Saboteur of Space

In Short

This fast-paced science fiction novella centers on a high-stakes mission to seize a massive cargo of energy—the "power cylinder"—destined for a struggling Earth. The narrative follows an embittered, down-on-his-luck man named Ryd Randl who is recruited by a radical named Mury to hijack a spaceship and divert this vital energy supply. Through a series of tense standoffs and moral betrayals, the story explores the weight of idealism against the cold reality of destruction, ultimately questioning what is worth sacrificing for a cause.

The Story

The story opens in the decaying city of Dynamopolis, where the populace waits for a shipment of power from space to revitalize their dying industry. Ryd Randl, a disillusioned former foreman living in poverty, is approached by a mysterious, intense man named Mury. Mury claims to represent a vast, suffering class of people exploited by Earth's corrupt government and the "ruthless masters of Mars." He convinces Ryd to assist him in a desperate plan: they will board the towship Shahrazad and redirect the power cylinder to spark a catastrophic chain reaction that will force Earth into a war with Mars, which Mury believes is the only way to break the planet's colonial shackles.

The pair successfully infiltrate the Shahrazad by murdering a guard and bluffing their way past security. Once in space, Mury asserts total control over the ship, forcing the astrogator, Yet Arliess, to keep them on a collision course with the incoming power shell. As the ship navigates the void, they are stalked by the Algol, a massive Martian-aligned dreadnought. Mury, driven by a fanatical obsession, cares nothing for the lives of his crew or himself; he intends to sacrifice the Shahrazad and the Dynamopolis power supply in a "warningless holocaust" to ignite the fires of revolution.

Tensions peak as the Algol closes in. Arliess, realizing Mury’s madness, attempts a desperate act of sabotage, short-circuiting the ship’s controls to threaten them all with atomic disintegration. He demands Mury surrender to the approaching warship. Mury remains unmoved, coldly maintaining that the destruction of the city is necessary for the greater good of humanity. As the ships converge and the Algol demands an explanation, the situation devolves into a struggle for the ship’s weapons.

In a moment of blind, terror-stricken panic, Ryd pulls his flame pistol and kills Mury. With the revolutionary dead, the threat of the holocaust vanishes. However, the victory is hollow. Arliess, repulsed by the violence and the cold, small-minded nature of his accomplices, turns his fury on Ryd. The astrogator, having acted out of a duty to survive and perhaps a lingering hope for a better future, views Ryd with utter contempt, labeling him a "rat." The story concludes with the ship’s plans in ruins, the revolutionary leader dead, and the survivors left to face the consequences of their failed, dark ambition.

How It Unfolds

The recruitment A down-and-out Ryd Randl is approached in a dive bar by the enigmatic Mury, who offers him a chance to fight back against a corrupt system. Mury reveals his plan to steal a vital power shipment to trigger a global conflict between Earth and Mars.

The infiltration The two men sneak onto the Shahrazad spaceport, killing a guard to gain access to the ship. Once inside the airlock, Mury forces the crew to cooperate by threatening them with a flame pistol.

The voyage into space As the ship races toward its target, the crew navigates the dangers of deep space while being hunted by the Algol warship. Mury’s fanatical desire to destroy a city in a fireball of energy becomes clear, alienating the astrogator.

The final confrontation With the Algol closing in, Arliess attempts to force a surrender by threatening to destroy the ship. In the ensuing chaos, Ryd acts on his base survival instinct, killing Mury and ending the standoff.

The People

Ryd Randl is a man defined by a decade of failure. He is weak-willed and desperate, seeking a sense of purpose that he hopes to find by following Mury’s radical lead. Ultimately, his cowardice and fear for his own life transform him from a passive follower into a desperate murderer.

Semul Mury is the architect of the chaos. He is a charismatic, iron-willed fanatic who believes that humanity can only be saved through total destruction. He views himself as a martyr but treats everyone around him as expendable tools, remaining chillingly calm even as he prepares for his own death.

Yet Arliess is the ship’s astrogator, a man of professional competence and youthful idealism. He is the moral center of the ship, horrified by Mury’s willingness to sacrifice millions of lives. His evolution is marked by the transition from frightened hostage to a man who takes the initiative to stop a catastrophe, though he ends the story hardened and disgusted by the people he was forced to endure.

In Its Own Voice

"Only two men stood in its way, one a cowardly rat, the other a murderous martyr; both pawns in a cosmic game where death moved his chessmen of fate--and even the winner would lose."

This passage establishes the grim, fatalistic tone of the narrative, highlighting the roles played by the two central conspirators.

"Earth is a great pool of labor ready to be tapped, cheaper than robots--cheap as slaves!"

Mury uses this inflammatory rhetoric to justify his violent revolution, revealing the underlying class resentment that fuels his madness.

"You rat!" he snarled. "You filthy little rat!"

This final line, delivered by Arliess, seals the fate of the protagonist, emphasizing the lack of glory in his survival.

What It's Really About

At its core, the story is an investigation into the nature of political fanaticism and the dehumanizing effects of desperation. It explores the dangerous allure of "total" solutions, where a leader like Mury justifies any atrocity as a necessary step toward an ideological goal. The book argues that when individuals are reduced to pawns in a "cosmic game," the result is not liberation, but a vacuum of morality. It also touches on the fragility of civilization, showing how easily a single act of sabotage—or a single act of panic—can destabilize an entire planet’s future. It asks whether a violent uprising can ever be truly revolutionary, or if it simply reproduces the same corruption it seeks to destroy.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the gritty, high-stakes atmosphere of classic hardboiled science fiction will find this a compelling, if bleak, read. The prose is sharp and moves with the efficiency of a thriller, capturing the claustrophobia of a ship’s control room and the terrifying vastness of space. It is a story about the intersection of small lives and massive, world-altering agendas.

Readers should be aware that the book carries the distinct, sharp-edged cynicism of its 1944 publication period. The dialogue is sometimes clipped and hard-bitten, and the characters are intentionally unlikable, reflecting a world where there are no true heroes—only survivors and the dead. It is not an uplifting tale, but it is a masterclass in tension. What stays with you is the final, ringing condemnation of the protagonist; the story refuses to grant Ryd the dignity of a victory, leaving the reader with the uncomfortable reminder that sometimes the only reward for survival is the realization of one’s own insignificance. If you appreciate a story that refuses to blink at the ugliness of human nature, this short, intense blast of fiction is well worth the time.