Soft Weapon, The

Publication date: 
1967-02
Publication type: 
Short Story
Published: 
Worlds of If, February 1967
Opus No.: 
16
Setting: 
Known Space
I.U.C.: 
K.S. 31 (2658)
Characters: 
Nessus; Jason Papandreou; Anne-Marie Papandreou; Chuft-Captain; Flyer; Slaverstudent; Telepath
Summary: 

On an unassuming little ice-ball of a world, orbiting Beta Lyrae, a Kzin ship lurks, hoping to capture explorers who may have come across Slaver Stasis Boxes in their travels. The Court Jester, owned by Jason and Anne-Marie Papandreou, is just such a ship—its sole passenger, the puppeteer Nessus, has just purchased a Box from the Outsiders. When the box is opened it reveals a mysterious weapon of unspeakable power, and the race is on to decipher the ancient weapon's true nature. As a point of interest, this episode was also turned into an animated Star Trek episode in the 1970s, with Spock as Nessus!

Notes: 

Introduction of Nessus.  Later made into "The Slaver Weapon," an animated Star Trek script, with Spock in Nessus' role.
See: Slaver Weapon, The