
A weary interstellar troubleshooter finds himself trapped in a corporate nightmare when a smiling overseer forces him to take on a job he never signed up for. Bound by an unbreakable, steel‑lined contract, he’s ordered to revive a relic—a centuries‑old Mark III beacon on a Proxima Centauri world—that looks more like a rusted distillery than a piece of cutting‑edge technology. The assignment promises endless detours for passing ships and a cascade of bureaucratic headaches.
As the repairman races against time, he must navigate a maze of ancient schematics, hostile equipment, and a company that seems determined to keep him in perpetual service. Along the way, he discovers just how far the corporation will go to protect its interests, while he searches for a loophole to outwit his captors and keep his hidden fortune safe. The story blends sharp wit with a gritty glimpse of a future where even the most futuristic jobs are shackled by old‑school red tape.
Language
en
Duration
~30 minutes (29K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Susan Carr and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2007-07-14
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1925–2012
A master of witty, fast-moving science fiction, this American writer delighted generations of readers with the Stainless Steel Rat adventures and the novel Make Room! Make Room!, which later inspired Soylent Green.
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