Asteroid of the Damned

In Short

This is a brisk, hardboiled science fiction thriller set on Pallas, a gambling-den asteroid where the local "Kiddies"—a species of childlike, non-breathing aliens—are uncontrollably addicted to touching metal. When a Tri-Planet Law operative arrives to bust a smuggling ring, he finds himself penniless and trapped in a deadly game against a corrupt fellow agent. It is a quintessential piece of pulp fiction, notable for its fast-paced, unsentimental prose and a clever, mercenary resolution that feels right at home in the mid-century adventure genre.

The Story

MacCauley, an operative for Tri-Planet Law (TPL), arrives on the asteroid Pallas to dismantle a syndicate smuggling "narcophene," a dangerous, habit-forming drug that offers users a calm, detached euphoria until their eventual collapse. Pallas is a desolate, synthetic world operating as a free-port gambling hub, where the local alien population—the Kiddies—live in poverty and suffer from a bizarre, all-consuming obsession with metals like copper and silver.

MacCauley’s mission begins poorly. He is immediately pickpocketed by a Kiddie, leaving him weaponless and unable to pay his hotel bill, which under Pallas law results in immediate eviction. Desperate, he attempts to leverage his TPL status to force the local police into helping him, but he discovers that the local TPL station is utterly compromised. He eventually locates the local agent, Kittrell, only to discover that Kittrell is the very kingpin MacCauley was sent to stop.

Kittrell, a man broken by his own addiction to the drug he peddles, decides to execute MacCauley by shoving him into the vacuum of space. He rounds up a group of Kiddies to watch the execution, believing the vacuum will be a quick, clean end for an air-breather. As MacCauley is forced into the airlock, his situation looks hopeless. However, he remembers a string of old, square-holed Chinese copper "cash" coins sewn into his belt—a keepsake from his past. He manages to tear the coins free and fling them into the far corner of the airlock.

The sound of metal hitting the floor drives the nearby Kiddies into a frenzy of greed. They surge into the airlock, overwhelming Kittrell and dragging him into the vacuum with them as the outer door cycles open. MacCauley survives the ordeal, having secured the airlock door just in time. After reporting the success of his mission to his superiors, MacCauley realizes the potential of his discovery. Instead of seeking a promotion, he resigns from the force. He plans to return to Pallas with a fortune in cheap scrap metal, intending to leverage the Kiddies' mania for copper to buy his way into becoming the ruler of the asteroid itself.

How It Unfolds

The arrival on Pallas MacCauley settles into a bar to scout the gambling halls for a drug kingpin, only to be harassed by a local "Kiddie" and frustrated by the asteroid's foul, synthetic air. He remains ignorant of the natives' dangerous psychological fixation on metal until a bartender explains their strange, electrical biology.

The loss of leverage While moving through the crowded casino, MacCauley is robbed of his money and gear, leaving him vulnerable in a city that enforces cash-up-front laws. His attempt to use his law enforcement status to recover his belongings fails, revealing that the local TPL presence is either incompetent or corrupt.

The confrontation MacCauley tracks down the local TPL agent, Kittrell, and quickly identifies him as the mastermind behind the narcophene trade. Kittrell attempts to kill MacCauley, but the plan is interrupted, leading to a tense standoff where the truth about the drug ring is finally exposed.

The final gambit Trapped in an airlock and facing certain death, MacCauley uses his hidden collection of antique copper coins as bait. The Kiddies' intense, irrational hunger for the metal turns the tide, destroying the villain and providing MacCauley with a vision for his future.

The People

MacCauley is a pragmatic, hardened TPL agent who views the universe through the lens of mission success and survival. He is cynical about the "civilized" worlds and possesses an opportunistic streak that matures from a simple desire to solve a case into a plan for economic conquest.

Kittrell is the tragic, corrupted mirror of MacCauley. Once a man who desired the prestige of the TPL, his isolation on Pallas and his subsequent addiction to narcophene have stripped him of his humanity. He is weary, bored, and nihilistic, viewing his own death with the same detached coolness that the drug provides.

The Kiddies are the book’s most distinctive element. They are frail, non-verbal beings who resemble seven-year-old children and function as the asteroid's labor force. Their collective, uncontrollable obsession with metal serves as both a plot device and a commentary on the nature of addiction, ultimately acting as the force that determines the fate of the two human men.

In Its Own Voice

"Everything that Pallas had, it owed to the fact that, in essence, it had nothing."

The author describes the desolate nature of the asteroid, which serves as a lawless refuge for smugglers.

"A Palladian's idea of a real good time is to take a hunk of pure copper and hold it in his hands."

The bartender explains the biological, thrill-seeking nature of the Kiddies' metal addiction.

"I'm going to buy up a world—a wide-open world—with a boatload of scrap metal!"

MacCauley reveals his final, ambitious plan, pivoting from being a lawman to a merchant-king.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the theme of addiction—not just to drugs, but to the material things that define a person's existence. The drug narcophene destroys the human mind by removing the ability to care about consequences, while the Kiddies' obsession with metal renders them slaves to a simple, tangible desire. The book argues that on the fringes of society, where laws are weak, power is determined by whoever understands what others crave most. It is a cynical look at how quickly an "official" can turn into a predator, and how even the most desperate survival can be reframed as a business opportunity.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the lean, efficient style of 1940s pulp fiction will find this a satisfying experience. It does not waste time on world-building for the sake of page count; it establishes a setting, a conflict, and a resolution with impressive speed. You will feel the claustrophobia of the asteroid's tunnels and the grit of its gambling dens.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the era's limitations. The attitudes toward the "Kiddies"—whom the protagonist treats with a mix of casual cruelty and condescension—reflect the period's lack of sensitivity toward indigenous or non-human "otherness." The dialect used in the dialogue is sparse and utilitarian, sometimes bordering on the primitive, which can feel dated. Yet, there is an undeniable pleasure in the book's pacing. It reads like a hardboiled detective story transported to deep space, and the final turn—where the hero realizes he can trade copper for control of a planet—is a classic, sharp-edged ending that stays with you long after the final page is turned. It is a story about the intersection of greed and desperation, stripped of all unnecessary ornamentation.