Short Fiction · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Short Fiction by H. Beam Piper.
Chapter 1
Time and Time Again
Allan Hartley, a 43-year-old man, awakens in his 13-year-old body in 1945, thirty years in his past. He struggles to reconcile his adult memories with his childhood environment, realizing he must carefully conceal his advanced knowledge and understanding from his father and others while seeking a theory to explain his temporal displacement.
Chapter 2
He Walked Around the Horses
A Prussian lieutenant recounts his journey escorting an Englishman named Bathurst, who holds bizarre beliefs about an alternate history where the American colonists won their independence, leading to a French Revolution, Napoleon's rise, and widespread European chaos. The lieutenant, initially skeptical, becomes disturbed by Bathurst's calm narration of horrors, and later discovers that Bathurst's documents describe a world entirely different from his own, including references to a President James Madison and a general named Wellington.
Chapter 3
Police Operation
Tortha Karf and Verkan Vall review a database of strange events on a Fourth Level timeline, including unexplained fires, disappearances, and 'Flying Saucer' sightings linked to the Ardrath expedition's antigravity disks. They discuss the Paratime Police's role in suppressing public awareness and maintaining the secret of paratime transposition. Meanwhile, on the same timeline, game protector Steve Parker and state police investigate a series of animal attacks on livestock, with wounds suggesting a large predator or possibly a human with a blade. The chapter also includes a technical explanation of paratime theory, levels, sectors, and belts.
Chapter 4
The Mercenaries
Duncan MacLeod, a research scientist working on the Philadelphia Project, navigates the intense security measures of the Tonto Basin Research Establishment. He and his wife Karen, along with Kato Sugihara, discover a security leak within their team, suspecting one of their top researchers of selling secrets to the Komintern. They set a trap using falsified data to identify the traitor, while MacLeod seeks help from Allan Hartley and General Hammond to clear their names.
Chapter 5
Last Enemy
Dallona and Dirzed present evidence of conscious discarnate survival, leading to political turmoil as Statisticalist and Volitionalist factions clash. Verkan Vall, Dalla, and allies barricade themselves in a dome under siege, while Tortha Karf discusses the Akor-Neb Sector. The chapter culminates in escalating violence and a city-wide riot.
Chapter 6
Flight from Tomorrow
Hradzka, a palace guard, flees a revolt in the palace of King Kurchuk and escapes into the countryside, where he finds work as a farm laborer and struggles to adapt to a life of poverty and anonymity.
Chapter 7
I
Stephen Silk is summoned to a meeting with high-ranking Solar League officials, including Secretary of State Ghopal Singh, Secretary of Aggression Rudolf Klüng, and Security Coordinator Natalenko. They discuss his pseudonymous article and then assign him a dangerous mission: to become Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the independent planet New Texas, where he must investigate the murder of the previous ambassador, promote League interests, and counter a potential z'Srauff invasion.
Chapter 8
II
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives on New Texas, receives a briefing that includes a disturbing order to carry pistols at all times, and begins to suspect that his predecessor's murder may be part of a larger plot to provoke a Solar League invasion. He searches his secretary Hoddy Ringo's luggage and finds evidence suggesting a conspiracy to arrange his own death.
Chapter 9
III
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives at New Austin spaceport, where he is forcibly escorted by his chargé d'affaires Gilbert Thrombley to the Embassy to avoid a perceived crisis. He is later visited by Texas Ranger Captain Nelson, who had received a kidnapping report from a blonde woman Silk met on the ship. After resolving the misunderstanding, Silk refuses to sign an immediate assumption of responsibility without auditing the Embassy's books, but agrees to issue a public statement and attend a reception at the Statehouse.
Chapter 10
IV
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives at the New Texas Statehouse and meets Secretary of State William Palme and President John Hutchinson. He is officially accredited as ambassador and attends a chaotic barbecue, where he mingles with the Diplomatic Corps and encounters Gail, who is angry about being stood up at the spaceport.
Chapter 11
Rebel Raider
In January 1863, General J.E.B. Stuart leaves Captain John S. Mosby behind in Union-occupied Fairfax County with a small force to harass the enemy. Mosby, a former anti-secessionist lawyer turned Confederate partisan, recruits a Union deserter, Sergeant James F. Ames, and leads a raid on a Union picket post at Thompson's Corners. Despite initial skepticism, Ames proves his loyalty in battle. Mosby then plans a bold raid on Fairfax Courthouse to capture Union commander Sir Percy Wyndham, but a subsequent ambush results in the capture of two of his men. Growing opposition from local citizens and Confederate generals pressures Mosby to achieve a spectacular victory to secure his command.
Chapter 12
Operation R.S.V.P.
This chapter presents a series of diplomatic letters and news excerpts detailing escalating tensions between the U.E.E.S.R. and the U.P.R.E.A., culminating in a bold ultimatum from the Ameer of Afghanistan, Shere Ali Abdallah, who reveals that he has recruited top scientists from both superpowers to develop advanced weapons for Afghanistan, including a lithium bomb, and demands the dissolution of both rival states into independent republics under his leadership.
Chapter 13
Dearest
Colonel Ashley Hampton faces a commitment hearing orchestrated by his nephew Stephen and Stephen's wife Myra, who aim to have him declared senile. As the psychiatrist Doctor Vehrner prepares to inject him with sodium pentathol, Myra suddenly seizes a .45 automatic, shoots Stephen and Doctor Vehrner, then turns the gun on herself. The chapter reveals Colonel Hampton's secret companionship with an invisible entity he calls 'Dearest,' a presence that brings him warmth and comfort but is dismissed by others as a symptom of dementia.
Chapter 14
Temple Trouble
Verkan Vall and Brannad Klav visit Stranor Sleth to investigate escalating tensions in the Hulgun kingdoms, where King Kurchuk of Zurb, influenced by Chuldun advisors and their god Muz-Azin, has closed the temple of Yat-Zar and arrested its priests. Stranor details the political intrigue, including a failed invasion of Jumdun, and the broader paratime operations masked as religious activities. The chapter explores the legal and ethical complexities of paratime intervention, as Verkan Vall explains the need for flexibility in outtime laws.
Chapter 15
Day of the Moron
Scott Melroy deals with labor tensions at the Long Island Nuclear Power Plant, where psychological testing of workers reveals two problematic employees, Harvey Burris and Julius Koffler. The union (I.F.A.W.) calls a strike, and the reactor is deliberately repacked by union orders to prevent Melroy's team from working. Melroy prepares for a federal mediation hearing in New York.
Chapter 16
Genesis
No excerpts provided.
Chapter 17
I
Stephen Silk is summoned to a meeting with high-ranking Solar League officials, including Secretary of State Ghopal Singh, Secretary of Aggression Rudolf Klüng, and Security Coordinator Natalenko. They discuss his pseudonymous article and then assign him a dangerous mission: to become Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the independent planet New Texas, where he must investigate the murder of the previous ambassador, promote League interests, and counter a potential z'Srauff invasion.
Chapter 18
II
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives on New Texas, receives a briefing that includes a disturbing order to carry pistols at all times, and begins to suspect that his predecessor's murder may be part of a larger plot to provoke a Solar League invasion. He searches his secretary Hoddy Ringo's luggage and finds evidence suggesting a conspiracy to arrange his own death.
Chapter 19
III
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives at New Austin spaceport, where he is forcibly escorted by his chargé d'affaires Gilbert Thrombley to the Embassy to avoid a perceived crisis. He is later visited by Texas Ranger Captain Nelson, who had received a kidnapping report from a blonde woman Silk met on the ship. After resolving the misunderstanding, Silk refuses to sign an immediate assumption of responsibility without auditing the Embassy's books, but agrees to issue a public statement and attend a reception at the Statehouse.
Chapter 20
IV
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives at the New Texas Statehouse and meets Secretary of State William Palme and President John Hutchinson. He is officially accredited as ambassador and attends a chaotic barbecue, where he mingles with the Diplomatic Corps and encounters Gail, who is angry about being stood up at the spaceport.
Chapter 21
Null-A.B.C.
The chapter introduces a complex narrative involving multiple timelines and characters, including Verkan Vall, a temporal agent, and his interactions with various figures across different eras. Themes of identity, memory, and the consequences of time travel are explored as Vall navigates parallel realities and confronts the challenges of maintaining order across time.
Chapter 22
I
Stephen Silk is summoned to a meeting with high-ranking Solar League officials, including Secretary of State Ghopal Singh, Secretary of Aggression Rudolf Klüng, and Security Coordinator Natalenko. They discuss his pseudonymous article and then assign him a dangerous mission: to become Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the independent planet New Texas, where he must investigate the murder of the previous ambassador, promote League interests, and counter a potential z'Srauff invasion.
Chapter 23
II
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives on New Texas, receives a briefing that includes a disturbing order to carry pistols at all times, and begins to suspect that his predecessor's murder may be part of a larger plot to provoke a Solar League invasion. He searches his secretary Hoddy Ringo's luggage and finds evidence suggesting a conspiracy to arrange his own death.
Chapter 24
The Return
Altamont and Loudons visit a hidden community descended from survivors of a past catastrophe. They learn about the community's history, their reliance on The Books, and their anticipation of the 'Slain and Risen One.' Altamont offers help in exchange for assistance in locating a crypt of microfilmed books in Pittsburgh. After a tour of the village's industries and a violent attack by Scowrers, the two men depart by helicopter, with Loudons troubled by the community's mistaken belief that they are Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
Chapter 25
Time Crime
Verkan Vall and Hadron Dalla investigate a temporal anomaly involving a parallel timeline where the American Civil War never ended, leading to a dystopian world dominated by a feudalistic society. They uncover a conspiracy involving time travel and the manipulation of history by powerful entities.
Chapter 26
I
Stephen Silk is summoned to a meeting with high-ranking Solar League officials, including Secretary of State Ghopal Singh, Secretary of Aggression Rudolf Klüng, and Security Coordinator Natalenko. They discuss his pseudonymous article and then assign him a dangerous mission: to become Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the independent planet New Texas, where he must investigate the murder of the previous ambassador, promote League interests, and counter a potential z'Srauff invasion.
Chapter 27
II
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives on New Texas, receives a briefing that includes a disturbing order to carry pistols at all times, and begins to suspect that his predecessor's murder may be part of a larger plot to provoke a Solar League invasion. He searches his secretary Hoddy Ringo's luggage and finds evidence suggesting a conspiracy to arrange his own death.
Chapter 28
Omnilingual
Martha Dane and Selim von Ohlmhorst continue their archaeological work on Mars, with von Ohlmhorst deciding to stay permanently to study Martian artifacts. Tony Lattimer's jealousy and ambition are revealed as he tries to undermine Martha's achievements. Martha discovers a bilingual text in physics and chemistry, providing a key to understanding the Martian language, while Sachiko Koremitsu painstakingly restores a crushed book. The team explores the lower sea bottoms, finding new life forms and intensifying their research.
Chapter 29
Lone Star Planet
The chapter introduces the planet New Texas, a world settled by a group of Texans who established a unique political system where any citizen can challenge and duel any official, including the governor. The story follows Stephen Silk, an envoy from Earth, as he navigates this volatile environment and becomes entangled in local politics and a brewing conflict with the neighboring planet of Zagworld.
Chapter 30
I
Stephen Silk is summoned to a meeting with high-ranking Solar League officials, including Secretary of State Ghopal Singh, Secretary of Aggression Rudolf Klüng, and Security Coordinator Natalenko. They discuss his pseudonymous article and then assign him a dangerous mission: to become Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the independent planet New Texas, where he must investigate the murder of the previous ambassador, promote League interests, and counter a potential z'Srauff invasion.
Chapter 31
II
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives on New Texas, receives a briefing that includes a disturbing order to carry pistols at all times, and begins to suspect that his predecessor's murder may be part of a larger plot to provoke a Solar League invasion. He searches his secretary Hoddy Ringo's luggage and finds evidence suggesting a conspiracy to arrange his own death.
Chapter 32
III
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives at New Austin spaceport, where he is forcibly escorted by his chargé d'affaires Gilbert Thrombley to the Embassy to avoid a perceived crisis. He is later visited by Texas Ranger Captain Nelson, who had received a kidnapping report from a blonde woman Silk met on the ship. After resolving the misunderstanding, Silk refuses to sign an immediate assumption of responsibility without auditing the Embassy's books, but agrees to issue a public statement and attend a reception at the Statehouse.
Chapter 33
IV
Ambassador Stephen Silk arrives at the New Texas Statehouse and meets Secretary of State William Palme and President John Hutchinson. He is officially accredited as ambassador and attends a chaotic barbecue, where he mingles with the Diplomatic Corps and encounters Gail, who is angry about being stood up at the spaceport.
Chapter 34
V
The narrator observes a bizarre trial on New Texas where a man is acquitted for killing a politician, highlighting the planet's unique legal and moral codes. Later, at a public event, the narrator saves President Hutchinson from an assassination attempt by a disguised waiter, earning the gratitude of the President and Colonel Andrew Jackson Hickock, and finally learns Gail's last name.
Chapter 35
VI
Ambassador Stephen Silk holds a council of war with his staff at the Embassy after the barbecue. They discuss the political situation on New Texas, the murder of Mr. Cumshaw by the Bonney brothers, and the evidence gathered by Captain Nelson. Silk learns of the long-standing failure to secure New Texas into the Solar League and the fate of previous ambassadors.
Chapter 36
VII
Ambassador Silk visits the Hickock ranch, where Colonel Hickock explains New Texas's unique political system based on armed citizenry and weak government. Silk realizes the danger of the Bonney brothers being tried in the Court of Political Justice, which would set a precedent undermining diplomatic immunity. He devises a plan to prevent their conviction while still maintaining Solar League prestige.
Chapter 37
VIII
The trial of the Bonney brothers begins in New Austin, with defense attorney Clement Sidney employing stalling tactics to delay proceedings, possibly awaiting the arrival of the z'Srauff fleet. The court is packed with spectators, and the prosecution is led by Colonel Hickock and lawyer Samuel Goodham. After a series of challenges to potential jurors, the defense eventually agrees to accept the current court, and the trial is adjourned until the next day.
Chapter 38
The Trial Begins
The trial of the three Bonney brothers for the murder of Ambassador Silas Cumshaw begins. The defense lawyer, Clement Sidney, refuses stipulations and accuses the courts of corruption, drawing a contempt warning from Judge Nelson. The prosecution presents witnesses, including the doctor who certified Cumshaw's death and a ballistics expert. Ambassador Silk cross-examines them to highlight the unusual weapon used. David Crockett Longfellow, Hickock's butler, testifies to witnessing the murder and identifies the defendants. Silk's questioning suggests a conspiracy and financial motive behind the assassination.
Chapter 39
The Trial Concludes: Jurisdictional Challenge
On the third day of the trial, the defense presents character witnesses for the Bonney brothers and attacks Silas Cumshaw's political record. Ambassador Silk cross-examines effectively, then calls witnesses to reveal that the murder was a hired assassination orchestrated by the z'Srauff Ambassador. Silk argues that the court lacks jurisdiction because the crime was not a political act but the murder of a diplomat, forcing the court to release the Bonney brothers.
Chapter 40
XI
Ambassador Stephen Silk confronts the Bonney brothers in a New Texas courtroom, killing them in a shootout to avenge the murder of the Solar League Ambassador. He then threatens the z'Srauff Ambassador, leading to a diplomatic incident that culminates in the ratification of the Palme-Silk Annexation Treaty and Silk's continued political involvement on New Texas.
Chapter 41
The Edge of the Knife
Professor Edward Chalmers struggles to suppress his unwanted 'memories' of future history while teaching at Blanley College in 1973. After a slip in class where he refers to future events, he faces scrutiny from students and faculty. The assassination of Khalid Ib'n Hussein is reported, confirming one of his predictions. He meets with psychiatrist Doctor Hauserman, who initially suspected him of insanity but is convinced otherwise after Chalmers explains his 'projection' theory. Chalmers privately knows the Thirty Days' War is approaching, with Blanley College in a target zone.
Chapter 42
The Keeper
Raud the Keeper, an old man living alone with his dogs in a remote house, hunts deer and reflects on the ancient world before the Ice-Father. He returns home to find his dog Bold killed and the Crown stolen by four men, including a Northman and three Southrons. He tracks them across the ice, kills one, and recovers the Crown, but is then confronted by a group of Southrons in an airboat who demand the Crown. After a tense standoff, he is taken aboard and learns that the Crown is a device of immense power, and that the Southrons are from a starship seeking to reclaim it.
Chapter 43
Graveyard of Dreams
Conn Maxwell returns to his home planet Poictesme after five years of study on Terra. As his airship descends toward Litchfield, he observes the decay of his once-familiar city and reflects on the gap between his youthful hopes and the grim reality. He is met by his family, his girlfriend Lynne Fawzi, and a crowd of townspeople who eagerly await news of a secret he was sent to uncover. The chapter establishes the economic decline of Poictesme and the community's desperate hope that Conn has found the location of a hidden treasure or technology that could save them.
Chapter 44
Ministry of Disturbance
Emperor Paul of the First Galactic Empire deals with a student riot at the Imperial University, triggered by Chancellor Khane's dismissal of Professor Faress over a disputed physics experiment. The chapter interweaves political maneuvering, family life with his son Rodrik, and the growing sense of impending change, as hinted by a psi-medium's prophecy.
Chapter 45
Hunter Patrol
Major Fred Benson, a U.N. soldier on his last patrol before rotation, is about to be crushed by a Soviet tank when a blue mist transports him to a future where a group of intellectuals has built a time machine. He learns he is fifty years in the future in St. Louis, now the World Capitol. The group explains that a dictator called 'The Guide' has taken over the world, banning competitive sports and enforcing a doctrine of peace and beauty through sonic weapons and chemical control. Benson is brought before The Guide, who is revealed to be an older version of himself. The Guide stuns Benson with an ultrasonic pistol, but a blue mist appears again, suggesting further temporal displacement.
Chapter 46
Crossroads of Destiny
A history professor recounts a strange encounter in a club-car where a television producer pitches a show about altering historical events, leading to a discussion of alternate probability and time dimensions. A mysterious stranger with an odd accent and suit leaves, tipping the porter with a bizarre dollar bill that appears to be from another reality, suggesting he may have come from an alternate timeline.
Chapter 47
The Answer
Lee Richardson and Alexis Pitov oversee a test launch of a rocket containing negamatter, which triggers a massive explosion and radiation burst. Richardson is haunted by memories of the Auburn Bomb—a similar catastrophic event from 1969 that devastated the United States and Soviet Union, killing millions including his wife. The chapter explores the moral weight of their experiment and the unresolved mystery of the original Auburn disaster.
Chapter 48
Oomphel in the Sky
Miles Gilbert uses a fabricated religious narrative—promising the Kwann natives 'oomphel in the sky' after death—to quell their emotional rebellion against the scientific truth that their planet cannot draw closer to its sun. His strategy shifts the natives' hope from a physical 'Always-Cool Time' to a spiritual afterlife, thereby defusing their destructive frenzies while also altering Terran-native power dynamics. Meanwhile, General Maith forces Governor Kovac to declare martial rule as uprisings spread across Kwannon.
Chapter 49
Naudsonce
The Terrans attempt to manage the cultural and technological impact of their presence on the Svant village, dealing with the consequences of introducing a pump that disrupts the natives' way of life. After soundproofing the pump house, they face social upheaval as two Svants are beaten and robbed for accepting gifts out of turn. The Terrans take the outcasts into their camp, while debates continue about Svant language, telepathy, and the ethics of colonization.
Chapter 50
A Slave Is a Slave
The Imperial forces, led by Commodore Vann Shatrak and Colonel Pyairr Ravney, have conquered the planet Aditya and are attempting to abolish slavery. They face the challenge of converting a slave society into a wage-based economy, encountering resistance and confusion from both the former Lords-Master and the slaves themselves. Count Erskyll struggles to reconcile his ideals of freedom and progress with the practical realities of emancipation, while the former chief-slaves begin to see opportunities for personal gain in the new system.
Chapter 51
Endnotes
The endnotes provide a transcriber's note regarding an uncorrected error in the text, where the third element is listed as 'Sarfalddavas' in one instance and 'tirfalddavas' in another. The transcriber speculates on the correct form, considering consistency with other names and the possibility that a character misspoke in excitement.
