Project Gutenberg 2006-07-12 Public domain in the USA. 169 Piper, H. Beam 1904 1964 Piper, Henry Beam Piper, Horace Beam The Mercenaries Produced from Astounding Science Fiction, March, 1950. E-text prepared by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team "The Mercenaries" by H. Beam Piper is a science fiction novel written in the mid-20th century. The book centers around a group of highly skilled scientists who are part of an independent research team engaged in advanced physics experiments. As they navigate the complexities of international power politics, they face the looming threat of espionage, with the added tension of a traitor within their ranks jeopardizing their work and lives. The storyline follows Duncan MacLeod, the leader of the research team, and his colleagues as they grapple with the realization that one of their own is betraying them to the Komintern, a powerful faction seeking to exploit their scientific advancements for military purposes. As paranoia builds, MacLeod identifies the suspected traitor, Adam Lowiewski, through cunning deduction and surveillance. Ultimately, the mounting pressure of their precarious situation leads MacLeod to execute Lowiewski to protect the integrity of the team and their research. The conclusion dives deep into the moral implications of their actions, exploring themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and the price of scientific advancement in a dangerous political landscape. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 73.2 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 80833 2025-08-08T06:23:32.362114 text/html 78891 2006-07-27T08:12:51 text/html 153356 2025-08-08T06:23:36.635092 application/epub+zip 151248 2025-08-08T06:23:34.157125 application/epub+zip 94642 2025-08-08T06:23:33.071122 application/epub+zip 243800 2025-08-08T06:23:38.477084 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 235767 2025-08-08T06:23:35.919134 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 160387 2022-09-09T06:00:09.668166 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 72837 2025-08-08T06:23:32.077180 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 72610 2021-01-01T12:43:17 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18555 2025-08-08T06:23:38.599065 application/rdf+xml 12564 2025-08-08T06:23:33.549094 image/jpeg 3352 2025-08-08T06:23:33.309097 image/jpeg 98865 2021-01-01T12:43:17 application/octet-stream application/zip 28679 2021-01-01T12:43:17 application/octet-stream application/zip 165901 2025-08-08T06:23:32.377102 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia