
George Haven has built himself into the galaxy’s most influential magnate, yet his homecoming to the icy world of Centauri VII feels like stepping back into a shadowy past. Arriving with his newly wed, striking wife Louise, he is greeted by the planet’s cold‑blooded porters and an atmosphere that seems to judge him as harshly as any political rival. The opulent hotel suite he claims is a reminder of his wealth, but beneath the luxury lies a lingering unease—Centaurians cannot lie, and their silence can be as damning as an outright accusation.
The real test comes when Haven summons a reunion with the men and women who helped him discover the uranium mine that launched his empire fifteen years ago. In a society without courts, where vendettas replace law, old alliances and buried grievances threaten to surface. As the party approaches, Haven must confront the one mistake he’s kept hidden—a secret that could unravel the empire he has painstakingly built.
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
2021-06-29
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1928–2008
Best known for fast-moving crime and science fiction, this versatile American writer published under several names and built a career that ranged from pulp magazines to acclaimed historical novels. His work includes the detective Chet Drum series and the prizewinning novel The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus.
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