S. M. Tenneshaw

“ The old man studied him with surprise. Apparently gold-bricking and not eager-beavering was the order of the day here. "What's your rating?" the orderly asked.
"Twelve."
"Well, nobody would push you around, I guess," admitted the barracks orderly with grudging respect. "Why don't you see the town, though? Town's all right. Don't go out to the bogs unless you have to."
Bogs, thought Jansen. Bogs on Mercury's sun-side. He still couldn't get over it.
Jansen changed into a skin-tight white insulsuit and went outside. ”

“ He was pointing the blaster at Wendy Hilliard, whose face was white. Jansen opened the door and Bareen's deep voice ended with: "... to kill you now."
Jansen turned quickly and fired his blaster not at Bareen but at the controls of the sub-space booth. This way, he hoped, they wouldn't be interrupted. This way—
"Jansen!" Wendy screamed.
Bareen whirled, facing Jansen. His eyes widened and as he fired the blaster Jansen felt a numbing pain in his right leg. The blaster had merely seared him, he knew. But if Bareen had time for another try.... ”

“ Without Bareen, the organization he has built up will crumble. With Bareen, it will gain control, complete control instead of managerial control, of the irrigation system and the sub-space tunnel. Bareen will become a fabulously wealthy and powerful man, at the expense of Earth's starving billions. You will find Bareen and kill him. ”

“ The swamp-buggies took them to a field of chlorella, the valuable plant growing like a thick coating of slime on the bogs. The men, moving slowly to conserve energy in the heat, climbed down from the buggies and attacked the chlorella by sweeping the surface of the bogs with their muscle-powered harvesters.
Jansen smiled in spite of himself. Agricultural methods five thousand and more years old! It couldn't be helped on Mercury, of course. Most available machinery was needed on Earth, for Earth's billions. The metal for machinery was at a premium ”

“ Jansen. Let me give you about a five minute course in Mercurian economics. Here at Sun-side station, we produce food for Earth's teeming billions. Since directly or indirectly, all food is stored solar energy and since we're much closer to the sun here, food-energy is produced abundantly and not expensively."
"I know all that," Jansen said irritably.
"Let me finish. You'll see why. What we grow in the sun-side bogs is chlorella, millions of tons of chlorella, which is converted into synth-steak and other pseudo-meats on Earth. ”

“ Assassination, Jansen thought now. Legally, it would be a crime. The civilized worlds would forever be closed to Jansen. But morally it would be anything but a crime. Morally, Jansen would be helping billions of people he would never see—and, if he helped them, he would be from that day forth an outcast who must live out the rest of his life on the far outworlds.
For Ted, he thought. And Earth....
"Why'd Bareen come here?" Jansen asked the girl suspiciously. "I thought he runs this show from the sub-space tunnel."
"Sure he does. But periodically he comes here to check on his men. ”

“ Her hand struck his cheek stingingly. "Now clear out," she said, her voice catching on a sob.
He laughed harshly. "Well, what did you expect? It's why you had my things searched on the ship, isn't it? It's why you had that big guy follow me." ”

“ Chlorella must grow in bogs, which means artificial irrigation. The second is the sub-space tunnel. You know about that, Jansen. Call it a hole in space which shortcuts the distance between Mercury and Earth. The chlorella is shipped Earthward through this sub-space tunnel, not only instantly, but cheaply.
"Bareen works the tunnel, Mr. Jansen. Bareen's men control the irrigation station. Bareen is now in a position to demand any price he wishes from Earth for the chlorella. If Earth doesn't agree, Earth starves. That's why your brother was killed. ”

“ Now get out of here." She followed him to the door. "But you have to leave Mercury at once, you see," she said. "Bareen can't afford to let you live. Bareen will have you killed."
"The way they tell it on Earth, Bareen's a loner. If he goes, the whole outfit folds and will play ball with Earth the way it ought to. Is that the way you see it?"
"Yes, but—"
"You thought I was here for revenge? I am, baby. Don't get any wrong ideas. But I've also got a job to do. Earth needs that chlorella." He opened the door.
"Jansen—"
"Well?" ”

“ Bareen is here. You're here. I thought that was what you wanted. I told you. I—"
Just then the one streamlined swamp-buggy Jansen had seen came chugging up through the brackish water. A hatch opened and as it did so Wendy moved quickly away from Jansen. She waded toward the buggy, smiling. A man appeared in the hatch, a big man, big as Jansen and wider. He was younger than Jansen thought he would be. He was handsome and somehow cold-looking. ”