Under a starless sky on a ruined landing field, weary soldier Jim Duane keeps watch beside a fire and a pot of stew as battered space boats limp home from a disastrous uranium war. Around him gather three men shaped by the collapse: the hard, cynical Captain, who still dreams of the old warlords' return; Ted Shafer, a timid ex-shipman unnerved enough to insist he is not insane; and Bill Belton, a rough drifter who abandoned ship and nursed his resentment into bitterness. As they trade barbed remarks and uneasy confessions, the scene reveals a world stripped bare by greed, violence, and exhausted resources. Duane argues that humanity has burned through its wealth and must begin again on Earth, while the others cling to profit, denial, or survival at any cost. Shafer's nervous hints that he may know where more uranium can be found, and Belton's tale of salvaged furs and violent betrayal, deepen the tension. In this grim, lawless aftermath, hidden motives and dangerous possibilities begin to surface. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
