Recoil

"Recoil" by George O. Smith is a science fiction tale set in a future dominated by space travel, focusing on the perilous task of dodging meteors. The story centers on Walter Franks, an engineer stationed at the Venus Equilateral Relay Station, where he tinkers with an electron gun meant to vaporize space rocks. His colleague, Don Channing, comes back from his honeymoon right when the spaceship "Solar Queen" goes missing, hinting at a pirate attack by the villainous Hellion Murdoch. As Walt and Don work on their defense technology for spacecraft, they face hurdles such as sneaky sabotage, tech failures, and the unforeseen results of their inventions. The tension rises as they craft a risky scheme to use their electron gun against Murdoch, leading to a final clash which tests their skills and determination.