Bottomless Pit

By Philip E. High

They were technically superior to mankind—they made humans look like savages. So what could possibly go right when the two empires bumped up against each other?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wildside Press
• Release date: May 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781479460465

Book preview

Table of Contents

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

BOTTOMLESS PIT

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Copyright © 1963 by Philip E. High

Originally published in New Worlds Science Fiction, March 1963.

Published by Wildside Press LLC.

wildsidepress.com | bcmystery.com

BOTTOMLESS PIT

PHILIP E. HIGH

They found the first one orbiting steadily—if you could call it that—and still giving its call sign long before the sun system was visible on their instruments.

They probed it carefully and, finding it negative, pulled it gingerly in for examination. They were not happy about it. Any task force is alert, but this one, being illegal, was down­right jumpy. Fortunately, however, the device proved inwardly and outwardly innocuous. It was several hours later that one of the more discerning of the specialists began to draw un­pleasant implications from the device.

Kreth satellite. Kapman folded his hands on his belly and looked profound. They used these things as markers once, space-buoys, beaming a warning signal to keep intruders out. That was before they became isolationist and respectable, of course.

Prett, the Encyc, frowned. That makes it several centuries old.

Too true and the damn thing is still functioning perfectly. Just how they could get a device as small as this to orbit an entire sun system at such a distance is completely beyond me.

There are a lot of things, said Prett, softly, the Kreth could do that we couldn’t—we found that out a couple of centuries ago when we tried to buck them.

Kapman frowned, remembering the war memorial in his home town and abruptly changed the subject. Can you translate the inscription?