The Pirates of Ersatz

An impulsive action, on his part? Hardly. Bron Hoddan went to the ship that landed on his native planet of Zan, the ship whose heartless crew was intent on lining up all his relatives for execution . . . and he stowed away. Bron had planned it all long before, hoping to escape to the planet Walden, a place of wealth and peace where he might have a chance to prove himself as an electrical engineer, then find the beautiful wife of his dreams . . . And compared with Zan, home of space pirates, Walden turns out to be a fine place indeed, where he quickly establishes himself with his brilliant work . . . Until suddenly the police broke down his door! Will Jenkins (1896-1975), writing as Murray Leinster, was called the Dean of Science Fiction, and was author of such popular novels as "Timeslip!" He won the Hugo award for 1956 novelette "Exploration Team."