The Missing Disclaimer

When an extraterrestrial agent disguised as a human discovers a newly published science-fiction magazine, he recognizes unsettling details about his own people—and a story describing the capture of a fellow Rigelian spy. The account is imperfect, but convincing enough to make K-17 wonder whether Earth’s writers have uncovered the invasion. Worse, the magazine contains no familiar disclaimer declaring its stories imaginary.

As K-17 investigates the publisher’s sudden dismissal of its editor, ordinary publishing practices take on the appearance of a vast planetary conspiracy. Reports of space travel, secret missions, and alien infiltrators become evidence to be weighed, while the fate of Earth—and the safety of his fellow agents—may depend on understanding a culture he barely knows. This witty science-fiction tale turns a simple editorial mistake into a delightful collision between alien logic and human storytelling.