The Space Opera Megapack
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COPYRIGHT INFO
The Space Opera Megapack is copyright © 2013 by Wildside Press LLC. All rights reserved. For more information, contact the publisher. Cover art copyright © 2014 by April Cat / Fotolia.
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“Breath’s Duty,” by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, originally appeared in Duty Bound, SRM Publisher, Ltd., November 1999. Copyright © 1999 by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Reprinted by permission of the authors.
“Spawn of Jupiter,” by E. C. Tubb, originally appeared in Vision of Tomorrow #11. Copyright © 1970 by E.C. Tubb. Reprinted by permission of the author’s literary agent, Cosmos Literary Agency.
“The World with a Thousand Moons,” by Edmond Hamilton, originally appeared in Amazing Stories, December 1942.
“The Skylark of Space,” by E.E. “Doc” Smith, originally apepared in Amazing Stories, August, September and October 1928. This volume reprints with original magazine text.
“Deadline in Space,” by John Russell Fearn, originally appeared as “Reverse Action” in Vargo Statten British Science Fiction Magazine #4, 1954. Copyright © 1954 by John Russell Fearn; copyrght © 2013 by Philip Harbottle. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate.
“Planetesimal Dawn,” by Tim Sullivan, originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Oct-Nov. 2008. Copyright © 2008 by Timothy R. Sullivan. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Weight of History, the Lightness of the Future,” by Jay Lake Subterranean Press Magazine: Spring 2012. Copyright © 2008 by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Big Pill,” by Raymond Z. Gallun, originally appeared in Planet Stories, September 1952.
“Where Are You, Mr. Biggs?” by Nelson S. Bond originally appeared in Weird Tales, September 1941.
“The Sky Trap,” by Frank Belknap Long, originally appeared in Comet, July 1941.
“Tulan,” by C.C. MacApp, originally appeared in Amazing Stories, June 1960.
The Black Star Passes originally appeared in Amazing Stories (1930) and was later extensively edited for book publication in 1953 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach. This is the 1953 text.
The Galaxy Primes, by E.E. “Doc” Smith originally appeared as a 3-part serial in in Amazing Stories, March, April and May 1959.
Tarrano the Conqueror, by Ray Cummings, originally appeared in 1930.
“The Sargasso of Space,” by Edmond Hamilton, originally appeared in Astounding Stories, September 1931.
“Salvage in Space,” by Jack Williamson, originally appeared in Astounding Stories, March 1933.
The Ultimate Weapon, by John W. Campbell, originally appeared as a serial in Amazing Stories under the title of Uncertainty in 1936.
“Invaders from the Outer Suns,” by Frank Belknap Long, Jr., originally appeared in Thrilling Wonder Stories, February 1937.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
I grew up reading space opera—E.E. “Doc” Smith, Edmond Hamilton, John W. Campbell, Jr. and so many other authors from the “golden age” really knew how to spin a galactic yarn! It’s no wonder the subgenre remains popular today…though perhaps the writing, characterization, and science has improved a bit.
This Megapack spans the decades, ranging from the earliest days of Space Opera to contemporary tales by modern masters. Sit back, buckle your seatbelt (shouldn’t all spaceships have seatbelts?), and enjoy the trip!
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
ABOUT THE MEGAPACKS
Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has proved to be one of our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”
The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt, Mary Wickizer Burgess, Sam Cooper, Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, Robert Reginald. A. E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!).
A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS
The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)
RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?
Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).
Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.
TYPOS
Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.
If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at wildsidepress@yahoo.com or use the message boards above.
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
MYSTERY
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Charlie Chan Megapack*
The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack
The Detective Megapack
The Father Brown Megapack
The Girl Detective Megapack
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack
The First Mystery Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Philo Vance Megapack*
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Raffles Megapack
The Victorian Mystery Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
GENERAL INTEREST
The Adventure Megapack
The Baseball Megapack
The Cat Story Megapack
The Second Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Christmas Megapack
The Second Christmas Megapack
The Classic American Short Stories Megapack, Vol. 1.
The Classic Humor Megapack
The Dog Story Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The Horse Story Megapack
The Military Megapack
The Sea-Story Megapack
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack
The Martian Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Science-Fantasy Megapack
The First Science Fiction Megapack
The Second Science Fiction Megapack
The Third Science Fiction Megapack
The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack
The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack
The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack
The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack
The Eighth Science Fic
tion Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Steampunk Megapack
The Time Travel Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
HORROR
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Second Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The Ghost Story Megapack
The Second Ghost Story Megapack
The Third Ghost Story Megapack
The Haunts & Horrors Megapack
The Horror Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Macabre Megapack
The Second Macabre Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The Mummy Megapack
The Occult Detective Megapack
The Vampire Megapack
The Werewolf Megapack
WESTERNS
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The Buffalo Bill Megapack
The Cowboy Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Western Megapack
The Second Western Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
YOUNG ADULT
The Boys’ Adventure Megapack
The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The G.A. Henty Megapack
The Girl Detectives Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Pinocchio Megapack
The Rover Boys Megapack
The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack
The Tom Swift Megapack
AUTHOR MEGAPACKS
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Guy de Maupassant Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The Dashiell Hammett Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Selma Lagerlof Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack
The Talbot Mundy Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Rafael Sabatini Megapack
The Saki Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
* Not available in the United States
** Not available in the European Union
OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY
The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)
The Wildside Book of Fantasy
The Wildside Book of Science Fiction
Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries
BREATH’S DUTY, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
DELGADO
Leafydale Place
Standard Year 1393
In his youth, fishing had bored the professor even more thoroughly than lessons in manners, though he had more than once made the excuse of fishing a means to escape the overly-watchful eyes of his elders. Over time, he had come to enjoy the sport, most especially on Delgado, where the local game fish ate spiny nettles and hence could be hooked and released with no damage to themselves.
It was an eccentricity his neighbors, his mistress, and his colleagues had come to accept—and to expect. Periodically, the professor would set off for the lake region and return, rejuvenated, laden with tales of the ones that had gotten away and on-scale holograms of the ones that had not.
So it was this morning that he parted comfortably from his mistress, tarrying to share a near-perfect cup of locally-grown coffee with her—the search for the perfect cup and the perfect moment being among her chiefest joys—and with his pack of lures, dangles, weights and rods set off for the up-country lakes.
The car was his other eccentricity—allowed however grudgingly by the collegiate board of trustees, who were, after all, realists. The work of Professor Jen Sar Kiladi was known throughout the cluster and students flocked to him, thus increasing the school’s treasury and its status.
The car was roundly considered a young person’s car. While fast, it was neither shiny nor new; an import that required expensive replacements and a regimen of constant repairs. Its passenger section had room enough for him, occasionally for his mistress, or for his fishing equipment and light camping gear. Not even the board of trustees doubted his ability to drive it, for he ran in the top class of the local moto-cross club and indulged now and then in time-and-place road rallies, where he held an enviable record, indeed.
The local gendarmes liked him: He was both polite and sharp, and had several times assisted in collecting drunk drivers before they could harm someone.
His mistress was smiling from her window. He looked up and waved merrily, precisely as always, then sighed as he opened the car door.
For a moment he sat, absorbing the commonplaces of the day. He adjusted the mirrors, which needed no adjustment, and by habit pushed the trimester. The sun’s first rays slanted through the windshield, endowing his single ring with an instant of silvery fire. He rubbed the worn silver knot absently.
Then, he ran through the Rainbow pattern, for alertness.
The car rumbled to life at a touch of the switch, startling the birds napping in the tree across the street. He pulled out slowly, nodded to the beat cop he passed on the side street, then chose the back road, unmonitored at this hour on an off-week.
He accelerated, exceeding the speed limit in the first few seconds, and checked his mental map. Not long. Not long at all.
* * * *
He grimaced as he got out of the car—he’d forgotten to break the drive and now his back ached, just a bit. He’d driven past his favorite fishing ground, perhaps faster there than elsewhere, for there was a lure to doing nothing at all, to huddling inside the carefully constructed persona, to forgetting, well, truly, and for all time, exactly who he was.
The airfield was filled to capacity; mostly local craft—fan-powered—along with a few of the flashy commuter jets the high-born brought in for their fishing trips.
On the far side of the tarmac was a handful of space faring ships, including seven or eight that seemed under constant repair. Among them, painted a motley green-brown, half-hidden with sham repair-plates and external piping, was a ship displaying the garish nameplate L’il Orbit. The professor went to the control room to check in, carrying his cane, which he very nearly needed after the run in the cramped car.
“Might actually lift today!” he told the bleary-eyed counterman with entirely false good cheer
.
As always, the man smiled and wished him luck. L’il Orbit hadn’t flown in the ten years he’d been on the morning shift, though the little man came by pretty regular to work and rework the ship’s insides. But, who knew? The ship might actually lift one day; stranger things had happened. And given that, today was as good a day as any other.
Outside the office, the professor paused, a man no longer young, shorter than the usual run of Terran, with soft, scholar’s hands and level shoulders beneath his holiday jacket, staring across the field to where the starships huddled. A teacher with a hobby, that was all.
An equation rose from his back brain, pure as crystal, irrevocable as blood. Another rose, another—and yet another.
He knew the names of stars and planets and way stations light years away from this place. His hands knew key combinations not to be found on university computers; his eyes knew patterns that ground-huggers might only dream of.
“Pilot.” He heard her whisper plainly; felt her breath against his ear. He knew better than to turn his head.
“Pilot,” Aelliana said again, and half-against his own will he smiled and murmured, “Pilot.”
As a pilot must, he crossed the field to tend his ship. He barely paused during the walk-around, carefully detaching the fake pipe fittings and connections that had marred the beauty of the lines and hidden features best not noticed by prying eyes. The hardest thing was schooling himself to do a proper pilot’s walk-around after so many years of cursory play-acting.
L’il Orbit was a Class A Jumpship, tidy and comfortable, with room for the pilot and co-pilot, if any, plus cargo, or a paying passenger. He dropped automatically into the co-pilot’s chair, slid the ship key into its slot in the dark board, and watched the screen glow to life.
“Huh?” Blue letters formed Terran words against the white ground. “Who’s there?”
He reached to the keyboard. “Get to work!”
“Nothing to do,” the ship protested.
“You’re just lazy,” the man replied.
“Oh, am I?” L’il Orbit returned hotly. “I suppose you know all about lazy!”
Despite having written and sealed this very script long years ago, the man grinned at the ship’s audacity.
“Tell me your name,” he typed.
“First, tell me yours.”
“Professor Jen Sar Kiladi.”
“Oho, the schoolteacher! You don’t happen to know the name of a reliable pilot, do you, professor?”