Lodestar (Anderson)
Encyclopedia
"Lodestar" is a short story
by Poul Anderson
. The idea was proposed to the author in a letter from editor John W Campbell in 1970, but not developed into a story until the publication of Astounding: The John W Campbell Memorial Anthology
.
.
In the story proper, chemists of the Polesotechnic League are working to produce elements that theoretically exist on the 'island of stability
' of the periodic table
; stable elements that are surrounded by short-lived unstable ones. Progress is nil, when an organization appears, offering commercial quantities of 'supermetals' for sale. The prices are high but economic and the source of supply is not revealed. The metals bring about a revolution in engineering
, but attempts to duplicate the metals or find the source of the metals are fruitless.
Although rich enough to retire and reluctant to leave his home comforts for the rigors of space travel, Nicholas van Rijn takes up the challenge and charters Dewfall, a specially and expensively equipped space ship from, and crewed by, Ythrians, an intelligent sky-dwelling species. He takes with him his favorite granddaughter, Coya Conyon, an astrophysicist.
The expedition locates the source of the supermetals, an unchartered planet which Coya terms 'eka-world'. They are intercepted by a fleet of ships guarding it and invited to surrender on peaceable terms. But van Rijn does not take kindly to the idea of an extended exile away from his home luxuries, and the crew plan a risky escape manoeuvre. They succeed in their escape.
Dewfall makes a rendezvous with van Rijn's spaceship 'Muddlin Through', and transfers to it. van Rijn proposes to demand a cut of 10% of the income from the Supermetals consortium in recompense for their trying to capture him, but David Falkayn and Coya persuade him to keep the location a secret. Very reluctantly, van Rijn agrees.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Poul Anderson
Poul Anderson
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...
. The idea was proposed to the author in a letter from editor John W Campbell in 1970, but not developed into a story until the publication of Astounding: The John W Campbell Memorial Anthology
Astounding: The John W Campbell Memorial Anthology
Astounding: The John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology is a 1973 festschrift honoring noted science fiction and fantasy editor John W. Campbell, in the form of an anthology of short stories by various science fiction authors, edited by Harry Harrison...
.
Plot introduction
The story is one in the series featuring the bombastic space adventurer Nicholas van RijnNicholas van Rijn
Nicholas van Rijn is a fictional character who plays the central role in the first half of Poul Anderson's Technic History. He is a flamboyant capitalist adventurer, and is Dutch, apparently a resident of Djakarta...
.
Plot summary
In a prelude to the main story, a trade expedition of van Rijn's employees barely escapes from a planet after an attack by the 'primitive' natives, who have been poorly treated by other traders only out to make money.In the story proper, chemists of the Polesotechnic League are working to produce elements that theoretically exist on the 'island of stability
Island of stability
The island of stability in nuclear physics describes a set of as-yet undiscovered isotopes of transuranium elements which are theorized to be much more stable than others...
' of the periodic table
Periodic table
The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular display of the 118 known chemical elements organized by selected properties of their atomic structures. Elements are presented by increasing atomic number, the number of protons in an atom's atomic nucleus...
; stable elements that are surrounded by short-lived unstable ones. Progress is nil, when an organization appears, offering commercial quantities of 'supermetals' for sale. The prices are high but economic and the source of supply is not revealed. The metals bring about a revolution in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, but attempts to duplicate the metals or find the source of the metals are fruitless.
Although rich enough to retire and reluctant to leave his home comforts for the rigors of space travel, Nicholas van Rijn takes up the challenge and charters Dewfall, a specially and expensively equipped space ship from, and crewed by, Ythrians, an intelligent sky-dwelling species. He takes with him his favorite granddaughter, Coya Conyon, an astrophysicist.
The expedition locates the source of the supermetals, an unchartered planet which Coya terms 'eka-world'. They are intercepted by a fleet of ships guarding it and invited to surrender on peaceable terms. But van Rijn does not take kindly to the idea of an extended exile away from his home luxuries, and the crew plan a risky escape manoeuvre. They succeed in their escape.
Dewfall makes a rendezvous with van Rijn's spaceship 'Muddlin Through', and transfers to it. van Rijn proposes to demand a cut of 10% of the income from the Supermetals consortium in recompense for their trying to capture him, but David Falkayn and Coya persuade him to keep the location a secret. Very reluctantly, van Rijn agrees.