The Project Gutenberg EBook of General Max Shorter, by Kris Ottman Neville

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Title: General Max Shorter

Author: Kris Ottman Neville

Release Date: November 20, 2007 [EBook #23571]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GENERAL MAX SHORTER ***

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GENERAL MAX SHORTER

By KRIS NEVILLE

Illustrated by GIUNTA

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy December 1962.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright
on this publication was renewed.]

_To spread Mankind to the stars carries a high cost in lives--and
not all of them are human!_

I

Miracastle: The initial landing had been made on a flat plateau among
steep, foreboding mountains which seemed to float through briefly
cleared air. In the distance a sharp rock formation stood revealed like
an etching: a castle of iron-gray stone whose form had been carved by
alien winds and eroded by acid tears from acid clouds.

Far above was a halo where the sun should be. The sun was an orange star
only slightly larger than Sol and as near to Miracastle as Sol to Earth.
The orange rays splintered against the fog and gloom was perpetually
upon the dark face of existence.

This was the first two-stage planet man had ever attempted to colonize.
Miracastle was so far from Earth that the long ships were destroyed
twice to reach it.

* * * * *

The technicians came, commanded by General Max Shorter, sixty-three
years old. Men wearing the circle whose diameter was etched in ruby
steel enclosing a background of gleaming ebon--the emblem was a silver D
over a sunburst of hammered gold.

The surface of Miracastle roiled with unfamiliar storms and tornados and
hurricanes. Before these, the films of lichen evaporated into dust, and
the sparse and stunted vegetation with ochre foliage turned sear and was
powdered by the fury in the air.

Earth equipment, alien to the orange sun,