
On a scarred Martian outpost, the promise of Earth’s riches has become a source of bitter resistance. The planet’s low‑canal towns survive on a trade of sins, while the Rehabilitation Project—an Earth‑backed effort to restore life—stirs fierce opposition. Into this tense landscape steps Carey, an Earthman driven by a single, hidden objective that could change everything.
He finds refuge in a cramped doorway and is greeted by Derech, a lean, scar‑marked inhabitant whose loyalty is bought with blood‑debts and uneasy comfort. Their terse conversation reveals Carey’s sabotage of the rehabilitation effort, his moral crisis, and the relentless pursuit by the United Worlds Court. As the two men share a silent drink, listeners are drawn into a web of political intrigue, cultural clash, and the question of what true “goodness” means on a planet that has forgotten both.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (72K 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
2023-12-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1915–1978
A master of pulp adventure and hard-boiled atmosphere, this pioneering writer helped shape both classic science fiction and Hollywood film. Her stories are fast, vivid, and full of tough characters, strange worlds, and sharp momentum.
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by Leigh Brackett

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