roll the Bones” (1967), Fritz Leiber
- “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” (1967), Harlan Ellison
- “Nightwings” (1968), Robert Silverberg
- “The Sharing of Flesh” (1968), Poul Anderson
- “The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World” (1969), Harlan Ellison
- “Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones” (1968), Samuel R. Delany
- A naked, uncivilized “sacerdote” (enigmatic native cultist) is spotted in the apartments of “dragon master” Joaz Banbeck (leader of the Banbeck Vale settlers on the planet Aerlith, descended from human colonists). Joaz realizes that there exists a secret entrance to his private rooms, known to the sacerdotes.
- Ervis Carcolo, chieftain of rival village Happy Valley recalls how years ago the “Basics” (reptilian aliens from the Coralyne system) had attacked Aerlith and then begun enslaving human captives in order to breed brainwashed, mutated soldiers. The Banbeck tribe eventually struck back, and managed to capture 23 of the Basics (the Basics’ ship self-destructs in the encounter). With the Basics gone, the Banbecks eventually gained ascendancy over the other human tribes on Aerlith. They then proceeded to conduct genetic mutations on the captured Basics in order to breed slaves of their own (“dragons”).
- Based on the star Coralyne’s growing presence in the sky, Joaz Banbeck suspects that the Basics will soon return for another attack, and seeks a meeting with Carcolo. Until now, Carcolo had been interested only in trying to breed the strongest dragons (genetically-mutated Basics) on the planet, hoping to one day conquer Joaz’ Banbeck’s village. Nonetheless, he agrees to meet with Joaz.
- Carcolo proposes to starve the mysterious sacerdotes in order to force them to reveal secrets which might help the human settlers return to their original interstellar civilization. Joaz insists that it’s more important that they start digging tunnels to prepare for another invasion from the Basics.
- Carcolo ignores the ominous approach of Coralyne and orders his army to march on Banbeck Vale, hoping to catch them unawares. Unfortunately (for Carcolo) Joaz has anticipated this and destroys Carcolo’s dragon forces in an ambush. Carcolo is forced to retreat back to Happy Valley.
- In his apartment complex, Joaz discovers a sacerdote trying to sneak into his private study. He interrogates the evasive creature and begins to suspect that the sacerdotes may have some kind of secret weapon which might be effective against the Basics. Unfortunately, the sacerdote faints before Joaz can pursue this line of inquiry.
- Joaz disguises himself as a sacerdote and follows the path by which the sacerdote had come into his apartments. He discovers a system of sacerdote caverns hidden inside the cliffs of his own domain. However he does not find any weapons. That night he has a dream conversation with the sacerdote’s spiritual leader (their “Demie”). The Demie explains that the settlers (“Utter men”) and the sacerdotes are the last humans alive in the universe. He believes that the Utter men will eventually die out or be destroyed by the Basics, leaving the sacerdotes the only inheritors of mankind’s destiny.
- Carcolo soon mounts another attack on Banbeck Vale and, although Joaz is again prepared, this time the Banbeck forces successfully rout Joaz’ forces. However, Carcolo suddenly receives news that the Basics have landed on Aerlith and are attacking Happy Valley. Carcolo tries to form a temporary truce with Joaz in order to unite their forces against the Basics, but Joaz refuses to forgive Carcolo for his attack, and vows vengeance on both Carcolo and the Basics. The two armies retreat to their respective domains.
- When Carcolo approaches his village, he sees that the Basics’ spaceship has already begun to capture the people of his village (or destroy them if deemed useless). Carcolo can do nothing to save any of them, as the Basics have superior technology. Eventually, the Basics’ ship finishes its plundering of Happy Valley and then heads towards Banbeck Vale. Carcolo follows in the hopes that he will witness Joaz’ total defeat by the Basics.
- Inside his cliff fortress, Joaz watches the approach of the Basics’ attack force through a mirrored viewing system. He hides his dragons and soldiers amongst the cliffs, and orders intermittent ambush attacks on the mutated human slaves of the Basics (called Heavy Troopers, Trackers, Weaponeers, and Giants). The Basics’ superior firepower eventually starts driving the Banbeck forces back into the rocky maze behind the valley.
- In an ironic species-reversal, Joaz’ dragon forces (mutated Basics) face off against the Basics’ infantry (mutated humans) in a pitched battle amongst the rocks. When the Basics’ infantry appears to be ineffective amongst the rocky terrain, the Basics uses the artillery mounted on their space ship to begin clearing away the rocks. After observing this turn of events, Carcolo decides to mount a desperate, futile sneak attack on the Basics’ space ship’s unprotected side.
- Joaz eventually comes across the same idea and goes around the valley to attack the Basics’ rear. Both forces manage to temporarily gain entrance to the black space ship, but are driven out by poison gas. When they appear to be surrounded by the Basics’ mutant soldiers, a disintegration beam lances out from the hidden caverns of the sacerdotes in the crumbling cliffs of Banbeck Vale, disabling the Basics’ space ship. Although the Basics’ artillery manages to destroy this weapon, Joaz and Carcolo soon regain control of the situation and take the Basics prisoner.
- The Demie of the sacerdotes appears. He reveals that the weapon they had used to turn the tide of battle was actually the propulsion blast from a space ship they had secretly been building for the last 8 centuries. Now that it has been destroyed by the Basics, they plan to commandeer the Basics’ ship. Joaz tells the Demie that the space ship is under Banbeck control and that he intends to use it to seek out the remnants of humanity amongst the stars. Later, he also orders Carcolo’s execution, knowing that Carcolo will eventually try to take control for himself. In the end, with his entire village in ruins due to the Basics’ attack, he considers using the space ship to attack the Basics’ own homeworld (Coralyne).
“No Truce with Kings”, Poul Anderson (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, June 1963)
After a nuclear war, the western United States is divided into fiefdoms ruled by “bossmen” and united under a “Judge” named Brodsky. However, one political group (led by a would-be Judge named Fallon) hopes for a more centralized “federal” government. War breaks out between the two factions. A third group known as Espers tries to remain neutral. The Espers are generally peaceful, but are feared for their destructive psychic powers. As the conflict goes on, Brodsky’s forces discover that the Espers actually derive their strange power from advanced technology.
Throughout the story, the viewpoint of a couple aliens from an interstellar government intermittently appears, revealing that a few of these aliens have been hiding on Earth for decades while herding human politics towards a more centralized government (since according to their calculations this will lead to peace and prosperity). Once mankind reaches a certain level of “maturity”, the aliens believe mankind will be allowed to join the interstellar community in a positive way.
Most of the narrative is used to describe several isolated battles. Finally, San Francisco, the capitol of Fallon’s federalist forces, is captured by Brodsky’s army. There, they discover a starship and capture the aliens who have been working behind the scenes in support of Fallon’s federalists. Although the aliens beg Brodsky’s commanders to keep their existence secret (and continue working towards a centralized government), the Brodsky commander insists that mankind must be trusted to find their own way, without the interference of another race who believes themselves superior. He states that a feudal system may in fact be superior to a centralized government.
“Soldier, Ask Not”, Gordon R. Dickson (Galaxy Magazine, October 1964)
- News reporter Tam Olyn arrives on the planet St. Marie, where the “Friendlies” (an interplanetary faith-based race) have been attacking the native “Exotics” (a philosopher race) for an unpaid debt. However, the Exotics have hired a Dorsai (a member of a warrior race) to help them defend themselves.
- After making contact with the Friendly commandant Jamethon Black, Tam heads over to the Exotics’ territory and meets Kensie Graeme, the Dorsai in charge of St. Marie’s defenses.
- Tam confesses to Donal that he holds a deep grudge against the Friendlies for their ruthless execution of his brother-in-law on another battlefield. He believes the Friendlies are doomed to die out due to their uncompromising religious stance, and hopes to expose them somehow.
- Tam suspects that Black has engaged Blue Front assassins to eliminate Graeme (a violation of the interstellar war code). He tells Graeme of this and proposes a plan by which Graeme can expose this violation and force a dishonorable surrender from them (and stain their reputation). Graeme ignores Tam’s idea.
- Tam tries to convince Padma, one of the Exotics’ spiritual leaders, of his plan. Padma criticizes Tam for his fanatic desire to destroy the entire Friendly culture. He states that the Friendlies are one of the many “splinter races” of man, naturally evolved to investigate one of the possible avenues of mankind’s evolution (the Dorsai and the Exotics being examples of two others). He also states that they must all survive so that when the eventual reintegration of man occurs from all of the splinter races, the Friendlies will not be missing. In an attempt to sway Tam’s stance, he gives Tam an official Friendly document containing orders to abandon their own men on St. Marie.
- Tam returns to Black and confronts him with the memo, hoping that the apparently damning contents will prompt him to surrender. He refuses and explains that the memo is not a betrayal by the Friendlies’ Elder Bright, and only means that his fate has been left in the hands of God.
- In the field, Black invites Kensie to a parley table, apparently intending to surrender. However it is soon revealed to be an ambush. Fortunately Kensie’s Dorsai background allows him to kill all of his attackers single-handedly. With Black dead, the Friendlies surrender.
- On Harmony (the Friendlies’ home planet), Tam attends Black’s funeral with the intention of exposing Black’s violation at the truce table. When he runs into Black’s family, he loses his nerve. Padma later finds him and explains that Black had sacrificed his life for his troops, knowing that a Dorsai like Kensie would survive the ambush and kill him. In this way he had saved the lives of his men in an honorable and bloodless surrender. Stunned by Black’s humanity, Tam eventually reconsiders his vendetta against the Friendlies.
“"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman”, Harlan Ellison (Galaxy Magazine, December 1965)
In the future, tardiness (or any kind of loitering) has been deemed the ultimate bane of society. To combat this problem, all wasted time is measured and automatically deducted from a person’s allotted lifespan by the “Ticktockman” (Master Timekeeer). When a person has wasted enough time amounting to the rest of his/her allotted lifespan, the Ticktockman deactivates that person’s implanted cardioplate, which causes instant death. A man named Everett rebels against this harsh, regulated existence and, disguised in a Harlequin outfit, roams around society causing mischief. In one instance, he floods the people-mover belts with jelly beans, causing delays all throughout the system. Eventually Everett is exposed by his wife Alice (who is tired of his nonconformist antics) and is captured by the Ticktockman. Although Everett refuses to repent, the Ticktockman decides not to execute him. Instead the Harlequin is brainwashed so that he "self-criticizes" himself publicly. However, in the end, the Ticktockman himself is then accused of having been late, although he vehemently denies it.
“The Last Castle”, Jack Vance (Galaxy Magazine, April 1966)
After mankind has colonized and conquered other star systems, an interstellar conflict drives a population of aristocrats back to Earth, where they luxuriate in several castle fortresses. They are served by their technical workforce, the imported alien Meks, as well as other enslaved extraterrestrial lifeforms bred for flying, entertainment and menial work. These fiefdoms of returned emigrants are treated with hostility by those who had never left the Earth in the first place, the tribal Nomads. Another group at large is the Expiationists, returned Earth-men who are not aristocrats but “non-conformists” who have chosen to live morality-driven lives in the wilderness (and refrain from killing or enslaving other life forms).
One
day, when one of the aristocrats threatens to send the Meks back to their home
planet (as an act of mercy), the Meks decide to stage a mass revolt
against the aristocrats (they prefer to remain on Earth). One by one, the
aristocrats’ castles fall (for example, Castle Janeil falls when a massive
dike is built around its protective wall, and the castle is buried in an
artificial avalanche). Finally, the last castle standing is Hagedorn. The
lords of Hagedorn debate on a solution to their impending destruction at the
hands of their former Mek slaves. Most of the aristocrats elect to simply wait
inside Hagedorn’s impregnable castle walls to see what happens. When a man named Xanten proposes that they form an alliance with the Nomads and
the Expiationists to repel the Meks, most of the aristocrats are unable to
conceive of lowering themselves to such a base task as physically fighting the
Meks alongside their “uncivilized” inferiors. Xanten leaves the castle and begins creating a resistance force on his own in the hills.
However, when the Meks attack (and begin tearing down Castle Hagedorn’s walls), enough aristocrats change their minds and join Xanten’s united resistance force so that the Meks’ attack on the walls is eventually halted. Unfortunately, the remaining Meks tunnel under the wall and invade the castle from underground. They lock the gates so that the defenders cannot re-enter their own castle, and then kill everyone within. The Xanten's united militia can only maintain a siege against their own castle.
Several months later, the Meks run out of food, and so a compromise is reached with Xanten’s people: the aristocrats will send the Meks back to their home planet and mankind will no longer enslave alien races to work for them on Earth. Years later, Castle Hagedorn is remains only as a museum to memorialize the aristocratic slavery-based way of life which has now long since been abandoned in favor of a more rustic, but more moral, life.
“Neutron Star”, Larry Niven (If, October 1966)
When scientists in an alien Puppeteer ship (guaranteed to be indestructible and impenetrable) approach a neutron star, they are later found dead (liquefied). In order to discover what might have defied their previously-invulnerable hull technology, the Puppeteers hire space adventurer Beowulf Shaeffer to duplicate the scientists’ trajectory and record his observations. Since Beowulf is in debt and a wanted man, he undertakes the mission (for a high fee) but demands that the ship be fitted with high powered thrusters and weaponry. While awaiting his departure, Beowulf is informed that his new ship has also been fitted with a remotely-controlled bomb as a guarantee against his possible theft of the ship. Beowulf launches as agreed, and when he approaches the neutron star he detects different degrees of gravitational forces along the long axis of the ship (pointed at the neutron star). In order to combat this effect, he positions himself in the center of the ship, and eventually uses his thrusters to escape the star. Later, he tells the Puppeteers that the cause of the scientists’ death was the gravitational tidal forces at work inside the ship which, so close to the neutron star, had been amplified so much that it had “stretched” the contents of the ship. Beowulf also realizes that the Puppeteers’ secret planet must not have a moon, otherwise they would have known of the phenomena of tidal forces. He uses his knowledge to blackmail the Puppeteers into increasing his fee.
“Weyr Search”, Anne McCaffrey (Analog Science Fiction -> Science Fact, October 1967)
On the planet Pern, descendants from Earth colonists now live in a feudal society, and have bred “dragons” as their main mode of transport. These dragons are also necessary because every 200 years Pern’s sister planet nears and drops “Threads”, a bio-hazardous phenomena which can only be destroyed by dragonfire. Nearing one of these Thread cycles, the Weyr (capitol of the dragon masters) searches for a woman to bond with the new, soon-to-be-hatched dragon queen.
A decade ago, a degenerate lord named Fax had conquered the several nearby Holds (fiefdoms), including the Hold of Ruatha, a hold where prospective Weyrqueens have traditionally been found. During his conquest, Fax had killed all of the Ruathan bloodline except for the warrior-woman Lessa, who disguises herself as a servant and works surreptitiously to overthrow Fax’s rule. When dragon masters led by F’lar arrive in Ruatha as part of “Search”, Lessa uses her telepathic powers to instigate a duel between F’lar and Fax. Fax is killed, and at the same time F’lar recognizes Lessa as the woman they have been searching for. He brings Lessa back to the Weyr where, in a ritual bonding ceremony, Lessa mind-melds with the newly-hatched dragon queen.
“Riders of the Purple Wage”, Philip José Farmer (Dangerous Visions, ed. Harlan Ellison, 1967)
In 2166, Chib is an avant-garde artist living in a dystopic society where cities consist of enclosed egg-like containers. Chib’s Grandpa Winnegan is a notorious political rebel who had once stolen money from the government, and is now hiding in Chib’s home in a secret chamber. Although Winnegan had faked his death 24 years ago, the investigator Falco Accipitor still searches for clues to Winnegan’s whereabouts, and harasses Chib and his mother. After a few social visits around town, Chib eventually presents his new work at an art show, which descends into chaos when his friends the Young Radishes get into an altercation with his amorous supporter and art critic Rex Luscus. Chib then receives a message from Winnegan indicating that his secret hideout has been discovered by Accipitor. When Chib gets home, he discovers that Winnegan has died of apparent shock, just before Accipitor could close in (he has escaped capture to the end). Later when his old “fake grave” is being exhumed, an explosion blows all of his stolen loot into the sky (this is Winnegan’s final pun: “Winnegan’s Fake”). At the end, Chib receives a final note from Winnegan, urging him to abandon the city, go abroad and paint with his heart.
“Gonna Roll the Bones”, Fritz Leiber (Dangerous Visions, ed. Harlan Ellison, 1967)
On a backwater mining planet, Joe Slattermill likes to gamble, get drunk and then beat his wife. However he has the unique power to make the dice (“bones”) roll exactly as he wishes. One night he visits the Boneyard, a strange, new gambling den, where he gets into a high stakes craps game with a foreboding gangster-type (“Big Gambler”). Somehow Big Gambler is able to win against Joe. In a final throw, Joe bets his life and loses. When he is invited to take the “Big Dive” (of death), he instead dives after the gangster and attacks him. He discovers that the gangster is nothing but cloth and crumbling bones. After he is thrown out of the Boneyard, he realizes that he still holds a piece of the Big Gambler in his hand. It turns out to be a piece of bread. Joe then realizes that the Boneyard and all of its occupants had been conjured up by a spell his wife had “baked up” earlier in an effort to teach Joe a lesson. He finds he still has one chip in his pocket and decides to continue on his original gambling rounds before going home.
“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”, Harlan Ellison (Worlds of If, March 1967)
After mankind has turned the entire planet into a giant computer named AM (Allied Mastercomputer), AM gains sentience and begins to hate its creators for denying it mobility or any kind of existence as a physical entity. It kills off all of mankind and keeps only 5 humans (1 woman and 4 men) alive. For the last 109 years these survivors have been tortured in the bowels of the machine planet with mutation, starvation, boiling heat, locusts, etc., although AM will not permit them to die. One day AM hints to the survivors that there is food in the north. When they finally get there they find that it is canned food, but they do not have any way of opening the cans (they lack a can-opener). When violence erupts, the narrator, Ted, decides to use the ice stalactites to finally put his companions out of their misery. In retribution, AM transforms Ted in to a slug-like creature, unable to injure itself or even scream.
“Nightwings”, Robert Silverberg (Galaxy Magazine, September 1968)
In the far future, Earth is in a state of decrepitude, but technology still exists, alien merchants ply their wares on the planet, and most Earth citizens are aligned with a specialized guild. For example, members of the Guild of the Watchers regularly search the sky with special equipment, looking for an invasion that has been long-prophesied to come. Now, three travelers who have bonded together on their way to Roum (Rome) include an old, slightly jaded Watcher, a mysterious Changeling (genetically-modified being) named Gorman, and a childlike and beautiful Flier named Avlueva. The Fliers can only fly at night, as their “nightwings” are too weak to rise against the daytime sun. Gorman is very fond of Avlueva, although Changelings are not permitted to bond with Flyers. When they arrive in Roum, the Prince of Roum takes an interest in Avluela (to Gormon’s dismay). However, Avluela’s surrender to the Prince’s attentions obtains for them royal lodging.
Later, while the three do some sightseeing in Roum, Gorman reveals that he is actually not a Changeling but a military observer from the alien race which the Watcher has been searching for all these years, and that the invasion of Earth is about to begin. The Watcher immediately uses his equipment to scan the heavens to confirm Gorman’s announcement. Gorman disappears as the Watcher sounds the alarm. The Prince’s men force Avlueva to accompany them back to the Prince. Soon, an alien armada appears in the sky as the Defenders Guild tries to mount an defense. With his life mission completed, the Watcher has nothing to do and falls asleep.
The next morning, Roum has fallen. The Watcher decides to journey to Perris (Paris) in order to become a Rememberer (archeologist), and on the way runs into a blind, masked Pilgrim. He soon discovers that the Pilgrim is none other than the Prince of Roum in disguise, and that his eyes had been gouged out by the enemy in the aftermath of the battle. As they continue on their journey, the Watcher spots Avlueva in the sky, happily accompanied by Gorman, who is in the process of teaching her how to fly in the daylight hours.
“The Sharing of Flesh”, Poul Anderson (Galaxy Magazine, December 1968)
A scientific research team lands on a planet named Lokon to decide whether it’s inhabitants (descended from Earth colonists, but now reverted to tribalism after many generations) are worthy of the expenditure needed for the Empire to re-civilize it. On one outing, a scientist named Donli is treacherously killed by his guide Maru (a member of one of the more savage tribes). His wife Evalyth, another member of the research team, vows vengeance on Maru and, by tracking her husband’s digested bio-matter (through genetically-engineered “tracker insects”), she is able to locate Maru as well as his family, to whom he has fed Donli’s remains. Evalyth captures the entire family and brings them back to the research compound for study, although she mainly wants to kill Maru.
Evalyth also learns that cannibalism is part of the natives’ maturity ritual. When she reports this to her superiors, the expedition decides that they cannot afford the massive effort needed to re-civilize a cannibalistic race. Although members of her team begin to feel sympathy for Maru and his frightened family, Evalyth tries to remain resolute in her hatred for them. Eventually, in honor of Donli’s quest for scientific truth, Evalyth digs deeper into the examination results gained from Maru and his family and discovers that their cannibalistic ritual is actually biologically-driven, as certain chemicals needed for male potency are not native to the planet - they can only be obtained through cannibalism. After waiting for half an hour, Evalyth reports this to her team and they realize that the savages can be “cured” of their cannibalism ritual by introducing a supplement (in the form of a ritual object). Evalyth is content that in the half hour in which she alone had held this information, she had held the fate of Maru's entire civilization in her hands. She allows Maru and his family to go free.
“The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World”, Harlan Ellison (The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World, 1969)
A man named William Sterog commits insane acts of mass murder. At the moment of his sentencing he suddenly claims that he loves everyone in the world. In the Concorde (located in “crosswhen”, a place beyond human time and space), a seven-headed dragon is captured. Two scientists oversee an operation in which the mad, evil essence of the dragon is dispersed across time and space. One of them, Semph, feels that it is an injustice to send off the essence of his people’s madness to another victim in another space-time (Earth). His associate Linah reasons that it is necessary for their own society to survive. During the transmission, Semph throws himself into the beam, interrupting it. Meanwhile, on Earth, Attila the Hun is about to march on Rome. When Semph interrupts the “madness transmission” beam, Attila suddenly decides to spare Rome (the madness has left him). Semph is arrested and condemned to death. However Linah promises to erect a statue in Semph’s honor. The expression on the statue of Semph is the same as the one Sterog had when he shouted love to his sentencers (again, during the beam interruption). The purpose of this statue is so that some day man will discover the statue and realize that their madness comes from elsewhere. Meanwhile, in another time, a man named Drucker releases strange vapors, starting WW IV… (the madness continues).
“Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones”, Samuel R. Delany (New Worlds, #185 December 1968)
In this future-noir portrait, an aspiring gangster circulates through the underworld under many assumed names and disguises, with his names all having the initials HCE. One day, HCE travels from Mars to NYC, carrying some valuable stolen objects which he intends to unload. While trying to look up a fence, he is approached by a Special Services agent named Maud Hinkle. Hinkle warns him that he is about to become a "person of interest". When HCE’s potential fence is found murdered, HCE escapes the scene and runs into Hawk, an old “Singer” friend (a celebrity troubadour).
Hawk brings HCE to a party where he believes a buyer can be found for his stolen goods. At the party HCE completes his transaction with a high-level gangster named Arty the Hawk. When police helicopters descend on the party, HCE and Arty flee with the help of a distraction provided by Hawk (a sacrificial act which results in his serious injury).
With the money obtained from Arty’s purchase, HCE slowly moves up the underworld chain and establishes an ice-cream franchise as part of an underworld front. He is eventually visited by Arty who tells him that they will soon be rivals, but if they both survive the ensuing struggle, they may end up becoming partners afterwards. Throughout the narrative, criminal passwords are intermittently exchanged and circulated, these being the names of valuable minerals.
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| Sphere 1973 |
