A telepathic mutant captures two intelligence agents from the Solar System, Rick Mason and his partner Klon Darra, a Venusian. As Mason approaches the planet Mordarga, he receives a desperate mental plea from Klon, who is imprisoned and facing torture. Mason alters his reconnaissance mission to rescue Klon, navigating through the hostile environment of Mordarga City, populated by large, aggressive humanoids. Upon arrival, Mason encounters trouble with local Mordargans who attempt to detain him for drinking. He narrowly escapes but is ultimately captured after a failed attempt to rescue Klon. He wakes up in an alley, realizing he has failed his mission. Klon, still imprisoned, urges Mason to flee for his safety, but Mason refuses to abandon his partner. Determined, Mason infiltrates the palace where Klon is held, only to fall into a trap set by the Mordargans. They have already extracted information from Klon, using reverse psychology to manipulate Mason into coming to rescue him. The head of Security, Levron Clargo, and the telepath Senibro plan to interrogate both agents. As the telepath attempts to probe Mason's mind, Klon advises him to allow it, leveraging their mental link to fight back. Together, they overpower the telepath, incapacitating him and Clargo. They extract valuable intelligence from Clargo's mind regarding Mordargan military plans before escaping the palace. Mason and Klon reaffirm their partnership, acknowledging their earlier mistakes but celebrating their successful mission as they prepare to report back to their superiors.
By Robert Silverberg · First published 1979 · Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy