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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βWhat did they find? Where were the Tuareg from?β
βThey havenβt returned yet.β Automatically, Johnny took up his can of beer and took a swallow from it.
Mellorβs eyebrows went up. βDrinking this early in the day, McCord?β
Johnny sighed deeply, βLook, Mr. Mellor, Pierre Marimbert and I just returned from several hours in the desert, inspecting pumps. Weβre dehydrated, so weβre drinking cold beer. It tastes wonderful. I doubt if it will lead either of us to a drunkardβs grave.β
Mellor scowled pompously. He said finally, βSee here, McCordβ βthe reason I calledβ βyou can be expecting a reporter from one of the French publicationsβ ββ
βSheβs here.β
βOh,β Mellor said. βI just received notice this morning. Orders are to give her the utmost cooperation. Things are on the touchy side right now. Very touchy.β
βHow do you mean?β Johnny said.
βThere are pressures on the highest levels,β Mellor said, managing to put over the impression that these matters were above and beyond such as Johnny McCord but that he, Mellor, was privy to them.
βWhat pressures?β Johnny said wearily. βIf you want me to handle this woman with kid gloves, then Iβve got to know what Iβm protecting her against, or hiding from her, or whatever the hell Iβm supposed to do.β
Mellor glared at him. βIβm not sure I always appreciate your flippancy, McCord,β he said. βHowever, back home the opposition is in an uproar over our expenditures. Things are very delicate. A handful of votes could sway the continuance of the whole project.β
Johnny McCord closed his eyes in pain. This came up every year or so.
Mellor said, βThat isnβt all. The Russkies are putting up a howl in the Reunited Nations. They claim the West plans to eventually take over all northwest Africa. That this reforestation is just preliminary to make the area worth assimilating.β
Johnny chuckled sourly, βLetβs face it. Theyβre right.β
Mellor was shocked. βMr. McCord! The West has never admitted to any such scheme.β
Johnny sighed. βHowever, we arenβt plowing billions into the Sahara out of kindness of heart. The Mali Federation alone has almost two million square miles in it, and less than twenty million population. Already, thereβs fewer people than are needed to exploit the new lands weβve opened up.β
βWell, that brings up another point,β Mellor said. βThe Southeast Asia Bloc is putting up a howl too. They claim they should be the ones allowed to reclaim this area and that it should go into farmland instead of forest.β
βTheyβre putting the cart before the horse,β Johnny said. βAt this stage of the game, the only land they could use really profitably for farming would be along the Niger. Weβre going to have to forest this whole area first, and in doing so, change the whole climate. Then itβllβ ββ β¦β
Mellor interrupted him. βIβm as familiar with the program of the Sahara Reforestation Commission as you are, I am sure, McCord. I need no lecture. See that Miss Desage gets as sympathetic a picture of our work as possible. And, for heavenβs sake, donβt let anything happen that might influence her toward writing something that would change opinions either at home or in the Reunited Nations.β
βIβll do my best,β Johnny said sourly.
The other clicked off.
Pierre was handy with another can of beer, already opened. βSo Mademoiselle Desage is to be handled with loving care.β
Johnny groaned, βAnd from what weβve seen so far of Mademoiselle Desage, sheβs going to take quite a bit of loving care to handle.β
Outside, they could hear the beating of rotors coming in. Two helicopters, from the sound of it. Beer cans in hand they went over to the window and watched them approach.
βDerek and the girl in one, Mohammed in the other,β Pierre said. βEvidently our good captain left the messy work of butchering goats to his men, while he remains on the scene to be as available to our girl HΓ©lΓ¨ne as she will allow.β
The copters swooped in, landed, the rotors came to a halt and the occupants stepped from the cockpits. The Arab ground crew came running up to take over.
Preceded by HΓ©lΓ¨ne Desage, the two men made their way toward the main office. Even at this distance there seemed to be an aggressive lift to the girlβs walk.
βOh, oh, my friend,β Pierre said. βI am afraid Mademoiselle Desage is unhappy about something.β
Johnny groaned. βI think youβre right. But smile, Reuben, smile. You heard the city slickerβs orders. Handle her with all the care of a newborn heifer.β
HΓ©lΓ¨ne Desage stormed through the door and glared at Johnny McCord. βDo you realize what your men are doing?β
βI thought I did,β Johnny said placatingly.
Derek and Mohammed Mohmoud entered behind her. Derek winked at Johnny McCord and made a beeline for the refrigerator. βBeer, everybody?β he said.
Mohammed Mohmoud said, βA soft drink for me, if you please, Mr. Mason.β
Derek said, βSorry, I forgot. Beer, Miss Desage?β
She turned and glared at him. βYou did nothing whatsoever to prevent them!β
Derek shrugged. βThatβs why we went out there, honey. Did you notice how much damage those goats had done to the trees? Thousands of dollars worth.β
Johnny said wearily, βWhat happened?β He sank into the chair behind his desk.
The reporter turned to him again. βYour men are shooting the livestock of those poverty-stricken people.β
Mohammed Mohmoud said, βWe are keeping an accurate count of every beast destroyed, Mr. McCord.β His dark face was expressionless.
Johnny McCord attempted to explain to the girl. βAs I told you, Miss Desage, goats are the curse of the desert. They prefer leaves, twigs and even the bark of young trees to grass. The Commission before ever taking on this tremendous project arranged through the Mali Federation government to buy up and have destroyed every grazing animal north of the Niger. It cost millions upon millions. But our work couldnβt even begin until it was accomplished.β
βBut why slaughter the livelihood of those poor people? You could quite easily insist that they return with their flocks to whatever areas are still available to them.β
Derek offered her a can of beer. She seemed to be going
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