Alien Equivalent

** "Alien Equivalent" by Richard R. Smith is a science fiction story set on the red planet, where Earthmen and Martians struggle to coexist. The story follows Chester Farrell, a colonist desperate to return home after years of hard labor. When a dangerous Earthman tries to steal his savings, Farrell concocts a risky gambling scheme involving the Martians' own strange game. The narrative builds to a suspenseful showdown in a Martian gambling den, where Farrell must outwit his enemies and navigate unfamiliar customs. The story reveals dark truths about human greed and the moral compromises people make while trying to survive in a world where one race dominates another. **