02426cam a22003373u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000330011324500250014626400510017130000470022233600260026933700260029533800360032149000560035750000310041350801160044452013150056053400450187565300200192065300180194070000310195883000560198985600430204531995UtSlPG20260610133729.0mcr n260607r2010||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aMyers, Howard L.,d1930-197114aThe Reluctant Weapon 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2010  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction December 1952.  aRelease date is 2010-04-15  aProduced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net  a"The Reluctant Weapon" by Howard L. Myers is a science fiction novel written in the early 1950s. The story centers around a sentient weapon known as Sentient Killer No. VT672, left behind by the destructive Zoz Horde on a remote planet. The weapon, imbued with the capability for mass destruction, grapples with its purpose and conscience, illustrating the complex relationship between power and morality.  In the narrative, the ruler Tresqu of Hova learns that a decontaminator ship has been captured by humans on Earth, posing a threat to his empire. To resolve the situation, he seeks the aid of the reluctant weapon, which is initially resistant to engaging in destruction once more. Tresqu forcibly retrieves a human, Jacob, to interact with the weapon, hoping that the creature's vile traits will incite the weapon's dormant desire to annihilate humanity. However, as time progresses, the weapon undergoes a transformation, realizing the futility of blind destruction and developing an unexpected bond with Jacob. Ultimately, the weapon recommits to its purpose, resulting in the obliteration of the Hovan planets and a quest to rejoin its ancient masters, leaving questions about the morality of its actions and the nature of power lingering in the balance. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction  aShort stories1 aEmshwiller, Ed,d1925-1990 0aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction December 1952.40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31995