Course of Empire

"Course of Empire" by Richard Wilson is a thought-provoking science fiction story that looks at the messy side of space colonization and what happens when humans try to set up shop on other planets. The story revolves around two characters, Roger Boynton and Allister, as they chat about the good old days of trying to colonize Mars, Venus, and Jupiter under a united Earth government. Through their funny stories, it becomes clear that these colonization attempts were more about guesswork than careful planning, leading to comical failures, like Martian camels causing chaos and rainfall refusing to cooperate on Venus. The plot twists when beings from Ganymede decide that Earth looks like a nice place to live, turning the tables on human's ambition to settle on other worlds. The story uses humor to poke fun at human arrogance and shows how tricky and unpredictable things can get when dealing with other planets and their inhabitants.