The Sensitive Man: With Linked Table of Contents
()
About this ebook
Paul Anderson
Poul Anderson (1926–2001) grew up bilingual in a Danish American family. After discovering science fiction fandom and earning a physics degree at the University of Minnesota, he found writing science fiction more satisfactory. Admired for his “hard” science fiction, mysteries, historical novels, and “fantasy with rivets,” he also excelled in humor. He was the guest of honor at the 1959 World Science Fiction Convention and at many similar events, including the 1998 Contact Japan 3 and the 1999 Strannik Conference in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Besides winning the Hugo and Nebula Awards, he has received the Gandalf, Seiun, and Strannik, or “Wanderer,” Awards. A founder of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, he became a Grand Master, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. In 1952 he met Karen Kruse; they married in Berkeley, California, where their daughter, Astrid, was born, and they later lived in Orinda, California. Astrid and her husband, science fiction author Greg Bear, now live with their family outside Seattle.
Read more from Paul Anderson
The Boat of a Million Years Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5War of the Gods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tau Zero Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three Hearts and Three Lions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Star Fox Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Midsummer Tempest Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Starfarers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5There Will Be Time Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Brain Wave Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After Doomsday Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Avatar Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Broken Sword Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5World Without Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mother of Kings Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fire Time Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Corridors of Time Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Orion Shall Rise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dancer from Atlantis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree Tales of Time and Space: There Will Be Time, The Enemy Stars, and Fire Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Merman's Children Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5No World of Their Own Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Enemy Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5New America Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Genesis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Orbit Unlimited Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Vault of the Ages Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Operation Chaos and Operation Luna Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHrolf Kraki's Saga Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Two Novels of Far-Future Apocalypse: The Winter of the World and Twilight World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Makeshift Rocket Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Sensitive Man
Related ebooks
The Sensitive Man: With Linked Table of Contents Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sensitive Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blind Man of Seville: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReturn to Ganymede Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMr. Grex of Monte Carlo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBananas! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Helpers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mystery at Underwood House: An Angela Marchmont mystery, #2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wind City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cruagh Island Affair Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Book of Never, Volumes 1-5: The Book of Never Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSavor Me Slowly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Fine Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBloody Crystal: Department 57, #10 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man Who Had Everything Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoad Food Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lash Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShadow of the Alchemist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Killing In Trounce Alley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Amber Isle: The Book of Never Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inherent Chaos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Chance of Rain: Short Horror & Sci-Fi Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHorns, Hugs, and Hunger: Gods and Demons, #3 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Xolotl Strikes!: A Hector Mortlake Adventure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Whirl of the Rising Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCode Name: Papa Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Presumed Guilty Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tetherstones Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Red Hand of Fury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thought Process Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Science Fiction For You
A Psalm for the Wild-Built Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silo Series Collection: Wool, Shift, Dust, and Silo Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sarah J. Maas: Series Reading Order - with Summaries & Checklist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sunlit Man: Secret Projects, #4 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Is How You Lose the Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flowers for Algernon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wool: Book One of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Annihilation: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England: Secret Projects, #2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frankenstein: Original 1818 Uncensored Version Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Who Have Never Known Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How High We Go in the Dark: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perelandra: (Space Trilogy, Book Two) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roadside Picnic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Authority: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower: And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stories of Ray Bradbury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Going Postal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas: A Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Deep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dust: Book Three of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5That Hideous Strength: (Space Trilogy, Book Three) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rendezvous with Rama Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Sensitive Man
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Sensitive Man - Paul Anderson
The Sensitive Man
by Poul Anderson
Start Publishing LLC
Copyright © 2015 by Start Publishing LLC
Cover image © DragonRal
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
First Start Publishing eBook edition July 2015
Start Publishing is a registered trademark of Start Publishing LLC
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 13:978-1-68299-516-7
Table of Contents
The Sensitive Man
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
The Sensitive Man
Conspiracy seems to be as much a part of our times as it was in the times of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. Hence it finds frequent reflection in all branches of fiction, including science fiction. Yet, as in life, something new has been added, the most gigantic conspiracy of all, the human conspiracy against conspirators. Which makes for a fine stirring story in this short novel of the future.
One man stood between a power-hungry cabal and world mastery—but a man of unusual talents.
*
The Mermaid Tavern had been elaborately decorated. Great blocks of hewn coral for pillars and booths, tarpon and barracuda on the walls, murals of Neptune and his court—including an outsize animated picture of a mermaid ballet, quite an eye-catcher. But the broad quartz windows showed merely a shifting greenish-blue of seawater, and the only live fish visible were in an aquarium across from the bar. Pacific Colony lacked the grotesque loveliness of the Florida and Cuba settlements. Here they were somehow a working city, even in their recreations.
The sensitive man paused for a moment in the foyer, sweeping the big circular room with a hurried glance. Less than half the tables were filled. This was an hour of interregnum, while the twelve to eighteen hundred shift was still at work and the others had long finished their more expensive amusements. There would always be a few around, of course—Dalgetty typed them as he watched.
A party of engineers, probably arguing about the compression strength of the latest submarine tank to judge from the bored expressions of the three or four rec girls who had joined them. A biochemist, who seemed to have forgotten his plankton and seaweed for the time being and to have focussed his mind on the pretty young clerk with him. A couple of hard-handed caissoniers, settling down to some serious drinking.
A maintenance man, a computerman, a tank pilot, a diver, a sea rancher, a bevy of stenographers, a bunch of very obvious tourists, more chemists and metallurgists—the sensitive man dismissed them all. There were others he couldn’t classify with any decent probability but after a second’s hesitation he decided to ignore them too. That left only the group with Thomas Bancroft.
They were sitting in one of the coral grottos, a cave of darkness to ordinary vision. Dalgetty had to squint to see in and the muted light of the tavern was a harsh glare when his pupils were so distended. But, yes—it was Bancroft all right and there was an empty booth adjoining his.
Dalgetty relaxed his eyes to normal perception. Even in the short moment of dilation the fluoros had given him a headache. He blocked it off from consciousness and started across the floor.
A hostess stopped him with a touch on the arm as he was about to enter the vacant cavern. She was young, an iridescent mantrap in her brief uniform. With all the money flowing into Pacific Colony they could afford decorative help here.
I’m sorry, sir,
she said. Those are kept for parties. Would you like a table?
I’m a party,
he answered, or can soon become one.
He moved aside a trifle so that none of the Bancroft group should happen to look out and see him. If you could arrange some company for me . . . .
He fumbled out a C-note, wondering just how such things could be done gracefully.
Why, of course, sir.
She took it with a smoothness he envied and handed him a stunning smile in return. Just make yourself comfortable.
Dalgetty stepped into the grotto with a fast movement. This wasn’t going to be simple. The rough red walls closed in on top of him, forming a space big enough for twenty people or so. A few strategically placed fluoros gave an eerie undersea light, just enough to see by—but no one could look in. A heavy curtain could be drawn if one wanted to be absolutely secluded. Privacy—uh-huh!
He sat down at the driftwood table and leaned back against the coral. Closing his eyes he made an effort of will. His nerves were already keyed up to such a tautness that it seemed they must break and it took only seconds to twist his mind along the paths required.
The noise of the tavern rose from a tiny mumble to a clattering surf, to a huge and saw-edged wave. Voices dinned in his head, shrill and deep, hard and soft, a senseless stream of talking, jumbled together into words, words, words. Somebody dropped a glass and it was like a bomb going off.
Dalgetty winced, straining his ear against the grotto side. Surely enough of their speech would come to him, even through all that rock! The noise level was high but the human mind, if trained in concentration, is an efficient filter. The outside racket receded from Dalgetty’s awareness and slowly he gathered in the trickle of sound.
First man: —no matter. What can they do?
Second man: Complain to the government. Do you want the FBI on our trail? I don’t.
First man: Take it easy. They haven’t yet done so and it’s been a good week now since—
Second man: How do you know they haven’t?
Third man—heavy, authoritative voice. Yes, Dalgetty remembered it now from TV speeches—it was Bancroft himself: "I know. I’ve got enough connections to be sure of that."
Second man: Okay, so they haven’t reported it. But why not?
Bancroft: You know why. They don’t want the government mixing into this any more than we do.
Woman: "Well, then, are they just going