The crew of the Clarion had found the remains of civilizations in decreasing states of advancement the farther they got from Earth. Had they all destroyed themselves in a kind of contagious Armageddon, or was there an advanced alien species that was destroying these civilizations as they moved through space?

"Battleground" appeared in "Fantastic Universe," July 1954, on pages 33 to 43.

Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile "Winston Science Fiction" series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction imprint of Ballantine Books.

Del Rey first started publishing stories in pulp magazines in the late 1930s, at the dawn of the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction. He was associated with the most prestigious science fiction magazine of the era, "Astounding Science Fiction," from the time its editor John W. Campbell published his first short story in the April 1938 issue: "The Faithful", already under the name Lester del Rey. The December 1938 issue featured his story "Helen O'Loy" which was selected for the prestigious anthology "The Science Fiction Hall of Fame." By the end of 1939 he had also placed stories in "Weird Tales" and "Unknown" (Campbell), which featured more horror and more fantasy respectively.

In 1952, his first three novels were published in the "Winston" juvenile series, one of which ("Rocket Jockey") appearing in an Italian-language edition in the same year. In the 1950s, del Rey was one of the main authors writing science fiction for adolescents, along with Robert A Heinlein and Andre Norton.

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"Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

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When enemies of peace threaten the System, they must be eliminated. There are many ways to do this. And if all else fails, you can always go to war with them.

"An Enemy of Peace" appeared in the February 1957 issue of "Fantastic Science Fiction" on pages 86 to 98.

It appeared under the pen name of Ralph Burke, as Robert Silverberg had another story published in that month's issue.

Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand Master of SF. He has attended every Hugo Award ceremony since the inaugural event in 1953.

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"Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know using the Contact Form.

A quiet concert in the evening by the lake ... a harmless hi-fi hobbyist ... yet why did Woodard tremble at the sound, sound, sound.

"Hystereo" appeared in "Amazing Stories," November 1961, pages 41 - 53.

Maurice Baudin was an American writer of science fiction and a TV script writer, most notably writing for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "General Electric Theater."

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Reaper: reaper.fm

LibSyn: libsyn.com

"Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know using the Contact Form.