CONQUEST OVER TIME

Episode #457 · Written by Michael Shaara · Narrated by Scott Miller

A desperate Contact Man races to secure a planetary trade contract, only to discover a world ruled entirely by astrology and fear. When a disastrous landing sends him spiraling into the underworld of Mert, he must outwit fate itself to survive — and change the future.

Conquest Over Time begins with Pat Travis — a once-legendary Contact Man whose luck has recently run dry — racing Allspace’s worn-out ship toward the planet Mert. Arriving with burned generators and a warped ion screen, Travis is certain he’s won the race for the lucrative planetary trade contract. But Mert is unlike anything he has ever encountered. Its people live by astrology with absolute seriousness: every wedding, business deal, court judgment, and political decision is dictated by the stars. Even strangers from other worlds are judged entirely by the planetary aspects of the moment they arrive.

Unfortunately for Travis, he has landed at the worst possible time. An eclipse looms, the streets are deserted, and the local rulers are convinced that his arrival is an omen of impending disaster. His hopes for winning the contract evaporate instantly.

Then things get worse.

Travis is kidnapped by an underground gang living in the sewers beneath the city. There he discovers not only danger and desperation, but also surprising intelligence and unexpected humanity — especially in Lappy, a shy young man whose grasp of physics mirrors that of a genius, and Navel, a woman whose unfortunate horoscope has condemned her to a life she did not deserve. Their culture insists that destiny is fixed at birth, and the sewer-dwellers accept it with heartbreaking resignation.

As Travis fights to escape, he begins to understand that astrology is the key to everything on Mert. Every fear, every law, every hesitation the people have toward Earthmen comes from the belief that the unknown sky holds enormous power. With time running out and rival companies closing in, Travis must find a way to use their own beliefs to turn the situation in his favor — and somehow secure the contract that could save his career.

What follows is classic Michael Shaara: sharp dialogue, unexpected humor, cultural satire, and a brilliantly layered twist. Travis’ escape, his alliance with Navel and Lappy, and the clever final gambit involving the mysterious ninth planet form one of Shaara’s most memorable Golden Age plots.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Shaara (1928–1988) is best known today for the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Killer Angels, but long before that landmark novel he built a vibrant career as a science-fiction storyteller. Throughout the 1950s and 60s he wrote imaginative, energetic tales for Galaxy, Astounding, If, and Amazing Stories, exploring human nature through high-concept ideas and clever reversals.

His science fiction often examined how ordinary people react under pressure — whether in space, in alien cultures, or in worlds shaped by unfamiliar rules. Shaara brought warmth, humor, and emotional intelligence to his speculative stories, qualities that made his work stand out in a crowded era. Today his early fiction remains a fascinating look at a writer who would later reshape American historical literature, yet who never lost his love for wonder, adventure, and the surprising adaptability of the human spirit.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Conquest Over Time by Michael Shaara — a vintage sci-fi adventure where a Contact Man faces a world ruled by astrology and danger at every turn.

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Each episode features carefully selected stories from the Golden Age of science fiction, professionally narrated. Timeless storytelling the way it was meant to be heard.

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