
In the swirling frontiers of the Earth‑Mars‑Venus triangle, a wreck drifts in a distant orbit around Triton—a once‑proud vessel now a floating vault of priceless Plutonian sapphires. Ron Carnavon, a hardened convict who scuttled the ship himself, has mapped its exact location and is ready to claim the treasure, knowing the High Space Guard is closing in.
To reach the derelict, Carnavon enlists the services of Pop Wills, a weathered salvager with a rust‑covered craft called the Carefree. The two form an uneasy partnership: Carnavon’s meticulous, cold‑blooded planning meets Pop’s desperate need for work and his haunted past with the same doomed ship. As they chart a treacherous course past the outer planets, the stakes rise—both from the lure of the gems and the relentless pursuit of the authorities. Their fragile alliance will be tested long before the treasure finally comes within reach.
Language
en
Duration
~18 minutes (17K 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
2020-12-08
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1921–2004
A prolific mid-century storyteller, he brought wartime experience and pulp-magazine energy to science fiction, thrillers, and adventure novels. His work ranges from sharp short fiction to ambitious alternate history like The Burning Mountain.
View all books
by Alfred Coppel

by Alfred Coppel

by Alfred Coppel

by Alfred Coppel

by Alfred Coppel

by Alfred Coppel

by Alfred Coppel

by Alfred Coppel