Short Fiction · Chapter
III: Destination—Death! explained
Saul Duncan, alongside Olcott and Hartman, intercepts the passenger ship Maid of Mercury to retrieve his wife Andrea and radium.
What happens
Saul Duncan, alongside Olcott and Hartman, intercepts the passenger ship Maid of Mercury to retrieve his wife Andrea and radium. After Andrea is reported dead—killed by Plutonians—Duncan receives her body via spacesuit. Consumed by grief and fury, he decides to pilot the cruiser to Pluto to exact revenge on the Plutonians, forcing Olcott and Hartman to accompany him on a likely suicidal mission.
Themes in this chapter
Obsession and Madness
Duncan's grief drives him to a suicidal revenge mission, overriding reason and endangering all aboard.
Survival and Endurance
The crew faces the threat of a suicidal voyage to Pluto, testing their will to survive.
Characters to notice
- Saul Duncan
Grieving and vengeful after Andrea's death; takes command of the cruiser and heads to Pluto.
- Brent Olcott
Initially impassive but becomes fearful as Duncan's suicidal plan unfolds.
- Rudy Hartman
Nervous wreck without khlar; warns about the ship's structural weakness.
- Andrea Duncan
Reported dead, killed by Plutonians; her body is sent over in a spacesuit.
Key passages
“Deep within him, something turned into ice. He was hearing a voice, seeing a face, both phantoms, for Andrea was dead.”
Duncan felt a cold shock as the reality of Andrea's death sank in.
Illustrates Duncan's emotional devastation upon learning of Andrea's death.
“I'm taking this boat to Pluto. I'm going to blast hell out of the Plutonians. They'll get us eventually, all of us.”
Duncan declares his intention to fly to Pluto and attack the Plutonians, knowing it will likely be a suicide mission.
Highlights Duncan's vengeful and reckless determination.