Last Enemy

In Short

This science fiction novella tells the story of Hadron Dalla, a scientist from another dimension who infiltrates a world where reincarnation is a proven, scientific fact. Her research into the mechanics of the afterlife disrupts the political order, pitting the socialist Statisticalists against the feudal Volitionalists. When the ruling class attempts to suppress her findings to protect their status, she is rescued by a fellow agent of the Paratime Police. It has endured as a sharp, cynical look at how societies weaponize ideology to ignore inconvenient truths.

The Story

The story opens at a high-stakes dinner in the city of Darsh, where the nobility and the elite discuss the implications of reincarnation. The Lady Dallona of Hadron, a researcher who has spent a year gathering evidence, reveals her findings to a group of influential figures, including Dirzed, a professional assassin. Her work effectively destroys the theoretical basis for the local "Statisticalist" government, which relies on the belief that reincarnation is a random, uncontrollable process to justify total economic socialization.

As the political tension mounts, Dallona vanishes, triggering a rescue mission by Verkan Vall, a veteran investigator from the First Paratime Level. Vall, who once shared a companionate marriage with Dallona, arrives on the scene and quickly deduces that his former partner has been targeted by conflicting factions. He navigates the treacherous social landscape of Darsh, where dueling is a common political tool and professional assassins operate under a strict code of ethics.

Vall discovers that Dallona’s research has exposed a long-hidden murder involving the ruling family of Starpha. A young nobleman used one of Dallona’s memory-recall devices to discover he was the victim of his own predecessor’s assassination. This revelation threatens to collapse the power structure of the city, leading to a violent attempt to "discarnate" (kill) Dallona and her associates.

Amidst the chaos, a civil war breaks out, escalating from street-level skirmishes to the detonation of a fission bomb—a weapon not seen on this planet for a millennium. Vall eventually reaches Dallona at a remote hunting lodge, where they survive a fierce battle against the henchmen of the Starpha family. With the help of Klarnood, the President-General of the Society of Assassins, who is horrified by the use of a nuclear weapon, the pair manages to escape the planet. As they leave, the society they leave behind is in ruins, having unleashed the very destruction they claimed to have overcome. The story concludes with Vall and Dallona looking ahead to the future, debating whether humanity will ever truly outgrow its inherent capacity for self-destruction.

How It Unfolds

The dinner of revelations Dallona shares her experiments with a group of elites, invalidating the popular belief in random reincarnation. This act of scientific transparency instantly marks her as a target for those whose power depends on the old doctrine.

The investigator arrives Tortha Karf sends Verkan Vall to rescue his former companion from the Second Level. Vall quickly identifies that the political fallout from Dallona's work has turned the city into a powder keg.

The duel of politics Vall challenges local politicians to a duel to draw attention to his presence and communicate with Dallona. His expert combat skills, honed in other dimensions, ensure his victory and secure the help of the local assassins.

The hunt for Dalla Vall traces Dallona to a remote dome, where she has been sheltered by the Society of Assassins. They discover that a nobleman’s past-life memories have exposed a murder, fueling the desperate attempts to silence them.

The final escape As the city descends into civil war and a nuclear weapon is detonated, Vall and Dallona orchestrate a daring extraction. They leave behind a society irrevocably changed by the truth of reincarnation and the weight of their own history.

The People

Hadron Dalla is a brilliant, restless researcher who treats her own survival and love affairs as secondary to the pursuit of truth. She is an interdimensional interloper whose intellect forces a stagnant society to confront its own contradictions.

Verkan Vall is a pragmatic, cynical agent of the Paratime Police. Experienced in the chaotic politics of multiple realities, he is the story’s anchor. He views human behavior with a mixture of professional detachment and weary amusement.

Dirzed is a member of the Society of Assassins who becomes Dallona’s protector. He represents the strange, honorable, yet lethal customs of Darsh, providing a contrast to Vall’s more modern, detached professionalism.

Klarnood is the President-General of the Society of Assassins. He is a man of strict codes and surprising moral boundaries, who only steps into the political fray when the use of nuclear weapons threatens his sense of professional order.

In Its Own Voice

“A scientist gets in the way of doubting, and one doubts one’s own theories most of all.”

Dallona explains why her discovery is as much a burden as an achievement.

“You show me ten men who cherish some religious doctrine or political ideology, and I’ll show you nine men whose minds are utterly impervious to any factual evidence which contradicts their beliefs.”

Verkan Vall sums up the cynical reality of political life across all time lines.

“Death is the last enemy.”

Dalla notes the religious concept that the society has supposedly conquered through their scientific understanding of the soul.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book is a critique of the fragility of human progress. It argues that even if humanity were to solve its greatest existential mystery—death—it would merely find new ways to use that knowledge to serve political dogma. The characters are caught in a cycle where scientific advancement does not lead to enlightenment, but to an intensification of old prejudices and struggles for power. The story suggests that as long as human beings are ruled by "semantic confusion, or illogic, or incomprehension," they will continue to repeat the same historical mistakes, regardless of how much they learn about the nature of the soul or the mechanics of existence.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy hard-edged, cynical science fiction will find much to admire here. The world-building is efficient, prioritizing the political and social consequences of a high-concept idea over dry exposition. You will feel the tension of a society that is both hyper-advanced and deeply barbaric, where a polite dinner conversation can turn into a lethal struggle in an instant.

The book is a product of its time, reflecting a mid-century preoccupation with the threat of nuclear annihilation and the rigidity of political ideologies. While the nomenclature (the names ending in "-ona" or "-irz-") can feel dense at first, it serves to ground the reader in the book’s specific, alternate-reality setting. The prose is clean and sharp, never indulging in excess, which makes the sudden bursts of violence and the grim political outcomes feel all the more impactful. It will particularly resonate with those who enjoy stories about the "Paratime" concept, where investigators traverse realities to fix or observe the messes of others. Ultimately, it is a story that stays with you for its refusal to provide a happy ending, choosing instead to highlight the stubborn, inescapable nature of human folly.