Interstellar Patrol II-The Federation of Humanity
 Villains
With Slick Tricks
Met Their Match in the Slicker
and Trickier Interstellar Patrol . . .
Vaughan Roberts and his two companions had been trapped on a
crime-ridden, chaotic planet until they bamboozled the population with a
gigantic hoax—which brought them to the attention of the Interstellar
Patrol, who were looking for a few good con men, capable of ingenious
improvisation and adept at playing dirty tricks on the bad guys. The new
recruits acquitted themselves admirably, so they naturally were given
more tough nuts to crack, including:
- Flummoxing an alien empire which has taken a
number of human prisoners to gather information
prior to an invasion. This has a personal aspect,
since the prisoners are from the planet which
Roberts tricked into reforming . . .
- Stopping a plan by not-so-good Samaritans who
are pretending to cure a planetary plague—which they
introduced to the planet—with a “miracle” drug which
creates an addiction to the same drug, which the
schemers will be glad to continue supplying for
ever-increasing sums . . .
- Not only rescuing some Patrol personnel taken
hostage by fanatics who plan to execute them one at
a time until their leader is released, but also
convincing other fanatics throughout the galaxy that
the consequences of threatening anyone in the Patrol
are too terrible even to think about . . .
- Making sure that the rightful heir to a planet’s
throne escapes from captivity and overthrows the
usurper. This time there’s a complication: Roberts
may be falling for the heir’s beautiful sister. . .
.
And much more, including such lethal alien wildlife as banjo birds
with rapier-like beaks, alien caterpillars with flaming dragonlike
exhalations, and a cast of thousands of biting, stinging, bloodsucking
insects from a host of colony worlds who think humans are the tastiest
things they’ve ever come across. . . .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Anvil began writing science fiction in the early
1950s, publishing stories in the vintage SF magazine Imagination in 1952
and 1953. In 1956 he debuted in Astounding, the leading magazine
in the field, with his story “The Prisoner.” That was the beginning of
an avalanche of stories for Astounding (and Analog, as the
magazine was retitled in 1960) which combined fast-paced adventure plots
with a pointed satirical sensibility, puncturing dogmas and
bureaucracies both human and alien. His stories in Astounding/Analog
frequently took first place in the magazine’s reader polls, and were
nominated for Hugo and Nebula awards. His work also appeared in such SF
magazines as Galaxy and Amazing Stories. He lives in New
York state.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Eric Flint is a popular new star of military and alternate
history SF. His first novel for Baen, Mother of Demons, was
chosen by Science Fiction Chronicle as a best novel of the year.
His second novel, 1632, a major novel of time-travel adventure,
was a commercial and critical success. He has also shown a powerful gift
for humorous fantasy adventure with The Philosophical Strangler,
which Booklist described as “Monty Python let loose in Tolkien’s
Middle Earth.” His collaborations include 1633, a sequel to
1632, with David Weber, and five novels in the Belisarius series
with David Drake, the latest being The Tide of Victory. A
longtime labor union activist with a degree in history, he currently
resides in northwest Indiana with his wife Lucille.
Editor's Note:
Interstellar Patrol II: The Federation of Humanity is a companion volume to Christopher Anvil's Interstellar Patrol (published by Baen Books in April, 2003). In this volume, the later adventures of the Interstellar Patrol agents Vaughan Roberts and his associates are recounted. Included also are all the various other stories which Anvil wrote in the same Federation of Humanity setting.
Cover art by Jeff Easley
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 Hardcover
Paperback
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and
events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real
people or incidents is purely coincidental.
First printing, March 2005
Copyright information for Christopher Anvil,
Interstellar Patrol II: The Federation of Humanity
"The Claw and the Clock" was first published in
Analog in February 1971.
"Riddle Me This..." was first published in
Analog in January 1972.
"The Unknown" was first published in
Amazing in July 1972.
"The Throne and the Usurper" was first published in
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in November 1970.
"The Trojan Hostage" was first published in
Analog in July 1990.
Warlord's World was first published in 1975 by DAW Books.
"Goliath and the Beanstalk" was first published in
Astounding in November 1958.
"Facts to Fit the Theory" was first published in
Analog in November 1966.
"Cantor's War" was first published in
If in May/June 1974.
"Uplift the Savage" was first published in
Analog in March 1968.
"Odds" was first published in Amazing
in July 1977.
"The Troublemaker" was first published in Astounding
in July 1960.
"Bill For Delivery" was first published in Analog
in November 1964.
"Untropy" was first published in Analog
in January 1966.
"The Low Road" was first published in Amazing
in September 1970.
"Trial By Silk" was first published in Amazing
in March 1970.
"The Operator" was first published in Analog
in March 1971.
"While the Northwind Blows" was first published in
Amazing in November 1978.
"Leverage" was first published in
Astounding in July 1959.
"The Sieve" was first published in
Astounding in April 1959.
"Mating Problems" was first published in
Astounding in December 1959.
"Hunger" was first published in
Analog in May 1964.
"Contrast" was first published in Analog
in December 1964.
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ISBN: 0-7434-9892-5
Copyright © 2005 by Christopher Anvil. Afterword copyright © 2005 by Eric Flint.
All rights reserved, including the right to
reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.
A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
https://www.baen.com
Production by Windhaven Press
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Electronic version by Baen Books
https://www.baen.com
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
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Printed in the United States of America
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