Project Gutenberg 2024-07-22 Public domain in the USA. 168 Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony 1913 1966 Smith, Cordwainer Linebarger, Paul M. A. War No. 81-Q $aNew York City :$bBallantine Books, $c1928, reprint 1979. The Instrumentality of Mankind "[T]his story was later rewritten; this is the original." Alex White & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net "War No. 81-Q" by Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, published under the pseudonym Cordwainer Smith, is a science fiction short story that first appeared in a high school publication in the late 1920s. Set in a futuristic world of 2127 A.D., the story explores the absurdity and mechanics of warfare in a future dominated by technology and strategic control, particularly focusing on aerial combat using remotely piloted ships. The narrative centers on a war between the United American Nations and the Mongolian Alliance, specifically over the Radiant Heat Monopoly. As the two sides prepare for a highly regulated and peculiar war with strict rules governing combatants, spectators eagerly anticipate the spectacle. The young pilot, Jack Bearden, unexpectedly finds himself in command of multiple ships during this unusual aerial battle. His initially overwhelming task leads to a series of chaotic and accidental maneuvers that ultimately result in the destruction of the enemy's ships. The outcome declares Bearden victorious and heralds him as a hero, spotlighting themes of chance, the folly of war, and the blurring of human presence in combat. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20240720055624smith 1928 us Reading ease score: 73.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories War stories PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 36077 2025-09-29T09:17:46.227015 text/html 12339 2024-07-22T16:50:18 text/html 89563 2025-09-29T09:17:50.822962 application/epub+zip 88338 2025-09-29T09:17:48.837974 application/epub+zip 65454 2025-09-29T09:17:47.788971 application/epub+zip 169739 2025-09-29T09:17:52.283964 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 162789 2025-09-29T09:17:50.196980 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 27051 2025-09-29T09:17:45.989978 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 7276 2024-07-22T16:50:18 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16235 2025-09-29T09:17:52.409953 application/rdf+xml 12954 2025-09-29T09:17:48.284970 image/jpeg 3271 2025-09-29T09:17:48.034996 image/jpeg 87481 2025-09-29T09:17:46.232982 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