
In the red silence of the Martian desert, a gleaming, ancient clockwork known as the Machine of Klamugra looms over an abandoned stone amphitheater. Captain Barnaby and Lieutenant Teajun, fresh from a daring rocket launch, find themselves under the watchful eyes of Martian clerics who blame them for a tragic accident. The death of a revered priest, Klaggchallak, ignites a bitter legal showdown between Earth’s Extraterrestrial Service and the Martian judiciary.
Caught between interplanetary diplomacy and the harsh reality of a desert storm, the two officers are ordered back to Mars to face a tribunal that could determine the future of humanity’s foothold on the planet. As they grapple with the weight of responsibility, the enigmatic Machine—still humming with unseen power—reminds them that ancient forces may be far less forgiving than contemporary law. The story balances tense courtroom intrigue with vivid, otherworldly survival, hinting at deeper mysteries beneath the rust‑colored dunes.
Language
en
Duration
~38 minutes (37K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-02-26
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

b. 1928
A mid-century science fiction writer with a knack for sharp, fast-moving ideas, Allen Kim Lang published stories in major genre magazines and later saw his work gathered into book form. His fiction moves easily from strange planets to quietly unsettling thought experiments.
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by Allen Kim Lang

by Allen Kim Lang