King of the Hill

"King of the Hill" by James Blish is a science fiction story about a man named Colonel Hal Gascoigne who is alone on Satellite Vehicle 1 when a crisis happens: Washington D.C. might get bombed. Gascoigne is also having a hard time with his own mind as he deals with the stress of his job. The story looks at what it’s like to be all alone, the weight of having a big responsibility, and how war technology can mess with someone's head. Gascoigne gets different orders about using hydrogen bombs, but he's seeing things that might not be real—he thinks nobody else is on SV-1 with him. Then, Peter Harris from the Civilian Intelligence Group (CIG) comes to help. Harris has to help Gascoigne face his crazy thoughts and figure out if the bombs are even real. The story shows how power can make someone go crazy and how heavy it is to be in charge, and it makes you think about what's real and who's responsible in a world that's getting more and more complicated.