The warriors

In Short

Set in a future where any physical violence between nations risks total human extinction, this gripping science fiction story follows U.S. agent MacFarland on a high-stakes mission. Tasked with extracting valuable biochemist Dr. Albert Warren and his research team from the Republic of Belderkan to join a starship project, MacFarland must navigate massive crowds, political propaganda, and disciplined non-violent opposition. Backed by psychological technicians and Sabo's mercenary regiment, he wages a bizarre battle of wits and endurance, culminating in a harrowing pain duel to secure a diplomatic compromise.

The Story

MacFarland leads a midnight convoy out of an institute in Belderkan, accompanied by psych technician Crawford Bell and Sabo's Highland Regiment, a band of kilted mercenaries. His objective is to escort Dr. Warren's team of biochemists to an airport so they can defect to a U.S. starship project. The Belderkan Department of Trade and a massive, stirred-up crowd attempt to block their path. Because international law bans physical violence under threat of severe World Court imprisonment and global destruction, the conflict is fought entirely through non-violent maneuvers, psychological noise-makers, flashing lights, and theatrical distractions.

As the convoy races toward the airport, Belderkan forces and crowds repeatedly obstruct them. Sabo's men use bagpipes and intricate non-violent formations to carve paths through enemy lines. Crawford Bell deploys a computer to generate disorienting sounds, while shock troops utilize money and women to break the crowd's discipline. Despite these clever psychological tricks, the convoy faces a solid wall of guards right at the airport gate just as the midnight flight arrives. Tensions mount as the scientists debate whether to stay or leave, swayed by Belderkan propaganda highlighting the nation's luxurious provisions and the emotional appeals of the crowd.

Realizing that psych tricks will not move the unyielding Belderkan guards, MacFarland resolves to challenge them to a formal duel. Duelling has evolved as a UN-approved therapeutic transition from traditional warfare, allowing nations to satisfy their need for sacrifice and national pride without triggering global annihilation. In the chilly dawn, MacFarland strips to the waist and faces a young Belderkan opponent at a specialized pain-inflicting pole. Both men squeeze handles that deliver intense, body-shaking agony, pushing their nervous systems to the absolute limit until MacFarland forces his opponent to release his grip.

Undeterred, an aging Belderkan steps up for a second grueling duel. Both men scream and moan as they endure agonizing electrical or psychological pain, matching each other's endurance until mutual shock brings the contest to a halt. In the aftermath of this brutal sacrifice, the psychological logjam breaks. The Belderkan forces agree to let Dr. Warren and Dr. Umbana through the line. Dr. Warren boards a departing jet to join the starship project, proving once again that after a duel, previously intractable disputes finally become negotiable.

How It Unfolds

The midnight convoy MacFarland and his team depart under an African sky, flanked by Sabo's mercenary regiment and guided by psych technician Crawford Bell. They face an oncoming mob and a race against time to reach the airport before the scientists change their minds.

Breaking the first line Sabo's kilted troopers charge enemy vehicles, leaping from personnel carriers to scatter opposing cars and carve an open path for the convoy. Bagpipes wail as the mercenaries execute precise, non-violent maneuvers to maintain momentum.

Deploying tactical distractions Confronted by a massive, singing crowd and hovering helicopters broadcasting economic propaganda, Crawford Bell uses a computer to analyze Belderkan culture. Shock troops deploy money and women into the crowd to shatter its discipline and divide the protesters.

The airport roadblock The convoy reaches the terminal only to find a solid, unmoving line of Belderkan guards blocking the gate. Psychological tricks fail against these disciplined troops, forcing MacFarland to resort to extreme measures as time runs out.

The first pain duel In the chilly dawn, MacFarland strips to the waist and challenges the defenders at a specialized pole that delivers intense physical agony. He outlasts a young Belderkan opponent in a brutal test of nervous endurance.

The final compromise An aging Belderkan steps up for a second grueling duel, matching MacFarland's agony until both collapse from shock. This ultimate sacrifice breaks the political deadlock, allowing Dr. Warren to board the flight to the starship project.

The People

MacFarland is an ambitious agent of the Department of Commerce who relishes the strategic challenge of modern warfare. He wants to successfully extract Dr. Warren's team for the U.S. starship project, but stands blocked by strict anti-violence laws and disciplined opponents, ultimately ending up bruised, traumatized, and victorious after enduring a harrowing pain duel.

Crawford Bell is MacFarland's Tennessee-accented chief psych technician. He wants to ensure operational success using mathematical data and acoustic technology, facing the challenge of volatile crowds, and ends up safely monitoring the psychological equipment and treating MacFarland's shock.

Sabo leads the elite Highland Regiment of mercenaries. He wants to execute precise non-violent military tactics, overcoming enemy blockades with bagpipes and kilted squads, and successfully secures corridors for the convoy.

Dr. Albert Warren is a valuable biochemist and inventor. He wants to secure the best laboratory for his team, hesitating between Belderkan luxury and the U.S. starship project, and ultimately chooses to board the flight after the duel breaks the political impasse.

Dr. Umbana is an outspoken, arrogant biochemist who scorns childish games and protests against being delayed. He wants immediate freedom of travel and ends up successfully departing on the plane with Dr. Warren.

In Its Own Voice

War was so interesting it would be a shame to spoil it with the agony and guilt of killing.

MacFarland reflects on the unique nature of warfare in a twenty-first-century world where physical violence is strictly forbidden.

The polite dancing men, the wailing bagpipes, the bodies that never touched, never even brushed lightly.

The text describes the surreal, highly disciplined choreography of non-violent soldiers clashing on the battlefield.

It's starship time, Doctor. We've abolished international violence. We've conquered poverty and disease.

MacFarland explains to the scientists why humanity must expand into the cosmos and join the starship project.

How hard did the air molecules have to strike the ears or how painful did the noise have to be, before sound became physical violence?

MacFarland contemplates the razor-thin legal line separating psychological acoustic tactics from forbidden physical violence.

What It's Really About

The story explores the paradox of non-violent conflict and the psychological necessity of competitive struggle for humanity. In a world where direct physical violence triggers global annihilation, nations substitute psychological warfare, economic pressures, and ritualized pain duels. Purdom questions whether human nature can truly change or if civilization merely finds substitute outlets for its deep-seated aggressive drives. The narrative examines how national pride, technological competition, and individual sacrifice intersect when societies are forced to renounce traditional warfare. Ultimately, it suggests that civilization requires structured forms of suffering and endurance to maintain peace and prevent nations from falling into dangerous, shamed stagnation.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love thought-provoking, unconventional science fiction that redefines military strategy will find this story fascinating. Reading it feels like stepping into a strange, highly rationalized future where geopolitics resembles a deadly game of chess played with psychology, music, and legal loopholes. What stays with you is the haunting concept of the pain duel—a ritual where opponents willingly inflict agony upon themselves to satisfy national honor without shedding blood.

While modern readers may notice mid-century assumptions about technology, economics, and gender roles—such as shock troops utilizing women as tactical distractions—these elements reflect the specific speculative fiction traditions of its 1962 publication in Amazing Stories. The story's true power lies in its deep engagement with the ethics of persuasion, the psychological weight of competition, and the heavy price societies pay to keep the peace. It offers a uniquely structured narrative that rewards readers interested in philosophical explorations of conflict, making it a compelling piece of speculative fiction that remains engaging for anyone curious about alternative futures of statecraft and diplomacy.