Short Fiction by Poul Anderson (free ebook novel .txt) π

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Poul Andersonβs prolific writing career began in 1947, while still an undergraduate physics student at the University of Minnesota, and continued throughout his life. His works were primarily science fiction and fantasy, but he also produced mysteries and historical fiction.
Among his many honors, Anderson was a recipient of three Nebula awards, seven Hugo awards, three Prometheus awards, and an SFWA Grand Master award. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2000.
This collection consists of short stories and novellas published in Worlds of If, Galaxy SF, Fantastic Universe, and other periodicals. Presented in order of publication, they include Innocent at Large, a 1958 story coauthored with his wife and noted author Karen Anderson.
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- Author: Poul Anderson
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The day cameβ βor was it the night?β βwhen Karen took a slab of darkly shining substance out of the furnace where it had been heat-aging. Rakkan sawed it into several chunks for testing. It was Lancaster who worked on the electric properties.
He applied voltage till his generator groaned, and watched in awe as meters climbed and climbed without any sign of stopping. He discharged the accumulated energy in a single blue flare that filled the lab with thunder and ozone. He tested for time lag of an electric signal and wondered wildly if it didnβt feel like sleeping on its weary path.
The reports came in, excited yells from one end of the long, cluttered room to the other, exultant whoops and men pounding each other on the back. This was it! This was the treasure at the rainbowβs end.
The substance and its properties were physically and chemically stable over a temperature range of hundreds of degrees. The breakdown voltage was up in the millions. The insulation resistance was better than the best known to Earthβs science.
The dielectric constant could be varied at will by a simple electric field normal to the applied voltage gradientβ βa field which could be generated by a couple of dry cells if need beβ βand ranged from a hundred thousand to about three billion. For all practical purposes, here was the ultimate dielectric.
βWe did it!β Friedrichs slapped Lancasterβs back till it felt that the ribs must crack. βWe have it!β
βWhooppee!β yelled Karen.
Suddenly they had joined hands and were dancing idiotically around the induction furnace. Lancaster clasped Rakkanβs talons without caring that it was a Martian. They sang then, sang till heads appeared at the door and the glassware shivered.
Here we go βround the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bushβ β
It called for a celebration. The end of a Project meant no more than filing a last report and waiting for the next assignment, but they ran things differently out here. Somebody broke out a case of Venusian aguacaliente. Somebody else led the way to a storeroom, tossed its contents into the hall, and festooned it with used computer tape. Rakkan forgot his Martian dignity and fiddled for a square dance, with Isaacson doing the calling. The folk from the other end of the station swarmed in till the place overflowed. It was quite a party.
Hours later, Lancaster was hazily aware of lying stretched on the floor. His head was in Karenβs lap and she was stroking his hair. The hardy survivors were following the Dufreres in French drinking songs, which are the best in the known universe. Rakkanβs fiddle wove in and out, a lovely accompaniment to voices that were untrained but made rich and alive by triumph.
βSur ma tombβ je veux quβon inscrive:
βIci-git le roi des buveurs.β
Sur ma tombβ je veux quβon inscrive:
βIci-git le roi des buveurs.
Ici-git, oui, oui, oui,
Ici-git, non, non, nonβ ββββ
Lancaster knew that he had never been really happy before.
Berg showed up a couple of days later, looking worried. Lancasterβs vacation time was almost up. When he heard the news, his eyes snapped gleefully and he pumped the physicistβs hand. βGood work, boy!β
βThere are things to clean up yet,β said Lancaster, βbut itβs all detail. Anybody can do it.β
βAnd the materialβ βwhat do you call it, anyway?β
Karen grinned. βSo far, weβve only named it ffuts,β she said. βThatβs βstuffβ spelled backward.β
βOkay, okay. Itβs easy to manufacture?β
βSure. Now that we know how, anybody can make it in his own homeβ βif heβs handy at tinkering apparatus together.β
βFine, fine! Just what was needed. This is the ticket.β Berg turned back to Lancaster. βOkay, boy, you can pack now. We blast again in a few hours.β
The physicist shuffled his feet. βWhat are my chances of getting reassigned back here?β he asked. βIβve liked it immensely. And now that I know about it anywayβ ββ
βIβll see. Iβll see. But remember, this is top secret. You go back to your regular job and donβt say a word on this to anyone less than the Presidentβ βno matter what happens, understand?β
βOf course,β snapped Lancaster, irritated. βI know my duty.β
βYeah, so you do.β Berg sighed. βSo you do.β
Leavetaking was tough for all concerned. They had grown fond of the quiet, bashful manβ βand as for him, he wondered how heβd get along among normal people. These were his sort. Karen wept openly and kissed him goodbye with a fervor that haunted his dreams afterward. Then she stumbled desolately back to her quarters. Even Berg looked glum.
He regained his cockiness on the trip home, though, and insisted on talking all the way. Lancaster, who wanted to be alone with his thoughts, was annoyed, but you donβt insult a Security man.
βYou understand the importance of this whole business, and why it has to be secret?β nagged Berg. βIβm not thinking of the scientific and industrial applications, but the military ones.β
βOh, sure. You can make lightning throwers if you want to. And youβve overcome the fuel problem. With a few ffuts accumulators, charged from any handy power source, you can build fuelless military vehicles, which would simplify your logistics immensely. And some really deadly hand guns could be builtβ βpistols the equivalent of a cannon, almost.β Lancasterβs voice was dead. βSo what?β
βSo plenty! Those are only a few of the applications. If you use your imagination, you can think of dozens more. And the key point isβ βthe ffuts and the essential gadgetry using it are cheap to make in quantity, easy to handleβ βthe perfect weapon for the citizen soldier. Or for the rebel! It isnβt enough to decide the outcome of
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