The COMPLEAT Collected SFF Works, page 1
JAMES WHITE
About this collection
and similar COMPLEAT collections
This volume includes all 85 to 94 (depending on how one wants to count revisions) Science Fiction and Fantasy books and stories written and published by James White during his career. The primary source of the bibliography is the information provided from www.isfdb.org.
All stories are proofed to the original published version, most commonly scans from the pulp magazines.
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Styles have been changed from the originals to provide a common style throughout the collection. Spellings where deviant from modern American usage have been left in their original for "flavour", altho British standard quotes if present have been replaced with American standard quotes.
Obvious mistakes (duplicated words, variant spellings of the same name or phrase within a story, missing quotes, etc ...) have been corrected where found (I don't see any need to perpetuate the mistakes of the typesetters). The varying quality of the writing is not my fault!
REVISIONS AND EXPANSIONS
Dynasty of One – 1955 [sf] – Science Fantasy
Long Will Live The King [sf] – 1982 – Extro
Tourist Planet – 1956 – New Worlds
The Secret Visitors – 1957 – Ace Books
Second Ending –1961 – Fantastic Stories
Second Ending – 1962 – Ace Books
Resident Physician – 1961 [sf] and Field Hospital – 1962 – New Worlds
Star Surgeon – 1963 [fix-up novel] Ballantine Books
Open Prison – 1964 – New Worlds
The Escape Orbit – 1965 – Ace Books
All Judgment Fled – 1967 – Worlds of If
All Judgment Fled – 1968 – Ballantine Books
Dark Inferno – 1972 – Galaxy
Lifeboat – 1972 – Ballantine Books
The Dream Millennium – 1973 – Galaxy
The Dream Millenium – 1974 – Ballantine Books
Federation World – 1980 [sf] Analog
Federation World – 1988 [novel] Ballantine Books
SERIES
Federation World
Federation World – 1980 [sf]
The Scourge – 1982 [sf]
Something of Value – 1985 [sf]
Federation World – 1988 [novel]
Sector General
Sector General – 1957 [sf]
Tableau – 1958 [sf]
Trouble With Emily – 1958 [sf]
Occupation:Warrior – 1959 [sf]
Visitor At Large – 1959 [sf]
O'Mara's Orphan (Medic) – 1960 [sf]
Out-Patient – 1960 [sf]
Countercharm – 1960 [sf]
Resident Physician – 1961 [sf]
Field Hospital – 1962 [novel]
Star Surgeon – 1963 [novel]
Invader – 1966 [sf]
Vertigo – 1968 [sf]
Blood Brother – 1969 [sf]
Meatball – 1969 [sf]
Major Operation – 1971 [sf]
Spacebird – 1973 [sf]
Contagion – 1979 [sf]
Quarantine – 1979 [sf]
Recovery (Ambulance Ship) – 1980 [sf]
Accident – 1983 [sf]
Survivor – 1983 [sf]
Investigation – 1983 [sf]
Combined Operation – 1983 [sf]
Star Healer – 1985 [novel]
Code Blue—Emergency – 1987 [novel]
The Genocidal Healer – 1991 [novel]
The Galactic Gourmet – 1996 [novel]
Final Diagnosis – 1997 [novel]
Mind Changer – 1998 [novel]
Double Contact – 1999 [novel]
INDIVIDUAL STORIES
Publication Date Title
1953/01 Assisted Passage
1953/06 Crossfire
1953/10 The Scavengers
1954/06 The Conspirators
1954/07 Starvation Orbit
1954/08 Curtain Call
1954/09 Suicide Mission
1955/03 The Star Walk
1955/05 Outrider
1955/07 Boarding Party
1955/09 Dynasty of One
1955/11 Pushover Planet
1956/01 In Loving Memory
1956/01 Red Alert
1956/02 Question of Cruelty
1956/10 Tourist Planet
1957/00 The Secret Visitors
1957/01 Patrol
1957/02 The Lights outside the Windows
1957/04 To Kill or Cure
1957/07 False Alarm
1957/11 Sector General
1958/05 Tableau
1958/08 The Ideal Captain
1958/10 Dark Talisman
1958/11 Trouble With Emily
1959/03 Dogfight
1959/03 Occupation:Warrior
1959/06 Visitor At Large
1959/10 The High Road
1959/11 Grapeliner
1960/01 O'Mara's Orphan (Medic)
1960/02 Deadly Litter
1960/06 Out-Patient
1960/10 The Apprentice
1960/11 Countercharm
1961/06 Second Ending
1961/09 Resident Physician
1962/01 Christmas Treason
1962/01 Field Hospital
1963/01 Second Ending
1963/02 Counter Security
1963/03 Star Surgeon
1963/04 Fast Trip
1964/02 Open Prison
1965/00 The Escape Orbit
1966/00 Invader
1966/02 The Watch Below
1967/12 All Judgment Fled
1968/00 Vertigo
1969/00 Blood Brother
1969/00 Meatball
1970/09 All Judgment Fled
1971/02 Major Operation
1971/02 Tomorrow Is Too Far
1972/01 Dark Inferno
1972/08 Commuter
1972/09 Lifeboat
1973/04 Spacebird
1973/10 The Dream Millennium
1974/01 Answer Came There None
1974/06 The Dream Millenium
1975/10 Nuisance Value
1976/02 Custom Fitting
1979/00 Underkill
1979/10 Contagion
1979/10 Quarantine
1979/10 Recovery
1980/08 Federation World
1982/01 The Scourge
1982/04 Long Will Live The King
1983/03 Accident
1983/03 Survivor
1983/03 Investigation
1983/03 Combined Operation
1985/01 Star Healer
1985/02 Something of Value
1987/03 The Interpreters
1987/07 Code Blue—Emergency
1988/06 Federation World
1988/12 Sanctuary
1989/05 Type "Genie" & Run
1990/04 Incident On A Colonising Starship Where All Living Things Are In Suspended Animation ...
1991/09 The Silent Stars Go By
1992/02 The Genocidal Healer
1992/09 The Backward Magician
1996/02 Un-Birthday Boy
1996/08 House Sitter
1996/08 The Galactic Gourmet
1997/05 Final Diagnosis
1998/11 Mind Changer
1999/11 Double Contact
2000/02 The First Protector
The COMPLEAT
Collected Science-Fiction
& Fantasy Works
of
jAMES WHITE
Assisted Passage
New Worlds – January 1953
It wasn't exactly a Court Martial—the prisoner being a civilian—but the Security Branch wanted to know why the wrong pilot had taken off in the first manned rocketship. The obvious inference was sabotage—but the not so obvious ...
HE KNEW himself to have that rare knack of making friends with everybody, and the Corporal, who was also a keen amateur gardener, and himself had become very pally. Now, glancing at the stiffly-marching figure beside him, he wondered if he reached for his pipe whether the Corporal would shoot him.
He would have liked to say something, but the grim set of the soldier's jaw, and the hurt, ashamed look in his usually friendly eyes made him keep silent. The Major's hut was only three minutes away at this pace, and any explanation he could give would be long, complicated and quite incredible, especially if it was the true one.
The Corporal halted at the green-painted door of the Nissen hut and rapped three times. His other hand hovered over the butt of his pistol, and his eyes were grimly watchful, though he never looked any higher than the level of Mathewson's tie. The orderly who escorted them to the inner office also avoided meeting his eyes, and the little group of civilians inside seemed to be interested only in the design of the linoleum.
Major Turner said "Very good, Corporal. At ease," and fell silent for the space of two long, interminable minutes, during which he stared fixedly at some papers on his blotter. Ordinary attempts at sabotage he could deal with, that was a Security Officer's job, as was counter-espionage and the screening of technicians, but this ... He didn't quite know what to do. Finally he spoke; his voice was low, but the suppressed anger in it was unmistakable.
"If we were at war, you know what I would do to you." It was a statement rather than a question. "Shoot you."
And Dr. Mathewson knew he would have done just that, too. The Major was tough. He kept silent, trying to think of a way of presenting the truth in such a way as to make it appear not completely incredi
ONE OF the five civilians present stirred restlessly. It was Ellison. The mention of shooting had shaken him. He spoke hesitantly, almost inaudibly, without raising his eyes.
"But the Doc. isn't a spy. There must be some explanation for what he's done. He isn't the type that would, would—," he broke off, then finished lamely, "He's never—, he doesn't act like a spy."
The Major glanced at him and murmured softly, pityingly, " Famous last words." His tone left no doubt in the hearer's mind what he thought of Ellison, which was that he was far too child-like and trusting to be allowed out. "Get conscious," he ended sharply. "D'you think they all look like cloak and dagger desperados."
Ellison looked as if he was about to tell the Major exactly what he thought of him, but Turner had resumed staring at his blotter, so he subsided sullenly, a slow blush creeping over his neck and ears. He was of far too shy and sensitive nature to win a name-calling contest against the Major, anyway.
Mathewson had of course expected some support from the civilians present, but Ellison's sincere if somewhat incoherent defence of his character had come as a bit of a shock, for Ellison, more than any other individual on the site, had the most reasons to hate his guts. It gave him a warm, grateful feeling to know that he had inspired such loyalty and affection ...
His musings were cut short 'by the Major who was talking again. With a start he realised that it was to him.
"... that lying will be futile and a complete waste of my time and your breath. I'll tell you what happened that night, you can then tell me why it happened, and, the most important piece of information," he nodded slightly towards the two NCO's wearing 'phones and staring intently at radar screens over in a darkened corner of the room, "What will happen next."
He paused, then continued in a low voice devoid of feeling, like a judge summing up after a murder trial, not wishing to influence the jurymen.
"At approximately 22.40 hours on the night in question you entered the canteen and ordered, very tactfully, of course, that Ellison should go to bed and get as much rest as possible before take-off at 06.00 the following morning. You accompanied him to his room and doped his hot milk and saw that he drank it all before leaving. At 23.08 you drew a light truck from the M.T. Officer telling him it was required to take some gear to the ship for last minute tests on the automatic controls. While the people in the canteen were loudly finishing off their farewell party to the, by now, deeply unconscious official pilot, you arrived at the ship with a load of equipment and Allen. Together you made between nine and eleven trips up into the ship. The last time you came down alone and succeeded in making the guard believe that Allen had already left on foot for his hut—" Here he glared coldly at the Corporal, "—leaving the truck for you. At 23.40 you drove the truck to the Administration block and entered the building. At approximately 23.52 the Corporal on guard heard the ship's gyros start up, followed by the fuel pumps and the automatic Fire Alarm. After switching the siren to General Emergency he went quickly to the safety trench at the edge of the take-off apron. It was now 23.58. Two minutes later the ship took off."
The low monologue stopped, and a hint of puzzlement crept into the Major's voice when he resumed. The others sat in strained, attentive silence, scarcely moving. The proverbial pin, had it dropped just then, would have made quite a clatter.
"There was a good deal of confusion for several hours after the departure of the ship. You, as Director of Research and hence the highest-ranking authority on the site, could have got clean away at any time up until the declaration of martial law early this morning. I don't quite understand that. You must be very new to this game or ..." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then said sharply, "Or did you think the Corporal would have died in the blast? If that had happened you could have told any cock and bull story you pleased and been believed, because Allen wasn't with you when the M.T. Officer gave you the truck. It very nearly happened that way, too."
He looked straight at the standing Doctor and said softly, "A spy and a murderer. You play the game dirty, don't you, Doc.?"
This last accusation came as a shock to Mathewson. Allen and himself had made the vital decision a long time ago, and planned the operation in such a way that no foreseeable change in circumstance would find them at a loss. They had discussed, many times and at great length, all the possible repercussions taking the spaceship would have on the authorities, and the steps those authorities would take regarding Mathewson, and devised various means of keeping him at least physically unharmed until the Second stage of the plan began. A charge of murder was the only thing not allowed for. The whole thing sounded unreal, fantastic; his ears must surely be lying. Spies, in this modern age, were rarely just shot out of hand, he knew. And in the more civilised countries they sometime weren't shot at all. Murderers were different. Little wonder none of them would look him in the face. But the thing was silly. Stupid. Surely they knew him well enough to realise he could never bring himself to do a thing like that—most of the people present had known him for years. The Major was the one he had to convince, however. He glanced sideways at the Corporal a little anxiously before replying.
"There was plenty of time for him to reach safety. The only danger was that he might try to break into the ship to restrain the pilot, but he had been made to believe the ship was deserted. Besides, I had told him repeatedly what to do in the event of there being a premature ignition of the fuel or some similar accident. Knowing the thorough safety measures practiced by technicians and the numerous locks and alarms designed to prevent such accidents, he probably thought I was inclined to worry needlessly or that I wasn't quite myself because of the nearness of the take-off. The point I want to make is that he knew exactly what to do, and he was in no danger at any time. Also—" Mathewson glanced quickly at the Corporal again. It made him uncomfortable to be constantly saying "he" when the object of the discussion was barely two feet away, "—You have probably found out by now that we were on very good terms quite friendly, in fact." He stopped, waiting.
"True?" asked the Major, switching his attention to the Corporal. His expression conveyed exactly what he thought of soldiers who made friends with people who sabotaged multi-million pound defence projects.
The Corporal's mind had been busy during the Doctor's version of the affair and was still a little confused. He badly wanted to give Mathewson the benefit of the doubt, but he needed time to think this out. The sudden question startled him. He nodded foolishly, then seeing the frown of displeasure gathering on the Major's brow, clipped out a hasty "Yes, sir."
After a moment's silence Turner resumed. He looked slightly disappointed.
"That seems to prove your innocence of attempted murder, but it could also mean you were clever enough to have a good story to fall back on if the plan failed. You see, I still think the Corporal was meant to die; otherwise why are you still on the site? Why aren't you with Allen's friends, safe and sound, back in ..."
He broke off. One of the ear-phoned N.C.O.'s cleared his throat and said, in that emotionless sing-song peculiar to all radio operators, "London reporting in. Seeing nil, still raining. Radar shows objects still in close proximity, no further manoeuvering. Ends." During acknowledgement of the message the people in that room who had been straining to catch every word of that brief but meaningful report slowly brought their attention back to Mathewson and the Major.
"The taking of a life is of secondary importance compared to the main charge, so we'll forget about that for the moment. You aided in the theft, and probably destruction, of a spaceship which was the culmination of many years of research and cost a truly astronomical amount of the nation's money—money it could ill afford, as you well know. Beside this a human life has only, well ..." he glanced at the Corporal, "... a sentimental value. I think it's time we got down to business. I suggest you start at the beginning, and don't forget I can check on almost everything you say. First. When did you meet Allen originally? and, just for the record, what is his real name? What do his friends call him—if you can pronounce it, that is?"
