Jupiter's Joke

"Jupiter's Joke" by A. L. Haley, is a mid-20th century science fiction story about Casey Ritter, a daring space smuggler given a dangerous mission to Jupiter for a shot at liberty. After getting caught smuggling illegal crystals, Casey must travel to Jupiter to explore the mystery of its strange hopper-scorpion inhabitants. Alongside another inmate, Pard Hoskins, Casey learns of powerful Killicut Emeralds. The pair hatch a plan to trade the emeralds with the scorpion queen, Akroida, for anti-gravity technology. The story follows the perilous and funny journey of Casey as he contends with bizarre lifeforms, forms alliances, and uncovers surprising truths about the scorpions and the technology he is after. The story shows Casey changing from a selfish criminal to someone who has to team up and bargain with aliens, which leads to an unexpected ending that leaves him both fulfilled and confused.