Double-cross

On mist-shrouded Venus, an Earth ship waits at the edge of a first contact that is turning into a political powder keg. While the crew assumes the native delegation is merely inspecting cargo, a spy ray locks onto the main hatch, signaling that danger is already in motion. Beneath the surface, Venusian leader Svan and his circle are secretly debating how to stop Earth from sending settlers who could overwhelm their fragile world and destroy their independence. Ruthless and increasingly paranoid, Svan turns that fear into a deadly conspiracy. He unveils a magnetic atomite bomb intended to destroy the Earth ship after departure, then forces his followers to draw lots for the fatal task of planting it. When no one steps forward, his revolutionary certainty curdles into self-preservation, and he secretly marks his own slip to ensure the mission continues. As the conspirators move through the darkness toward the ship, suspicion and hesitation threaten their plan. A violent clash with a Venusian guard derails the operation, while aboard the Earth vessel the crew watches the blackened night and strange lights beyond the hull, sensing that the real danger may be the hidden conflict already unfolding around them. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.