Ten Leagues Beyond

Poul Anderson, "Details" IN Anderson, Seven Conquests (New York, 1970), pp. 119-140.

See also Details.

In the opening sentence:

"...the League is a mature culture..." (p. 119)

What League is this? Despite being written by Poul Anderson, "Details" is not about his Polesotechnic League. Still less is it about the League of Nations, the League of Assassins or the Justice League of America. Terminologies have to be recycled even by a single author. "Details" is a one-off story with an implausible premise that would not make for any worthwhile series in my opinion. 

We are not told a full official name for this League, I don't think, but it is:

"...the League of the older planets." (p. 122)

"...a million-year old society..." (ibid.)

"...with a population estimated at ten to the fifteenth power souls." (p. 120)

In other words, what we might more usually call the Galactic Federation?

Other recycled terminologies in this story:

"'Coordinator Zantell...'

"'...Psychotechnic Institute...'

"'What did he think the Service was...the Patrol?" (ibid.)

"...Chaos..." (p. 122)

We know that we are reading something from Poul Anderson's imagination but anything can happen in a one-off story. 

"...the planet called Earth..." (ibid.)

- might wind up destroyed. (It doesn't this time but you know what I mean.)