The Players

In Short

Everett B. Cole’s The Players is a mid-century science fiction novelette following two local planet natives, Lanko and Banasel, who have been recruited into a galactic guardian corps. When a wealthy alien "drone" named Sira Nal creates a false religion of sea gods to dominate trade lanes and build a war engine, Lanko, Banasel, and a kidnapped merchant named Musa use subtle technology and counter-intelligence to track the interference. The story endures as a clever, procedural space-opera puzzle focused on economic manipulation, planetary oversight, and stopping privileged intergalactic bored playboys from ruining developing civilizations.

The Story

The narrative opens in the bustling plaza of Karth, where a capable merchant named Musa trades goods and unwittingly attracts the attention of Lanko, a man dressed as a northern herdsman. In reality, Lanko and his companion Banasel are native-born guardsmen serving a galactic peacekeeping body. Operating from a hidden, high-tech mountain base, the two agents monitor their home world to ensure that no outside advanced civilizations meddle with its natural cultural development.

Lanko and Banasel notice unusual technological and economic anomalies centered around the island nation of Norlar. A newly emerged religious cult dedicated to the sea god Kondaro—headed by the prophet Sira Nal—has monopolized sea navigation, imposed strict law codes, and established a lucrative monopoly on maritime trade. Intrigued, Musa decides to travel east to investigate the lucrative trading source for himself. Along his journey, Musa encounters Banasel in disguise selling supposedly protective amulets that are actually covert surveillance and tracking devices.

Musa boards a temple-controlled trading vessel bound for the eastern lands. During the voyage, the crimson-clad priests maintain absolute control through fake religious rituals, hidden magnetic compasses, and trained marine life. When Musa falls victim to a setup designed by the priests to confiscate his cargo under the guise of religious blasphemy, he leaps overboard to escape execution. Lanko and Banasel use a tractor beam to rescue Musa from the ocean and bring him into their secret base.

Watching recordings of the ship’s operations, Musa learns the truth: Sira Nal is an alien "drone"—a bored, wealthy citizen from an advanced galactic culture who treats primitive worlds as personal playing boards. Sira Nal and a rival player, Koree Buron, have divided the continent to stage a proxy war game, refereed by a third alien named Genro Kir.

Lanko and Banasel capture Genro Kir after disabling his landed sportster ship. Armed with authority and tracking equipment, the guardsmen confront Sira Nal as he flies out to inspect his sea lanes. Sira Nal recklessly fires an energy weapon into their tractor beam, causing a fatal feedback loop that vaporizes him instantly. Shaken by the death of his companion and facing the arrival of full galactic authorities, Genro Kir uses a mental amplifier to contact Koree Buron. Realizing the game is over, Buron agrees to surrender peacefully, restoring the planet’s organic history.

How It Unfolds

The market at Karth Musa, an effective merchant, manages his shop in the central plaza while Lanko, disguised as a northern herdsman, inspects his wares. Lanko notes that the region's economy and law systems are finally stabilizing without illegal foreign interference.

Investigating the new cult At their secret mountain base, Lanko and Banasel discuss rumors of strange navigational secrets and harsh enforcement laws controlled by the priests of Kondaro on the island of Norlar. They decide to relocate their base closer to the island to investigate the source of this sudden technological jump.

Journey to the eastern ports Musa travels across the continent in trading caravans, reaching the eastern coast where veteran traders warn him that Norlar has fallen under the tyrannical rule of religious thieves. Ignoring the warnings, Musa buys a passage and purchases a strange protective amulet from a undercover Banasel.

The rigged voyage While sailing on a temple ship, Musa observes the crimson priests using secret instruments and orchestrated feeding of sea creatures to simulate divine control over the ocean. When the priests frame Musa to seize his goods, he jumps into the sea and is secretly pulled to safety by the guardsmen's tractor beam.

Unmasking the players Inside the hidden base, Lanko reveals playback tapes showing that Sira Nal and Koree Buron are rich alien playboys playing a live war game with the planet's nations. The guardsmen locate and infiltrate the referee Genro Kir's spaceship, taking him into custody.

Ending the game Sira Nal takes to the air with personal levitation gear to protect his naval setup, but destroys himself when he fires a weapon into a guardsman tractor beam. Facing total galactic prosecution, Genro Kir contacts Koree Buron and convinces him to surrender before the Sector Guards arrive.

The People

• Musa: A prosperous, pragmatic trader from Karth who seeks new trade routes in the East. He wants profitable business and fair dealings, but his curiosity lands him in a priest-led trap. After being saved by the guardsmen, his sharp eye for practical detail helps him understand the true nature of his world's manipulators.
• Lanko: A field operative for the galactic corps who was born on the planet. He wants to protect his homeworld from covert alien exploitation while maintaining minimal direct intervention. Calm, tactically sharp, and dryly humorous, he methodically dismantles the alien network.
• Banasel: Lanko’s fellow native-born guardsman and technician. He operates the base machinery, crafts disguised surveillance gear, and handles local cover identities. He shares Lanko’s quiet dedication to the "lonely life of a guardsman."
• Genro Kir: A Galactic Citizen who acts as the official, neutral referee for the proxy war game played between his two wealthy companions. Stubborn and arrogant at first, he breaks down once he witnesses the real, lethal consequences of their hobby.
• Sira Nal: An alien "drone" who established the oppressive cult of Kondaro to manipulate ocean trade and build a war base. Arrogant and reckless, his refusal to accept authority leads to his self-destruction.

In Its Own Voice

"A Playboy is someone with power, too much time on his hands, and too little sense of a goal worth achieving."

An opening commentary defining the destructive nature of the alien meddlers.

"You and I were born on this planet. We were brought up here, and a lot of people once knew us. But they've all forgotten, and we don't belong any more."

Banasel reflects to Lanko on the personal sacrifice required to serve as a secret galactic protector of one's home world.

"A book of strange laws can be worse than any bandit born."

A veteran trader warns Musa about how the priesthood of Norlar uses arbitrary regulations to rob visiting merchants.

What It's Really About

Underneath its pulp adventure exterior, The Players addresses the ethics of intervention and the corrupting nature of absolute privilege. The alien "drones" represent a bored aristocracy that views developing societies not as living populations, but as disposable pieces on a chessboard. Their actions demonstrate how easily advanced technology can be disguised as religious dogma or miraculous magic to subjugate less developed cultures. Conversely, Lanko and Banasel embody a strict anti-imperialist ethos: their job is not to govern or play god, but to eliminate illegal external influences so their native culture can develop at its own organic pace.

Why Read It Today

The Players is an entertaining, breezy read for fans of classic 1950s Astounding Science Fiction procedures and golden-age space opera. Everett B. Cole delivers a grounded narrative that focuses on trade mechanics, counter-surveillance, and practical problem-solving rather than mindless laser battles. Watching the working-class trader Musa and the undercover guardsmen slowly pull apart a grand religious scam is deeply satisfying.

The story moves at a brisk, modern pace, though readers should expect the straightforward, exposition-heavy dialogue typical of mid-century magazine fiction. It avoids long-winded technical jargon in favor of clear, logical narrative beats. It feels like an extended episode of a classic sci-fi patrol series, leaving you with a lingering appreciation for the silent, unthanked custodians who keep the galaxy running behind the scenes.

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