02420cam a22003613u 4500 62169 UtSlPG 20260610134431.0 m cr n 260607r2020||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Broome, John, 1913-1999 The Cosmic Derelict Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2020 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from Planet Stories Summer 1942 Release date is 2020-05-18 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Cosmic Derelict" by John Broome is a science fiction novel likely written in the early 1940s. The story revolves around Captain Christopher Douglas and his crew aboard the spaceship "Lucifer", as they navigate the dangerous Pass of the Twin Witches in order to deliver a cargo of precious platinum on time. As they venture into uncertain territory, the crew must confront both external threats and internal superstitions that challenge their scientific understanding of space travel. In the narrative, Captain Douglas faces significant delays caused by his bo'sun, Tug Skelly, who inadvertently brings chaos to the ship by chasing a stowaway. As tensions rise, they consider an ancient and risky route, the Cross Straits, rumored to be guarded by mythical witches. Tug's reliance on superstition leads him to perform a "ritual of purification," resulting in the ship's hull being painted with the valuable platinum meant for cargo. As they navigate through the perilous Straits, Douglas and his crew confront both the consequences of superstition and the unyielding nature of scientific principles, ultimately arriving at a greater understanding of their experiences and the importance of empirical knowledge. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories Space ships -- Fiction Leydenfrost, Alexander, 1888-1961 Produced from Planet Stories Summer 1942 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62169 102993 102993