Jack of No Trades

A space‑bound observer narrates the heady antics of Willy Maloon, a brilliant yet impulsive tinkerer cruising the asteroid belt in a speedy little runabout. He’s been loaned a modest radio transmitter, which he secretly re‑tunes and plants on a jagged rock to keep tabs on it, hinting at a purpose that only Willy can see. The story opens with his frantic dash to the asteroid, his impatient energy setting the tone for a series of unconventional experiments.

When a tug pilot loses control and the vessel smashes into a larger asteroid, Willy is called in to write an accident report—and discovers an intact, super‑powerful drive unit amid the wreckage. He decides to graft that engine onto the oddly shaped rock he previously tagged, turning it into a mobile asteroid of his own making. The narrative follows his meticulous, solitary construction, leaving listeners to wonder what such a wandering stone might mean in a sea of static space debris.