The Firing Line

"The Firing Line" by George O. (George Oliver) Smith is a science fiction tale of payback, space crime, and the clash between advanced tech and human desire. It follows Mark Kingman, a lawyer pulled into the dark orbit of Allison Murdoch, a criminal genius hungry for revenge on Venus Equilateral, a space communication giant that wronged her. Murdoch, breaking free from jail, lures Kingman into a plot to snatch control of the station, weaving together dangerous weapons and financial tricks. Her schemes ignite a war with Don Channing and other members of the station, who fight to stop her from fulfilling her vengeance. The story throws into sharp relief the contrast between brilliant innovations and the dark roads people go down when they use that knowledge for personal gain, especially as the story culminates to technological showdown where everything comes crashing down.