No star's land
By William Morrison
When cosmic giants wage war man
becomes a fly-speck in space. But
a single atom can shatter a sun!
William Morrison is a past master of the 'mistake' story. We don't mean to imply that Mr. Morrison made a mistake in writing this story—quite the contrary! The 'mistake' story is simply a tale that in relentless documentary fashion shows how foolish people are to confuse size with power, or make the error of underselling the indomitable spirit of man.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Fantastic Universe July 1954.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
It was ridiculous and incredible. It was against all reason. But it had happened. The ship was marooned in free space.
They had been squabbling again, and this time the arguments on both sides had become as hot as the two blazing stars which hemmed them in on both sides, making them feel like dust motes in a vacuum. Karin, her eyes darting sparks, had summed it up neatly.
"It's hopeless, Jan. Only a divorce can solve it!"
"I can't think of anything I want more," Jan said, his face tight with anger. By the light of the green star, which illuminated his features, he must have made, he realized bitterly, a ghastly picture.