Pandora's Legions

IS IT TOO LATE TO NEGOTIATE
A SURRENDER?

The Centran Empire was both benevolent and complacent. Benevolent, even as it overwhelmed every new inhabited planet it encountered with its military might—but once the planet was pacified, its inhabitants were uplifted to Centran standards of living and the benefits of membership in the Empire. Complacent, because the Empire had long been expanding without encountering more than minor obstacles. And then they came across Pandora's Planet, that is, Earth....

In spite of the Centran superiority in technology, the conquest of Earth took over three months, when the invaders were used to wrapping things up in less than two weeks. But "conquest" might be too optimistic a term to use, since the locals were still waging guerrilla warfare and sabotage, and the Centrans were hanging on by their equivalent of fingernails. And then the Centran scientists tested a group of humans and found that the humans were more intelligent than the Centrans.

One Centran leader had an idea that might save the Centrans from being ignominiously kicked off the planet again. Since the humans were good at war, why not put together teams of humans to go out to the fringes of Centran space and handle planets that were proving difficult? The teams performed magnificently—but back in the heart of the Empire, humans and their weird new ideas were spreading like wildfire, and if something weren't done soon, the humans would end up running the former Centran Empire....

Publisher's Note: Approximately half of this novel has been published as Pandora's Planet . This is the first appearance in book form of the complete novel.

Cover Art by Patrick Turner

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, February 2002

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Production by Windhaven Press, Auburn, NH
Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13: 978-0-671-31861-1
ISBN-10: 0-671-31861-6

The various parts of Pandora's Legions were previously published in the following: Part I as "Pandora's Planet" in Astounding, September 1956. The story was later incorporated as the first seven chapters in the novel Pandora's Planet, published by Doubleday in 1972 and reissued by DAW Books in 1973. The remaining portions of that novel, somewhat revised, now constitute Parts II, IV, VI and VIII of this volume. Part III was originally published as "Pandora's Envoy" in Analog, April 1961. Part V was originally published as "The Toughest Opponent" in Analog, August 1962. Part VII was originally published as "Trap" in Analog, March 1969. "Sweet Reason" was originally published in IF, June 1966.

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TO BE SEEN IS TO BE HIT

Horsip went off to see his Planetary Integration staff, now working happily on plans for final integration of the planet Earth into the Integral Union, and Moffis went along. Horsip described the appalling number of wrecked and sabotaged ground-cars.

A precocious-looking individual, with large eye-correctors and thin hair on his hands, addressed Moffis in a peevish voice. "I fail to understand how it can be possible for the natives to approach the vehicles without being apprehended."

Horsip put in quickly, "He means, why aren't the humans seen?"

Moffis, whose furry face was glowing red, said fiercely, "Because it's night, that's why! They can't be seen!"

"A simple solution. Carry the operation out in daytime."

Moffis gritted his teeth. "We can't. Every time a car slows down in the daytime, some sharpshooter half a drag away puts a dart through the tires."

Moffis' questioner stared at him. "Oh," he said suddenly, looking relieved, "exaggeration-for-conversational-effect."

"What?" demanded Moffis.

"How far the native's gun could shoot with accuracy," Horsip hastily interpreted. "He thought you meant it."

"I did mean it," said Moffis.

There was a sound of uneasy movement in the room. "Theoretically impossible," said someone.

Moffis glared at him. "Would you care to come up and lie down behind a tire?"

Baen Books by CHRISTOPHER ANVIL

Pandora's Legions

Baen Books by Eric Flint

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