"Kyle.
"Kyle!'
He looked up, and her face was white and strange, all hatred, all passion, gone. He remembered something he must say to her.
"Tharanya, Rolf, and Horek, and all the others—"
"Yes, Kyle?"
"They followed me into this. And I failed them, I destroyed their only hope."
"They would not have had it otherwise. You did it, for all the galaxy."
"I know—but I was their leader. I'll make you a proposal. You and Jommor to be turned over to your fleet, out there. I'll go with you. But—a free pardon for all the others."
"It is done, Kyle. A free pardon for them."
"Let Rolf hear you say that, Tharanya."
She went out. When she came back, Rolf and Jommor were with her, and Sohmsei. Rolf looked swiftly at Banning, and then sighed.
"So he's himself again—well, it's small wonder—"
Tharanya spoke to him, and Rolf's brows drew together in anger.
"A pardon for us, and The Valkar to go to death? No!"
Sohmsei whispered, “Death is not in her mind, for the Valkar."
"No,” said Tharanya. “Oh, no!"
Banning looked up. He saw her face clearly for the first time, and he saw in it what seemed to him incredible.
"Can the years of before, the man of before, come back, Tharanya?"
She had tears in her eyes but her voice was steady. “Not the man of before, not Kyle Valkar only. I could not love him again, but—"
Jommor sighed. “Well.” He turned, his face sad, and then turned back and held out his hand. “I hated The Valkar. But I made him into a different man. I think I could get along with that man."
Rolf stared at them, at Banning and Tharanya, in amazement. “But I thought at the worst you'd send him back to Earth—"
"Let Earth alone,” she said. “Someday, but not for a long time, we of the Empire will go there in open friendship. But not now. And not The Valkar. He's a starman—you all are. He—you—are welcome to come home to the Empire, if you will. Not the Old Empire, or the New, but—the Empire."
"By God!” exclaimed Rolf. “Then a Valkar may yet sit upon the throne?"
The old imperious pride flashed up in Tharanya's eyes. “Not on the throne, no!” But her face was troubled as she looked at Banning.
He took her hand. They were not lovers, they were strangers, for he was not the man she had once loved. But maybe the new man, Banning-Valkar, could win back what once the Valkar had won and thrown away.
Far away and long ago seemed Earth, and his years on Earth! Those years had molded him, and he thought not for the worse. But these shining spaces between the stars, these were his birthplace, these were his future, these were his home.
THE END
SF/F/H FROM PAGETURNER EDITIONS
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Music of the Spheres & Other Classic SF Stories
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In the Shadow of Death
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JANRAE FRANK'S #1 BESTSELLING FANTASY SAGAS
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In the Darkness, Hunting: Tales of Chimquar the Lionhawk
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The Saga of Lost Earths—Emil Petaja (Nebula nominee author)
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JACK JARDINE'S HUMOROUS SF AND MYSTERY
The Agent of T.E.R.R.A. #1 The Flying Saucer Gambit
The Agent of T.E.R.R.A. #2 The Emerald Elephant Gambit
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ARDATH MAYHAR'S AWARD-WINNING SF & F
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The Black Tower: A Novel of Dark Fantasy
Forbidden Geometries: A Novel Alien Worlds
HAL ANNAS’ COSMIC RECKONING TRILOGY
I. The Woman from Eternity
II. Daughter of Doom
III. Witch of the Dark Star
THE HILARIOUS ADVENTURES OF TOFFEE
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OTHER AWARD WINNING & NOMINEE STORIES AND AUTHORS
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Hugo nominee story Space to Swing a Cat)
People of the Darkness-Ross Rocklynne (Nebulas nominee author)
When They Come From Space-Mark Clifton (Hugo winning author)
What Thin Partitions-Mark Clifton (Hugo winning author)
Star Bright & Other SF Classics—Mark Clifton
Eight Keys to Eden-Mark Clifton (Hugo winning author)
The Involuntary Immortals-Rog Phillips (Hugo nominee author)
Inside Man & Other Science Fictions-H. L. Gold (Hugo winner, Nebula nominee)
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A Martian Odyssey & Other SF Classics—Stanley G. Weinbaum (SFWA Hall of Fame author)
Dawn of Flame & Other
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The Black Flame—Stanley G. Weinbaum
Scout-Octavio Ramos, Jr. (Best Original Fiction)
Smoke Signals-Octavio Ramos, Jr. (Best Original Fiction winning author)
The City at World's End-Edmond Hamilton
The Star Kings-Edmond Hamilton (Sense of Wonder Award winning author)
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THE BESTSELLING SF/F/H OF J. D. CRAYNE
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The Cosmic Circle
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Colorful Space Opera from the Legendary Pulp Planet Stories
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#2. “The Seven Jewels of Chamar"—A Novel of Future Centuries by Nebula Nominee Raymond F. Jones. & “Flame Jewel of the Ancients"—A Novel of Outlaw Worlds by Edwin L. Grabber.
#3. “Captives of the Weir-Wind"—A Novel of the Void by Nebula Nominee Ross Rocklynne. & “Black Priestess of Varda"—A Novel of a Magic World by Erik Fennel.
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OTHER FINE CONTEMPORARY & CLASSIC SF/F/H
A Million Years to Conquer-Henry Kuttner
After the Polothas—Stephen Brown
Arcadia—Tabitha Bradley
Backdoor to Heaven—Vicki McElfresh
Buck Rogers #1: Armageddon 2419 A.D.-Philip Francis Nowlan
Buck Rogers #2. The Airlords of Han—Philip Francis Nowlan
Chaka: Zulu King-Book I. The Curse of Baleka-H. R. Haggard
Chaka: Zulu King-Book II. Umpslopogass’ Revenge-H. R. Haggard
Claimed!-Francis Stevens
Darby O'Gill: The Classic Irish Fantasy-Hermine Templeton
Diranda: Tales of the Fifth Quadrant—Tabitha Bradley
Dracula's Daughters-Ed. Jean Marie Stine
Dwellers in the Mirage-A. Merritt
From Beyond & 16 Other Macabre Masterpieces-H. P. Lovecraft
Future Eves: Classic Science Fiction about Women by Women-(ed) Jean Marie Stine
Ghost Hunters and Psychic Detectives: 8 Classic Tales of Sleuthing and the Supernatural-(ed.) J. M. Stine
Horrors!: Rarely Reprinted Classic Terror Tales-(ed.) J. M. Stine. J.L. Hil
House on the Borderland-William Hope Hodgson
House of Many Worlds [Elspeth Marriner #1]—Sam Merwin Jr.
Invisible Encounter and Other SF Stories—J. D. Crayne
Murcheson Inc., Space Salvage—Cleve Cartmil
Ki-Gor, Lord of the Jungle-John Peter Drummond
Lost Stars: Forgotten SF from the “Best of Anthologies"-(ed.) J. M. Stine
Metropolis-Thea von Harbou
Mission to Misenum [Elspeth Marriner #2]—Sam Merwin Jr.
Mistress of the Djinn-Geoff St. Reynard
Chronicles of the Sorceress Morgaine I-V—Joe Vadalma
Nightmare!-Francis Stevens
Pete Manx, Time Troubler—Arthur K. Barnes
Possessed!-Francis Stevens
Ralph 124C 41+—Hugo Gernsback
Seven Out of Time—Arthur Leo Zagut
Star Tower—Joe Vadalma
The Cosmic Wheel-J. D. Crayne
The Forbidden Garden-John Taine
The City at World's End-Edmond Hamilton
The Ghost Pirates-W. H. Hodgson
The Girl in the Golden Atom—Ray Cummings
The Heads of Cerberus—Francis Stevens
The House on the Borderland-William Hope Hodgson
The Insidious Fu Manchu-Sax Rohmer
The Interplanetary Huntress-Arthur K. Barnes
The Interplanetary Huntress Returns-Arthur K. Barnes
The Interplanetary Huntress Last Case-Arthur K. Barnes
The Lightning Witch, or The Metal Monster-A. Merritt
The Price He Paid: A Novel of the Stellar Republic—Matt Kirkby
The Thief of Bagdad-Achmed Abdullah
Women of the Wood and Other Stories-A. Merritt
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The First H. G. Wells Omnibus: The Invisible Man: War of the Worlds; The Island of Dr. Moreau
The Second H. G. Wells Omnibus: The Time Machine; The First Men in the Moon; When the Sleeper Wakes
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The First Jules Verne Omnibus: Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea; The Mysterious Island; From the Earth to the Moon
The Homer Eon Flint: All 4 of the Clasic “Dr. Kenney” Novels: The Lord of Death; The Queen of Life; The Devolutionist; The Emancipatrix
The Second Jules Verne Omnibus: Around the World in 80 Days; A Journey to the Center of the Earth; Off on a Comet
Three Great Horror Novels: Dracula; Frankenstein; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
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ADDITIONAL TITLES IN PREPARATION
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