
Part 1
On a remote, law‑less world, Quasmin scrambles from the wreck of his own ship, clutching a salvaged telescope and a wary sense that he’s being hunted. When a lone space‑suit‑clad figure, J. Trolla, descends from a newly arrived craft, Quasmin watches from the shadows, trying to decipher whether the newcomer is friend, foe, or something far stranger. Their silent standoff unfolds amid alien flora and the ghostly remnants of a crashed vessel, hinting at hidden motives and a justice system that operates without courts.
The tension rises as Trolla methodically loots the wreck, searching for clues while muttering to himself, unaware—perhaps—that Quasmin’s eyes are upon him. Both men are isolated, each suspecting the other of betrayal, and both sense a deeper, unseen authority watching their every move. The story weaves suspense with the stark beauty of an uncharted planet, inviting listeners to wonder what law truly governs a place where only a judge remains.
Language
en
Duration
~18 minutes (18K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
New York, NY: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, 1963.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2023-12-12
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1918–1997
A prolific American science-fiction writer, he built a long magazine career on brisk, idea-driven stories that appeared throughout the pulp and digest era. His work mixes adventure, humor, and classic mid-century genre imagination.
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