Where the Gods Decide

In Short

Set against the claustrophobic backdrop of a sweltering, untamed Venus, this gripping science fiction tale follows a cynical local jetcopter pilot hired to fly an older, desperate man and his seductive, tormenting young wife deep into dangerous territory. Their goal is the legendary Screece gem, rumored to rest within a remote mountain temple guarded by deadly native cats and enigmatic, green-faced indigenous priests. As psychological tensions boil over and a drugged, disoriented journey shatters their minds, the obsessive hunt ends in brutal tragedy and a strange, haunting revelation about what they were truly seeking.

The Story

The narrative opens in a vapid, steaming Venusian swamp where jetcopter pilot Nicholas Caine waits with Charles and Janet Fairchild. Charles is an older, financially ruined man who has poured his last resources into a desperate interplanetary quest to find the mythical Screece gem, hoping to secure the affection and loyalty of his provocative, much younger wife, Janet. Caine considers the gem a fantasy but accepts the lucrative commission to fly them fifty miles toward a restricted jungle temple.

As they camp for the night, Janet wages a relentless psychological war against Charles. She taunts him mercilessly about his poverty, his aging body, and his paralyzing fear of losing her, while openly flirting with Caine and performing a frenzied, intoxicating dance. Charles drinks heavily to numb his anguish before collapsing. Seizing an opportunity, Janet slips a powerful Martian drug into Caine's drink, rendering him paralyzed and helpless to prevent her manipulation.

The next morning, a furious, hungover Charles discovers the situation and brutally beats Caine, then forces him at gunpoint into the jetcopter. During an erratic flight through blinding mists, Caine battles the lingering drug and intense agony from a broken arm sustained during a rough crash-landing near the temple site. Forced to proceed on foot through razor-sharp foliage and treacherous mists, the trio's psychological disintegration reaches a fever pitch under the constant threat of lethal grith cats.

Reaching the temple precincts, disaster strikes when a black-furred grith cat with deep orange eyes attacks. Panic shatters their remaining composure; Janet fires wildly, provoking a savage charge. The beast fatally mauls Janet before Charles is shot dead in the chaotic crossfire. Caine, half-delirious and bleeding, watches the carnage end abruptly as the cat withdraws at the silent approach of web-fingered, green-faced native priests who emerge from the golden temple walls.

Guided gently by the priests toward the temple, Caine looks up as brilliant sunlight breaks through the jungle canopy. Overwhelmed by the tragic absurdity of the journey, he breaks into hysterical laughter and tears, realizing that the blinding, life-giving sun itself is the true treasure worshipped on Venus.

How It Unfolds

• The swamp encampment: Nicholas Caine assesses his new passengers in the sweltering heat while tension quietly simmers beneath the surface. Charles sits in brooding silence, drinking heavily, while Janet needles her husband and measures Caine with mocking blue eyes.
• The psychological torment: As evening deepens, Janet escalates her cruelty by publicly humiliating Charles about his financial ruin and insecurity. She performs a hypnotic, erotic dance that drives Charles to emotional collapse and leaves Caine deeply unsettled.
• The drugging: Seeking to neutralize any interference, Janet administers a potent Martian potion to Caine during a fragile moment of apparent empathy. The drug swiftly robs Caine of his coordination and sensory control, plunging him into a waking nightmare.
• The crash landing: Waking to brutal violence from Charles, a groggy Caine is forced to pilot the jetcopter through thick fog toward the temple ridge. His impaired reflexes cause a crash that shatters the ship and breaks his arm, escalating the physical and mental toll.
• The jungle trek: Driven by a frantic, armed Charles, the battered trio navigates hostile terrain filled with razor plants and alien wildlife. Caine slips deeper into a hallucinatory state where rational thought fractures under the weight of pain and drugs.
• The final confrontation: Cornered near the sacred temple by a lethal grith cat, the group shatters completely in a burst of gunfire and blood. Caine survives the massacre to witness the arrival of the native priests and the ironic truth of their quest.

The People

Nicholas Caine is an experienced, pragmatic Venusian guide who wants nothing more than to complete his job and stay neutral. His primary obstacle is the toxic marital dynamic of his passengers, and he ends up drugged, battered, and psychologically fractured.

Charles Fairchild is a fifty-year-old former adventurer whose wealth has vanished. Desperate to hold onto his beautiful wife, he pours everything into finding the Screece gem. His obstacle is his own consuming insecurity and alcohol dependency, and he ends up broken, violent, and ultimately killed by a grith cat.

Janet Fairchild is a younger woman and former Martian club dancer who feels trapped and resentful. She uses her sexuality and vicious verbal barbs to punish Charles for his attempts to own her. Her reckless manipulation drives the tragedy, and she ends up violently mauled by the beast she helped provoke.

In Its Own Voice

In the webbed hands of the stolid, green-faced ones rests the Screece gem.

This opening line establishes the alien, mysterious atmosphere of the Venusian temple and its strange guardians before introducing the human conflict.

This could go to pieces in a hurry, Caine decided, and he rubbed his palms against the arms of the chair.

Caine immediately senses the volatile, destructive nature of the Fairchild marriage as they wait in the stagnant jungle heat.

The man lifted his glass and slowly drained it.

Charles relies continuously on alcohol to escape the crushing humiliation and fear inflicted by his wife.

What It's Really About

The story explores the destructive nature of obsessive possession in human relationships. Charles attempts to purchase and secure his wife's love through wealth and status, turning marriage into a desperate transaction rather than a partnership. When the money runs out, the illusion shatters, exposing the deep-seated hatred and fear rotting their bond from within. Additionally, the narrative examines human arrogance in the face of the unknown. The characters cross star systems chasing a material treasure—the Screece gem—completely blind to the actual spiritual and natural wonders surrounding them, ultimately destroying themselves for a myth while ignoring the blinding light of the sun itself.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate psychological tension, atmospheric world-building, and gritty mid-century science fiction will find much to admire here. James McKimmey crafts a claustrophobic, sweat-soaked atmosphere where the alien environment mirrors the decaying marriage at the heart of the plot. Reading it feels like watching a slow-motion train wreck in a humid greenhouse, driven by sharp dialogue and a mounting sense of dread.

Modern readers should be prepared for mid-century pulp conventions, including somewhat rigid gender dynamics and period-typical tropes regarding the femme fatale archetype. However, the psychological depth elevates the material far above standard monster-hunting adventures. The crumbling mental state of the protagonist, rendered through alternating haze and sharp pain, creates a genuinely unsettling reading experience. What stays with you long after the final page is the bitter irony of the climax—the realization of how much human suffering was wasted on a phantom prize when true brilliance was overhead all along.