menu

Lost Sci-Fi

chevron_right

Traitor’s Choice by Paul W. Fairman Episode #541

Paul W. Fairman | May 6, 2026
  • play_circle_filled

    Traitor’s Choice by Paul W. Fairman Episode #541
    Paul W. Fairman

TRAITOR’S CHOICE

Episode #541 · Written by Paul W. Fairman · Narrated by Scott Miller

Reed Kendall lives inside a world where secrets decide survival, and hesitation can cost millions of lives. He has been trained to think clearly under pressure, to trust procedure, and to place the safety of Terra above everything else. That certainty begins to unravel when a masked stranger proves he can reach past every safeguard and threaten the one person Kendall cannot replace.

The demand is direct and merciless. Deliver the plans to a weapon still unfinished, or watch his wife die in a place he cannot reach. Kendall moves through his days with a calm that feels almost unreal, securing access, gathering information, and preparing to leave everything behind. To anyone watching, his actions point to a single conclusion. He is giving the enemy exactly what they want.

But the deeper Kendall moves into the trap, the less certain his motives become. His choices grow sharper, more deliberate, and more dangerous. He steps onto an enemy world knowing that once events begin, there will be no time to explain and no chance to correct a mistake. What he carries with him may decide the outcome before anyone realizes what he has done.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul W. Fairman published extensively in pulp-era science fiction magazines including Amazing Stories, Fantastic Adventures, and Imagination. He produced a large volume of short fiction during the 1940s and 1950s, often working within tightly structured magazine formats that emphasized fast pacing and decisive action.

His stories frequently place characters in high-pressure situations where a single decision must be made without certainty of the outcome. “Traitor’s Choice” fits squarely within that body of work, using espionage, interplanetary conflict, and personal leverage to drive a story built on timing and risk rather than prolonged exposition.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Traitor’s Choice by Paul W. Fairman — a classic science fiction story where one man risks everything as betrayal may be the only way to fight back.

ABOUT THE LOST SCI-FI PODCAST

The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is the most listened-to vintage science fiction podcast in the world. Ranked the #1 Science Fiction Podcast in 38 countries and heard in more than 190 countries, the show has surpassed 4.2 million listens.

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.

What listeners are saying:

★★★★★ “Excellent. The best reader you could hope for with the best stories.”
— psiberlife

★★★★★ “Hi Scott! I’ve been loving the stories, and this is my second listen through the whole library. I love listening to the Bud Gregory stories in order because they are hilarious. All the stories really are a glimpse of what the people in the past thought the future would be, and so many are still relevant today. You are a great narrator, and I love when you give us a glimpse of the authors as well. This has quickly become my most favourite podcast. I listen to you daily.”
— celebkiriedhel

Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.

📬 JOIN LOST SCI-FI WEEKLY

35,000+ Listeners Can’t Be Wrong

Get vintage sci-fi stories, podcast episodes, and surprises every Monday.

FREE SCI-FI EVERY WEEK

✅ Check your email and confirm — that unlocks your free sci-fi downloads.

No spam in this galaxy. You can eject anytime.





  • cover play_circle_filled

    01. Lancelot Biggs Master Navigator
    Nelson S. Bond

  • cover play_circle_filled

    02. The Day The Monsters Broke Loose
    Robert Silverberg

  • cover play_circle_filled

    03. Hide and Seek
    Arthur C. Clarke

  • cover play_circle_filled

    04. Two Black Bottles
    H. P. Lovecraft

  • cover play_circle_filled

    05. Don’t Look Now
    Henry Kuttner

  • cover play_circle_filled

    06. Cosmic Tragedy
    Thomas S. Gardiner

  • cover play_circle_filled

    07. The Broken Axiom
    Alfred Bester

  • cover play_circle_filled

    08. Gambler's Asteroid
    Manly Wade Wellman

  • cover play_circle_filled

    09. Process
    A. E. van Vogt

  • cover play_circle_filled

    10. The Old Timer
    Richard R. Smith

  • cover play_circle_filled

    11. Dead Man's Planet
    Russ Winterbotham

  • cover play_circle_filled

    12. The Secret Flight of Friendship Eleven
    Alfred Connable

  • cover play_circle_filled

    01. Welcome to LostSciFi.com

  • cover play_circle_filled

    02. The Madness of Lancelot Biggs by Nelson S. Bond

  • cover play_circle_filled

    03. Don't Look Now by Henry Kuttner

  • cover play_circle_filled

    04. Poor Little Warrior by Brian W. Aldiss

  • cover play_circle_filled

    05. The Life–Work of Professor Muntz by Murray Leinster

  • cover play_circle_filled

    06. The Black Ewe by Fritz Leiber

  • cover play_circle_filled

    07. A Walk in the Dark by Arthur C. Clarke

  • cover play_circle_filled

    08. Time Enough At Last by Lynn Venable

  • cover play_circle_filled

    09. Duel on Syrtis by Poul Anderson

  • cover play_circle_filled

    Traitor’s Choice by Paul W. Fairman Episode #541
    Paul W. Fairman

  • cover play_circle_filled

    The Wellsprings of Space by Albert Teichner Episode #540
    Albert Teichner

  • cover play_circle_filled

    The Smart Ones by Jack Sharkey Episode #539
    Jack Sharkey

  • cover play_circle_filled

    Joe Carson’s Weapon by James R. Adams Episode #538
    James R. Adams

  • cover play_circle_filled

    Ely’s Automatic Housemaid by Elizabeth W. Bellamy Episode #537
    Elizabeth W. Bellamy

  • cover play_circle_filled

    The Chasm by Bryce Walton Episode #536
    Bryce Walton

  • cover play_circle_filled

    Run, Little Monster! by Chester S. Geier Episode #535
    Chester S. Geier

  • cover play_circle_filled

    Mimsy’s Joke by Millard Grimes Episode #534
    Millard Grimes

  • cover play_circle_filled

    The Red Brain by Donald Wandrei Episode #533
    Donald Wandrei

  • cover play_circle_filled

    I’ll Kill You Tomorrow by Helen Huber Episode #532
    Helen Huber

  • cover play_circle_filled

    Snowstorm on Mars by Sam Merwin Jr. Episode #531
    Sam Merwin Jr.

  • cover play_circle_filled

    Pink Grass Planet by Sam Merwin Jr. Episode #530
    Sam Merwin Jr.

  • cover play_circle_filled

    The Next Logical Step by Ben Bova Bonus Episode #1
    Ben Bova

  • cover play_circle_filled

    The Passenger by Kenneth Harmon Episode #529
    Kenneth Harmon

  • cover play_circle_filled

    The Towers of Titan by Ben Bova Episode #528
    Ben Bova

play_arrow skip_previous skip_next volume_down
playlist_play