
In the rust‑streaked graveyard of ancient starships, a weary traveler named Jim wanders among hulking hulls that have long since abandoned the heavens. Beside him is Pete, a hardened drifter with a story as tangled as the debris around them, both longing for a chance to taste Earth’s green air again. Their banter, laced with humor and desperation, paints a vivid picture of life on the fringe of the solar system, where fortune favors the reckless and the forgotten.
Together they hatch a risky scheme to purchase a derelict vessel from a grizzled yardmaster who watches the endless rows of silent ships. With little money and even less time, Jim’s famed luck and Pete’s street‑wise scheming become their only assets. As they negotiate with the yardmaster, the promise of a new ship—and a return home—glimmers like a distant star, setting the stage for a daring salvage that could change their fates.
Language
en
Duration
~54 minutes (51K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Better Publications, Inc.,1948.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2022-08-25
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1903–1994
A prolific American writer who moved easily between horror, fantasy, and science fiction, he is especially remembered for eerie tales that helped shape the Lovecraft circle. His career stretched across decades, from pulp magazines to later collections and criticism.
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