In this story, van Rijn's problem is to keep Sector Antares supplied with Solar Spice & Liquors cinnamon, gin etc despite the piracy of an alien power calling itself the Kossaluth of Borthu. Thus, the action is somewhere in the direction of Antares. Detouring around the usual route would take ships through the dangerous Gamma Mist or Stonefields but we are told nothing about these. At the end of the story, van Rijn's ship, Mercury, enters the Antarean System where the expanding sun has engulfed the inner planets although local mineral wealth and a sector trade centre support a human population on the outer planets. These are fascinating details but there are very few of them in any particular story.
I am about to sign off for this evening. Today, we walked from Lancaster to Morecambe where I visited Andrea above his brother's Old Pier Bookshop. We completed our viewing of the Justice League film and discussed world affairs. I will look through the remaining van Rijn instalments for any more galactography.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
"Margin of Profit" is a rather old and early Technic story, and shows it here and there. Anderson tended to later drop possible implausibilities like the "Gamma Mist" and "Stonefields."
Ad astra! Sean
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