Short Fiction by Mack Reynolds (ready to read books .TXT) π

Description
Dallas McCord βMackβ Reynolds was an American science fiction writer who authored almost two hundred short stories and novellas, was a staple in all the major science fiction and fantasy magazines and published dozens of science fiction novels. He began his writing career in the late 1940s. His fiction focused on exploring and challenging both the socioeconomic themes of the day and the implications of the Cold War that raged throughout his career. A thoughtful writer of speculative fiction, many of Mack Reynoldsβ predictions have come to pass, including the credit-card economy, remote warfare and a worldwide computer network. His thoughts about the outcomes of both the Soviet and western political and economic systems are still highly relevant.
This collection gathers stories that were published in Analog, Astounding Science Fiction, Amazing Stories and others. Ordered by date of first publication, they range from spy adventures to the ultimate expression of corporate warfare and from a very short 1000-word story to full-blown novellas.
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- Author: Mack Reynolds
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Ronny said, βNobodyβs ever figured out.β That didnβt seem to be enough, especially since Ross Metaxa was staring at him, so he added, βPossibly we devotees keep doing it in hopes that someday somebodyβll find out.β
Ross Metaxa said sourly, βNot too much humor, please. You donβt act as though getting this position means much to you.β
Ronny said slowly, βI figured out some time ago that every young man on Earth yearns for a job that will send him shuttling from one planet to another. To achieve it they study, they sweat, they make all out efforts to meet and suck up to anybody they think might help. Finally, when and if they get an interview for one of the few openings, they spruce up in their best clothes, put on their best party manners, present themselves as the sincere, high I.Q., ambitious young men that they areβ βand then flunk their chance. I decided I might as well be what I am.β
Ross Metaxa looked at him. βOK,β he said finally. βWeβll give you a try.β
Ronny said blankly, βYou mean Iβve got the job?β
βThatβs right.β
βIβll be damned.β
βProbably,β Metaxa said. He yawned. βDo you know what Section G handles?β
βWell no, but as for me, just so I get off Earth and see some of the galaxy.β
Metaxa had been sitting with his heels on his desk. Now he put them down and reached a hand into a drawer to emerge with a brown bottle and two glasses. βDo you drink?β he said.
βOf course.β
βEven during working hours?β Metaxa scowled.
βWhen occasion calls.β
βGood,β Metaxa said. He poured two drinks. βYouβll get your fill of seeing the galaxy,β he said. βNot that thereβs much to see. Man can settle only Earth-type planets and after youβve seen a couple of hundred youβve seen them all.β
Ronny sipped at his drink, then blinked reproachfully down into the glass.
Metaxa said, βGood, eh? A kind of tequila they make on Deneb Eight. Bunch of Mexicans settled there.β
βWhat,β said Ronny hoarsely, βdo they make it out of?β
βLord only knows,β Metaxa said. βTo get back to Section G. Weβre Interplanetary Security. In short, Department Cloak and Dagger. Would you be willing to die for the United Planets, Bronston?β
That curve had come too fast. Ronny blinked again. βOnly in emergency,β he said. βWhoβd want to kill me?β
Metaxa poured another drink. βMany of the people youβll be working with,β he said.
βWell, why? What will I be doing?β
βYouβll be representing United Planets,β Metaxa explained. βRepresenting United Planets in cases where the local situation is such that the folks youβre working among will be teed off at the organization.β
βWell, why are they members if they donβt like the U.P.?β
βThatβs a good question,β Metaxa said. He yawned. βI guess Iβll have to go into my speech.β He finished his drink. βNow, shut up till I give you some background. Youβre probably full of a lot of nonsense you picked up in school.β
Ronny shut up. Heβd expected more of an air of dedication in the Octagon and in such ethereal departments as that of Interplanetary Justice, however, he was in now and not adverse to picking up some sophistication beyond the ken of the Earthbound employees of U.P.
The otherβs voice took on a far away, albeit bored tone. βIt seems that most of the times man gets a really big idea, he goes off half cocked. Just one example. Remember when the ancient Hellenes exploded into the Mediterranean? A score of different City-States began sending out colonies, which in turn sprouted colonies of their own. Take Syracuse, on Sicily. Hardly was she established than, bingo, she sent off colonists to Southern Italy, and they in turn to Southern France, Corsica, the Balearics. Greeks were exploding all over the place, largely without adequate plans, without rhyme or reason. Take Alexander. Roamed off all the way to India, founding cities and colonies of Greeks all along the way.β
The older man shifted in his chair. βYou wonder what Iβm getting at, eh? Well, much the same thing is happening in manβs explosion into space, now that he has the ability to leave the solar system behind. Dashing off half cocked, in all directions, heβs flowing out over this section of the galaxy without plan, without rhyme or reason. I take that last back, he has reasons all rightβ βsome of the screwiest. Religious reasons, racial reasons, idealistic reasons, political reasons, altruistic reasons and mercenary reasons.
βInadequate ships, manned by small numbers of inadequate people, setting out to find their own planets, to establish themselves on one of the numberless uninhabited worlds that offer themselves to colonization and exploitation.β
Ronny cleared his throat. βWell, isnβt that a good thing, sir?β
Ross Metaxa looked at him and grunted. βWhat difference does it make if itβs good or not? Itβs happening. Weβre spreading our race out over tens of hundreds of new worlds in the most haphazard fashion. As a result, we of United Planets now have a chaotic mishmash on our hands. How we manage to keep as many planets in the organization as we do, sometimes baffles me. I suppose most of them are afraid to drop out, conscious of the protection U.P. gives against each other.β
He picked up a report. βHereβs Monet, originally colonized by a bunch of painters, writers, musicians and such. They had dreams of starting a new raceββ βMetaxa snortedβ ββwith everybody artists. They were all so impractical that they even managed to crash their ship on landing. For three hundred years they were uncontacted. What did they have in the way of government by that time? A military theocracy, something like the Aztecs of Pre-Conquest Mexico. A matriarchy, at that. And whatβs their religion based on? That of ancient Phoenicia including plenty of human sacrifice to good old Moloch. What can United Planets do about it, now that theyβve become a member? Work away very delicately,
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