JOHN GRIMES’ SAGA
The Left Hand Way (1967): Lode Trader, an Ehrenhaft drive ship, is flung off course by a magnetic storm. It makes a crashlanding on an unknown world and the only survivor of the crash is a passenger, a Buddhist monk. The monk activates some of the ships’ general purpose robots which are capable of learning a wide variety of tasks and goes about setting up a makeshift colony. After many years, the monk dies, leaving behind him a Buddhist monastery populated with robots. One day, the leading robot is contemplating is navel, a large screw, and takes it out to examine it, whereupon he falls apart. (Not a Grimes tale, but one that leads to the Rim) Fall of Knight (1958):Sir Ian MacLachlan Stuart, captain of the Empress of Skye, and Knight of the Empire of Waverly, succeeds in overcoming numerous acts of sabotage to his ship by a rebel and, against all odds, manages a safe landing on Rob Roy. The Rob Roy sun’s radiation has the effect of enlarging most introduced Earth life that has been settled there. Sir Stuart is unable to land at the spaceport and all of his communications systems have been rendered inoperable. The port is some 100 miles away, so Sir Ian borrows a horse from the ship’s cargo and sets off. He loses the horse. A storm brews up, He makes his way to an inn, where the innkeeper has a bad opinion of spacemen but relents under pressure from his daughter and allows Sir Ian to stay the night. Sir Ian has designs on the daughter. The innkeeper suspects and offers his large over-sized dog to get Sir Ian on the road again. The daughter says “Surely father, you wouldn’t send a Knight out on a dog like this” (One of Chandler’s pun stories and not a Grimes tale, but it is a foundational tale leading to the Rim Worlds.) Dreamboat (1958): Gamma Pisces, an ITC ship, adds new crew and departs Earth. The Mate falls for a passenger, and she for him, until he explains that they could never be together permanently as he is married to his ship and space. Meanwhile, one of the new crew, the bio-chemist, is being picked on because he is a minority. During a silly half-way day celebration , the bio-chemist is injured and placed in sick quarters. The chef picks some hallucinogenic mushrooms (that the bio-chemist was experimenting with) from the ship’s farm for dinner and everyone has weird experiences caused by a combination of the hallucinogen and the Manschenn Drive. The mate’s girl disappears. He realizes he was really in love with her and stashes some mushrooms aboard for the next journey so he can join her. (Not a Grimes tale and only minimally a Rim Worlds tale, but the MD and Caribbea are both mentioned. This is one of the tales that helped develop the Rim Worlds.) Wet Paint (1959): Kinsolving’s Planet (named for its discoverer) is visited by Epsilon Eridani in order to make repairs. Having heard of the famous cave paintings, some of the crew visit the caves and discover new paintings that are still wet. The Survey Service sends a new expedition to Kinsolving’s to investigate. Investigating, they are attacked by stone-age humanoids that should not be inhabiting the planet. The aboriginal artist, Raul, attracted to the female psionics officer among the crew, helps them escape. Raul has psionic talent also. By drawing an animal, he is able to entice it towards the tribe’s hunters. The Survey Service speculates that a drawing of his depicting men attacking men, is what actually drew the survey back in time to Kinsolvings. Raul leaves Kinsolving’s with the survey crew and ends up at the Rhine Institute, a favorite study and teacher. (This is not a Grimes story, but features a planet and people who will reappear in later Grimes tales.) The Man Who Could Not Stop (1959): Clavering steals the Shaara crown jewels and is chased from one world to the next, committing additional crimes, including murder, along the way. The jewels are too hot and too recognizable to fence. He eventually makes it out to the Rim, where there is no extradition, although they reserve the right to deport in special cases. He stashes the jewels in a safety deposit box and promptly gets himself arrested, figuring that the best place to find a fence is in prison. In prison he makes some contacts and, upon his release, finds that he can’t make a go of it with his record. He steals what he thinks is a wallet but turns out to be a cigar case; the cigars are not tobacco and he gets arrested again for being drunk and disorderly. Realizing that he he’ll never make it on the Rim, he finds out from a judge that three offenses are enough to get him deported. Following his release for his second offense, he makes his way to a fence’s house. The fence has already retrieved and sold the Shaara jewels and he offers Clavering five percent of the sale. He leaves and decides to rob the fence, figuring that he’ll get deported and, even if caught on another planet, their jails are far better than those on the Rim. He robs the fence and is arrested once more, thinking that after he serves his time he will be deported, and he is, but as a press-ganged crew member of a ship making the first inter-galactic voyage. (This is not a Grimes story, but is the first story featuring the Rim Worlds by name and is remembered by Grimes in later stories.) Biographical Notes on John Grimes (1973): Grimes is born in Alice Springs, Australia. He attends the Federation Survey Service Academy at the Antarctic Base and Callisto Base as well as training cruises aboard the FSS Canberra. Upon graduation, he is promoted to Ensign and receives his first appointment to Lindisfarne Base. A temporary leave for a family emergency causes him to miss The FSS transport Robert Heinlein and instead eventually takes passage aboard ITC Delta Orionis. Grimes graduates as an Ensign, serves aboard the FSS Canberra The Road to the Rim (1959, 1967): Delta Orionis receives a distress call from sister ship Epsilon Sextans, which has been pirated. Captain Craven, Orionis’ master, goes to her assistance. There are few survivors and among them is not Captain Craven’s fiancé. Craven is determined to seek revenge and outfits Epsilon Sextans with weaponry being transported aboard Orionis for delivery to Lindisfarne base. After much dithering over legalities and personal loyalties (Grimes has been the object of Jane Pentecost’s attentions. She is a purser aboard Orionis and an undercover recruiting agent for Rim Runners shipping line. The worlds of the Rim are on the verge of declaring their independence from the Federation and will need ship officers. Grimes loses his virginity to Jane, which greatly influences him.) Grimes joins the prize crew. The pirate ships are followed to a Waldegren Naval Base – the pirate ships were actually frigates of the Waldegren Navy – and a battle ensues. A Federation naval squadron arrives in the nick of time, war having just been declared against the Duchy of Waldegren. Despite the questionable nature of his action’s Grimes is deemed to have acquitted himself well and he is temporarily reassigned to the FSS squadron’s flagship, Inflexible. Grimes is an Ensign. He serves as a member of the prize crew put aboard Epsilon Sextans and then transfers to FSS Inflexible. He engages in his first armed action, successfully acquitting himself. Grimes loses his virginity to Jane Pentecost, a purser aboard Delta Orionis. To Prime the Pump (1971): Grimes’ career in the FSS continues and he is eventually promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to FSS Aries. Aries is sent to El Dorado, an independent world that has requested medical aid from the Federation. No children have been born on the planet for quite some time and the El Doradans can not figure out why. In actuality, the El Doradons have figured out that a death must occur on their world in order to prime the life cycle; the planet was terraformed, having been previously lifeless. Their plan is to murder one of Aries’ crew, rather than one of their own, and Grimes is the intended victim. Unfortunately for the El Doradans, Grimes’ soon to be famous luck comes into play and one of the El Doradans is killed by Grimes in self-defense. Grimes' affair with a local princess also results in the first child being born on that planet. Following the mission to El Dorado, Aries is assigned to put down a rebellion on Merganta, capture the mutineers of the Dog Star Line’s Corgi and lend assistance to Ayr, an Empire of Waverly world, following an earthquake in that planet’s capital, before returning to Lindisfarne base. Grimes is a Lieutenant and serves aboard FSS Aries. He again participates in armed conflict. Grimes has an affair with Princess Marlene von Stolzberg and fathers a son by her. Grimes at Glenrowan (1978): The incidents in this story reported by Grimes to Kitty Kelly occurred during this time frame. Grimes, on long leave, visits Earth and runs into an old shipmate from FSS Aries. His former crewmate and his cousin have resigned their service and have been experimenting with mental time travel. Both are descendants of the Kelly and Byrne families, leaders of the Kelly Gang. They want to enlist Grimes’ aide in influencing the mind of his ancestor, who was also present at the Seige of Glenrowan. If they are successful, all of them will be highly placed members of an alternative Australian (New Erin) government. The experiment is put into motion, everyone travels back in time, but Grimes, instead of assisting, accidentally interferes. The results end in the death of one of the time travelers and Grimes hastily exits the scene. He later comes to believe he did the right thing. Grimes is a Lieutenant. The Hard Way Up - story collection (1972) With Good Intentions (1972): Following his tour aboard Aries Grimes is assigned to a true survey ship, Pathfinder. The ship is re-surveying two possibly habitable planets in the same system and Grimes is assigned leadership of the landing party to one of them. Despite serving as chief cook and bottlewasher to the scientists, Grimes manages to befriend a local pre-sentient creature and introduces it to the concept of the club. Patherfinder’s captain is not pleased with this interference in the development of a pre-sentien species and demands that Grimes be reassigned once the ship returns to Lindisfarne Base. However the scientific officer commanding the mission is very impressed by Grimes and strongly recommends him, balancing out his bad review. Grimes is still a Lieutenant and serves aboard FSS Pathfinder. Grimes begins a long-term affair with Dr. Margaret Lazenby, an officer in the scientific branch of the Survey Service. The Subtractor (1969): Grimes, following his dismissal from Pathfinder, is assigned to the courier branch of the Survey Service and given his first independent command of a courier ship, Adder. (The theory is to let him sink or swim.) Adder’s first mission is to transport a Mr. Alberto, purportedly a chef, to the planet Doncaster. In fact, Alberto is an assassin, tasked with eliminating one Selma Madigan, the leader of a new, trans-species political party. Grimes prevents the assassination, inadvertently killing Alberto in the process. Grimes is still a Lieutenant and has his first command, the courier FSS Adder The Tin Messiah (1969): Adder is assigned to transport Mr. Adam, a humanoid, highly specialized and creatively-thinking robot, to Delacron. Mr. Adam has evolved a new religion, of which he is the self-appointed prophet. The religion worships machine intelligence and Mr. Adam plans on converting Adder to his cause. The ship itself remains loyal to its crew and destroys Mr. Adam by electrocuting him. Grimes is still a Lieutenant and has his first command, the courier FSS Adder The Sleeping Beauty (1970): Adder is assigned to deliver a Shaara Queen’s egg from the Shaara world Droomoor to Brooum; the Shaara colony there was victim to a plague that wiped out all of the Queens and Princesses of egg-bearing age. Adder suffers a breakdown of its Manschenn Drive while enroute and the Queen hatches. She immediately exerts her telepathic abilities over the ship’s crew, who become, in essence, her workers and drones. Fortuitously, Grimes discovers that alcohol diminishes the Queen’s control. By keeping her drunk, the crew manages to effect repairs to the drive and complete their mission. Grimes is still a Lieutenant and has his first command, the courier FSS Adder Grimes has an enforced, one-sided affair with a Shaara Princess. The Wanderng Buoy (1970): Enroute from Lindisfarne Base, Adder makes contact with an unknown ship. In investigating the contact, Grimes and crew discover that it is a ship of the “Old Ones”, a race that presumably assisted in the evolution of sentient species all over the galaxy. The ship is a teaching machine and, after discovering that Adder’s crew is in fact already a spacefaring race, it hastily retreats from the scene of contact. Grimes is still a Lieutenant and has his first command, the courier FSS Adder The Mountain Movers (1971): Adder has a lay-over on Olgana and the crew take a much-needed holiday there. Grimes and Deane, Adder’s Psionic Radio Officer, take a sight-seeing trip to Cragge Rock, a monolith similar to Ayers Rock (Wuluru) in Australia on Earth. The two meet a pair of Australian schoolteachers on the sightseeing coach and fall in with them. Once at Cragge Rock, Deane and the schoolteachers fall in with the natives (humanoids reminiscent of Australian Aborigines) and enter a cave in the monolith, giving them access to the control room of what turns out to be a very large spaceship. Deane and the schoolteachers have enough of the old blood in them to activate the ship and they take off in it. It is, in fact, a colony ship and the Olganan natives (as well as Australian Aborigines) are presumably the humanoid race that settled this part of the galaxy. Grimes is still a Lieutenant and has his first command, the courier FSS Adder Grimes presumably has an affair with at least one of the Australian schoolteachers. Grimes and the Great Race (1980): The incidents in this story reported by Grimes to Kitty Kelly occurred during this time frame. Grimes, captaining Adder, is sent to Darban, a world that could fall within the Federation, Shaara or Hallicheki spheres of influence. All three interstellar empires are sending high-ranking missions, but the Federation is tied up and has no large ships or high-ranking officers to send immediately, so Grimes must go and hold down the fort. Once there, the Darbanese suggest that each empire engage in a dirigible race (using a form of the Andrews Airship). The sport is a favorite amongst the Darbanese. Grimes accepts the challenge, as do the Hallicheki and Shaara. The Hallicheki cheat by dumping ballast designed to puncture airbags onto the Shaara’s entrant and do the same to Grimes’ ship, but he manages to recover and wins the race. (This story is placed here because following the incidents in What You Know, Grimes is promoted. They could have occurred at any time during Grimes’ command of Adder.) Grimes is still a Lieutenant and has his first command, the courier FSS Adder What You Know (1971): Grimes has recently been passed over for promotion when Adder is assigned to transport Mrs. Commissioner Dalwood, a member of the Survey Service oversite commission, to Dhartana. The Commissioner is not at all impressed with Grimes or his command, which further reduces his chances for promotion. Things go from bad to worse when the Manschenn Drive breaks down and Grimes is forced to accept assistance from a ship of the Royal Skandian Navy, an independent empire not on good terms with the Federation. Once on Skandia, Dalwood is smitten by the Skandian King, with whom she has an affair. Grimes learns of the affair, giving him the goods on Dalwood. Upon completion of the mission to Dhartana, Grimes receives his promotion. Grimes is promoted to Lieutenant Commander Grimes has an affair with Commissioner Dalwood’s servant-assistant. The Broken Cycle (1975): Grimes is awaiting his next ship borne assignment at Lindisfarne Base when Una Freeman, an officer in the newly-created Corps of Skymarshals, arrives. There is jealousy on the part of the Survey Service towards the Corps, and as a result of political maneuverings, the Corps has not been given its own fleet with which to pursue its missions and must go begging to the Survey Service. The Corps was created to deal with an upsurge in the number of ship hijackings and Freeman has arrived at the main base to acquire a ship and crew for the hunting down and reclaiming of Delta Geminorum. The ITC ship was hijacked and was supposed to be destroyed by a nuclear bomb left aboard her, but the bomb failed to detonate. Grimes is assigned to work with Freeman and both are put aboard Skink, a courier ship commanded by Frank Delamere – Grimes’ rival – for the interception of Delta Geminorum. A ship’s boat is used by Grimes and Freeman to effect an entry to the derelict, at which point the bomb goes off. Rather than being annihilated, the boat with Freeman and Grimes aboard is shunted into an alternate universe, populated by machine intelligences. The pair are captured by the machines which create a garden planet for them which they are expected to populate. Neither Grimes nor Freeman are keen on the idea of playing Adam and Eve; the machines resort to psychological persuasion and eventually to the use of aphrodisiacs, but Grimes manages to thwart these efforts. The machines, who are seeking a “human” race to serve, are eventually convinced that Grimes and Freeman are unsuitable and return them to their own universe, casting them adrift in the ship’s boat. The two make their way after a long, stressful voyage, to an unmanned Carlotti Beacon station which is fortunately (unfortunately?) stocked with a large store of beans, water and air. They are eventually rescued after too long a time. Grimes is a Lieutenant Commander and given command of a salvage operation. He serves as advisor only aboard FSS Skink. Grimes has an affair with Una Freeman. Spartan Planet (1968): Grimes, now Captain of Seeker (Seeker III), a survey ship, is assigned to take a census of a sector of space where it is thought there are numerous lost colonies. They discover Sparta (New Sparta), a colony established by the ITC Gaussjammer Doric. The colony is modeled after a skewed version of ancient Sparta. There are no women and a birth-machine is used for reproduction. Spartans are taught that their planet is the original home of mankind, that their race has a single sex and originally reproduced by budding (like the native life) until the creation of the birthmachine.. They trade with another colony – Latterhaven – the rulers of whom help maintain the fiction as beneficial to trade; Latterhaven imports Spartan spices in exchange for ova. Some women are kept in secret by the Doctors (who run the birthmachine), a ruling elite. Seeker has a number of women on board, including Dr, Margaret Lazenby (Grimes’ paramour). She and the other female members of Seeker’s crew are thought to be an alien species (Arcadians) by the Spartans. Grimes obtains permission for shore parties from the Spartan King. Brasidus, a former Sergeant in the police branch of the military, recently promoted and assigned to the intelligence branch is assigned to escort Lazenby. Captain Diomedes, in charge of the intelligence branch of the Spartan military, has begun to suspect the Doctors of something and secretly plans to use this information to usurp power for himself. Brasidus uncovers the existence of the “Arcadians” possessed by the Doctors. Meanwhile, Lazenby discovers that the malformed children exposed by the Spartans are, in fact, natural female humans. Word about the sexual appeal of the Arcadians spreads among the Spartan populace and Diomedes uses the unrest to foment a riot in his bid to take over. Lazenby assists Brasidus in thwarting the plot; Diomedes is killed, the Spartan King is disgraced and many of the Doctors are killed. Brasidus is put in temporary charge of the government and, with Federation assistance, begins to put things back together. Grimes is a Commander and captains FSS Seeker III Grimes is presumably still involved with Margaret Lazenby Grimes Among the Gourmets (1978): The incidents in this story reported by Grimes to Kitty Kelly occurred during this time frame. Grimes, commanding Seeker, is on a show-the-flag mission to Warrississia, a world off near-human humanoids with a very advanced (and stiff) culture. An Empire of Waverly ship also puts in on the planet, seeking its own political influence. The Waverly crew, not conforming to local dress codes (unlike Seeker’s crew) are regarded as barbarians by the natives, until a dinner party aboard the Waverly ship. One of Seeker’s crew acquits herself abominably and Seeker and crew leave the planet in disgrace. The Warrississians eventually end up entering the Shaara sphere of influence. The Inheritors (1972): Seeker continues her search for Lost Colonies and happens upon Morrowvia, a colony founded by Lode Couger. The possible existence of the colony was gleaned from intelligence reports of new activity by ships of the Dog Star Line. Upon landing on Morrowvia, Grimes discovers that a Dog Star Line ship and Southerly Buster, a ship owned by Drongo Kane, have preceded him. The Dog Star Line was hoping to keep the colony’s existence to itself for trade purposes; they are incensed by Kane’s horning in on their territory and seek to enlist the Federation’s help. Grimes attempts to remain neutral as he investigates the colony. Something about the colonists disturbingly reminds him of cats and the names of the families there, as well as the names of towns and continents, tickles his memory. Eventually, Grimes ferrets out that Kane intends to engage in the white slave trade, enticing Morrowvians off the planet with promises of Galactic cruises, when he actually intends to sell them off. Kane justifies this action by informing Grimes that the Morrowvians are not true humans, but are, in fact, underpeople, derived from cat ova by Lode Couger’s biochemist. Under Federation law, there is little that Grimes can do, until it is revealed that one of the Morrowvians is pregnant by a junior Dog Star Line officer. The ability to reproduce with humans is de facto proof of humanity, regardless of genetic origin and, using this fact, Grimes is able to put an end to Kane’s plans. Grimes is a Commander and captains FSS Seeker III Grimes has a fling with the mayor of one of the Morrowvian towns, and is still seeing Margaret Lazenby. The Big Black Mark (1975): Following the re-discovery of New Sparta and his near illegal handling of the affairs on Morrowvia, Grimes is again promoted and given command of a larger ship – FSS Discovery. It is not a happy ship and it appears that Grimes is being handed difficult assignments in an effort to shuffle him off. Nevertheless, he is determined to properly acquit himself. Discovery is sent out on another lost colony hunt. A non-human inhabited world is visited, with disastrous results; Discovery’s Marine officer opens fire on a native party without orders, killing a number of the indigenes. Discovery leaves this world. Grimes places the Marine officer under arrest, which creates a large amount of discontent among the crew (they’re all passed-over and disaffected, more loyal to each other than to their captain or the Survey Service). Discovery makes her way to the second possible lost colony which does turn out to be inhabited by humans and is the colony of Botany Bay, a very fair, pleasant, easy-going world, with friendly, accommodating people. Grimes gives permission for extended shore leave. Eventually, though, it is time to return to Lindisfarne Base. Despite entreaties from the crew, Grimes makes it clear that he intends to press charges against the Marine officer. Once away from Botany Bay the crew mutinies and intends to push Grimes and his loyalists out the airlock. Jane Russell, one of the Pursers (with whom Grimes had an affair) persuades the other mutineers to set Grimes, the ship’s doctor and Psionic Radio Officer adrift in a boat instead. Fortunately for Grimes, Sundowner is making its way to Botany Bay (Grimes obtained information about the colony’s location from its captain and agreed to surreptitiously inform him should they discover a colony there) and Grimes is able to contact it. Grimes persuades Sundowner’s captain to make immediately for Lindisfarne Base so that he can report the mutiny. He is then assigned to FSS Vega (Commanded by Frank Delamere, Grimes’ rival) as an advisor to the mission to capture Discovery and its mutinous crew. He returns to Botany Bay to find that Discovery has also returned there. Discovery’s crew has explained away their return and most of the crew have gone native, establishing strong loyalty among the Botany Bayer’s. Grimes lands in a boat and attempts to persuade the locale authorities to help him round up the mutineers, but they will not cooperate. Delamere gets heavy-handed, causing further resentment. The mutineers are rounded up, but during this time Grimes is persuaded by the locales as well as the debt he owes to Russell, to help her escape. A plan to liberate all of the mutineers is put into action – Grimes believes it is only to help Russell to escape. Once liberated, the mutineers re-take Discovery. They knock Vega over in order to forestall pursuit prior to departing. Grimes will face a board of inquiry and possible charges when he returns to the Federation. Grimes
is a Commander and captains FSS Discovery. He later serves as
an advisor aboard FSS Vega, and ultimately resigns his commission. The Far Traveler – story collection (1978) The Far Traveler (1976): The Baroness D’Estang aboard her private yacht Big Sister arrives at Botany Bay. She is doing research on the cultures of lost colonies. Grimes is threatened with arrest by Delamere, but Delamere is able to do little while FSS Vega is out of commission. Grimes resigns his Survey Service commission and accepts a position as the first spaceport captain of Botany Bay. Delamere persuades the Baroness to use her yacht to right Vega, after which he kidnaps Grimes, intending to return him to the Federation for trial. The Mayor of Paddington (with whom Grimes had a brief affair) talks the Baroness into rescuing Grimes; the Baroness employs her general purpose robots to effect the rescue. Grimes and the Baroness’ yachmaster trade jobs and Big Sister departs Botany Bay to visit another lost colony, Farhaven. The colony was founded by religious zealots and nothing has been heard from it for quite some time. Once down on Farhaven, the Baroness and Grimes discover the remnants of a colony and some survivors who have descended into barbarism. The colony’s crops had failed and it was on the verge of engaging in cannabalism when it was discovered that a local fungus was edible. Unfortunately, the fungus is semi-sentient and exerts mental influence over the colonists and, ultimately, over Grimes. The Baroness resorts to using her body and the promise of sex to entice Grimes away from the fungus and they depart Farhaven. Grimes is Master of the private yacht Big Sister Grimes has an involuntary fling with one of the fungus-controlled women on Farhaven. Another Redskin Bit the Dust* (1977): Big Sister makes her way to another lost colony, supposedly founded by Lode Ranger. Once in orbit it is discovered that the planet’s atmosphere will not support human life; the planet itself is inhabited by saurian-like creatures possessing a fair degree of technology. Nevertheless, Lode Ranger is found as apparently are descendants of its crew, who are seemingly under attack by the indigenes. Grimes and some of the GP robots land in order to effect a rescue, only managing to get one of the survivors. Once back aboard Big Sister it is discovered that the “survivor” is in fact a native child dressed in a spacesuit costume, playing a version of cowboys and Indians. Grimes is Master of the private yacht Big Sister *This story was not published under this title Let Sleeping Dogs Lie* (1978): Big Sister pays a visit to Morrowvia where it is discovered that Drongo Kane is up to his old tricks of trying to gain control of the planet, which has essentially become a Dog Star Line dependancy. Kane has turned up several people he claims are the original inheritors of the colony who were put into cold-storage by the cat-derived underpeople. Grimes manages to prove that they are, in fact, dog-derived underpeople and can not claim inheritance, once again thwarting Kane’s plans. Grimes is Master of the private yacht Big Sister *This story was not published under this title The Sleeping Beast (1978): Traveling from Morrowvia to New Sparta, the Baroness and Grimes come across a derelict warship of unknown origin. It turns out that the ship is a robotic intelligence named Brardur which has recently regained consciousness and that was flung into Grimes’ universe from a parallel one. Big Sister is initially enamoured of the alien ship and assists it in repairing itself. Grimes discovers that Brardur intends to conquer all of human space. Big Sister, unknown to Grimes or the Baroness, is only going along with Brardur in order to sabotage him. She sneaks a bomb aboard Brardur inside one of the GP robots being used to effect repairs and Brardur is destroyed. Grimes is Master of the private yacht Big Sister Journey’s End (1979): Big Sister is depressed following her assassination of Brardur, whom she loved in a machine-intelligence way. She refuses to obey orders from Grimes or the Baroness and sets out to transfer herself to the alternate reality from which Brardur came, hoping to find others of her kind. She succeeds in this effort, but the machine rulers of the universe they arrive in do not want humans around. Big Sister places the Baroness and Grimes in her pinnace and sends them back to their own universe. Grimes sets course for Atlantia, but they are intercepted by Drongo Kane along the way. The Baroness gifts Grimes the pinnace, and joins Kane aboard Southerly Buster. Not wanting to be on the same planet with Kane, Grimes changes course for Tiralbin. Grimes is Master and owner of the deep space pinnace Little Sister Grimes almost manages to bed the Baroness Michelle D’Estang, but Drongo Kane arrives before they can consummate the relationship. Star Courier (1977): Grimes names the pinnace Little Sister and goes into business for himself. On Tiralbin he secures a job delivering a consignment of Venus Strawberrys to Bogarty. The head postmistress, Tamara Haverstock, decides to accompany Grimes, combining business with pleasure. During the journey the ship’s Manschenn Drive breaks down. While Grimes is making repairs they are happened on by a Shaara rogue queen’s ship, captured and taken aboard. Grimes had recorded his lovemaking with Haverstock aboard Little Sister as insurance against charges of rape and these recordings are found by the Shaara, who find them amusing and interesting. They force Haverstock and Grimes to perform for them. The rogue queen’s ship is heading for Darijja, a planet inhabited by humanoids that the Shaara are seeking to control. There are two major religions on the planet and the Shaara are supporting the newer one at the expense of the old one in order to gain control. The old religion worships male and female sex gods and the rogue queen uses Grimes and Haverstock as stand-ins, humiliating and torturing them in front of the native population in order to demonstrate the bankruptcy of the old religion. Eventually the two are liberated by priests of the old religion and continue to serve as stand-ins for the gods, used to inspire and lead a revolt, which is ultimately successful. Grimes and Haverstock finally make their way to Boggarty and deliver the strawberries, only to discover that they are used by the indigenous native ruler as an aphrodisiac. Grimes is Master and owner of the deep space pinnace Little Sister Grimes has an affair with Tamara Haverstock. Grimes and the Odd Gods (1983) The incidents in this story reported by Grimes to Kitty Kelly occurred during this time frame. Grimes is awaiting the next job on Warrenhome when he is chartered by Bishop Agatha Lewis to transport her to Stagatha. She is going there to ‘save’ the sun-worshipping natives. Grimes hangs around on Stagatha, reluctantly assisting the Bishop who is initially strongly rejected by the natives. She has some kind of epiphany and, with the aid of an active volcano that blots out the sun, manages to convert the natives. Grimes does not like what is happening and gets out in a hurry. Years later he learns that Stagatha’s sun has gone nova, perhaps the actions of a jealous god. Grimes and the Jailbirds (1984) The incidents in this story reported by Grimes to Kitty Kelly occurred during this time frame. Grimes is awaiting employment on Helmskirk, which is run by a very repressive regime. He accepts a time charter supplying the prison moon Sheol and ultimately assists in helping Evangeline, one of the inmates, escape. Evangeline brings a load of mood opals (precious gems) with her. Grimes and Evangeline travel to the Shaara world Varoom, where they sell the jewels, and then Grimes takes her to Freedonia, a world that accepts virtually any political refugee. Grimes has an affair with Evangeline. To Keep The Ship (1978): Grimes is stranded on Bronsonia where Little Sister is in hock for port dues and legal fees. He had contracted to deliver a pair of native animals from Pangst to the zoo on Bronsonia. Failing to familiarize himself fully with the instructions regarding their care and feeding, he ended up having to destroy them to save his own life. The court case was decided against him. Rather than sell his ship, Grimes accepts a shipkeeping job aboard Bronson Star, a white elephant owned by the now defunct Bronsonian Transport Commission. The ship is seized by revolutionaries and Grimes is forced to pilot her first to Porlock, to pick up additional fighters and equipment, and then to Dunlevin, which they intend to take over. During the journey, Grimes is befriended by Hodge and Susie, two of the revolutionaries who become disaffected with their leaders. They land on Dunlevin, who’s government is well aware of the invasion. A trap is laid for the revolutionaries, but Grimes, anticipating such, manages to escape with Hodge and Susie aboard, as well as the revolutionaries’ war chest. Grimes has been having an affair with Susie and is grateful to the two of them for befriending him while he was a prisoner. The three cook up a cover story and Grimes makes his way to Joognaan, a planet of advanced biological engineers. On Joognaan, Hodge and Susie will be physically changed. Claiming to be clones, they will seek passage on the next human ship to put in to the planet. The operation successful, Grimes is visited by Susie before he leaves. She gives him a present, a miniature simulacra of herself, made from left-over flesh. Grimes leaves to return the ship to Bronsonia. During the voyage, the container with the simulacra breaks. Grimes begins to notice food disappearing and eventually discovers a horde of miniature Susies infesting the ship. He cuts off their food supply and they cannibalize each other, growing larger and larger, eventually attacking Grimes. He tries to trap her in the airlock, but is instead trapped there himself. Fortunately, a Federation cruiser is nearby and picks up his distress signal. Grimes is rescued. Margaret Lazenby is aboard and assists Grimes in covering up the real events. Returning to Bronsonia, he is assailed by legal woes and is almost forced to sell Little Sister, until he is hired by the Bronson Star news service to sell his story and to ferry their star investigative reporter around. Grimes is Master and owner of the deep space pinnace Little Sister. He is briefly the ship-keeping officer of Bronson Star. Grimes has an affair with Susie. Matilda’s Stepchildren (1979): Grimes, under hire to the Bronson Star news service, ferries Fenella Pruin, their star syndicated investigative reporter, to New Venusburg, a pleasure planet. Pruin’s nose for news tells her something beyond mere decadence is going on there. Once on planet, they assume fake identities and begin rambling around the various entertainments, looking for a story. Grimes pays a side visit to the beach, where he is assaulted by a Shaara princess (in retaliation for the Darijja affair). He ends up at a show featuring New Alicians, women who have some of the characteristics of kangaroos. Patrons are encouraged to participate in a kangaroo hunt, culminating in the rape of the “kangaroos”. Grimes notes from the local papers that one of Drongo Kane’s ships will be coming into port and ascertains that it is Kane’s ships that are importing the New Alicians. (The New Alicians are underpeople from a previously undocumented lost colony.) Aloysius Dreeble, captain of Kane’s ship, recognizes Grimes and realizes that he is up to no good, so far as he and the rulers of New Venusburg are concerned. Grimes and Pruin are captured and eventually Grimes is sent off to be a gladiator in the snuff palace, an illegal attraction on New Venusburg. He falls in with a gladiator team made up of another spaceman and two of the New Alicians – Shirl and Darleen. At first they fight animals, successfully, but eventually are pitted against other gladiators. They win their first bout but refuse to kill their opponents. Guards stun them. Grimes is given an opportunity to become a torturer in an S&M show, or a victim in the same show should he refuse to cooperate. His victims are to be Pruin, Shirl and Darleen. Grimes manages to cut the three loose and they escape, fleeing in a stolen flying camper. They crash land in the wilderness and eventually find their way to an encampment of escaped New Alician sex slaves. They buy their way out of the slave camp and end up back atn civilization, where the Baroness D’Estang is in port. Grimes hooks up with her and the real goings-on on New Venusburg are revealed. Since the Baroness owns a large portion of the colony, she carries a lot of weight, and, in exchange for suppression of the real story, agrees to stop the illegal practices there and assists Grimes, Pruin, Shirl and Darleen in leaving the planet. Grimes is Master and owner of the deep space pinnace Little Sister Grimes has a fling with Fenella Pruin and later with Shirl and Darleen. Star Loot (1980): Grimes ends up on Electra with no cargo to carry. He is once again at loose ends and near economic ruin, when an offer is made for his ship by Yosarian, a wealthy roboticist. Grimes agrees to sell, and, after doing so, is approached by two former spacers who persuade him to go in with them on the purchase of an Epsilon class freighter. The ship is re-named Sister Sue. Grimes is also approached by his former commanding officer, Commodore Damien, and is persuaded to re-up as an officer in the FSS Reserve intelligence branch. Damien arranges for Sister Sue to take Federation cargo to El Dorado in order to be in place to sign on with a privaterring fleet being put together by the El Dorado Corporation. Grimes has a bit of trouble getting approval to leave and eventually must sign an undesirable officer, Kate Conellan, to the ship’s articles in order to meet manning requirements. She has a major chip on her shoulder. Just prior to liftoff, Grimes must bail Conellan out of jail and runs into Una Freeman, who is now the Chief of Police on Electra. Una gifts Grimes with a golden miniature of herself riding a bicycle – a rememberance of their Delta Geminorum affair. Once on El Dorado, Grimes runs into Drongo Kane again, who is in charge of the privateering operation. Ultimately he allows himself to be persuaded to join and take command of the privateer fleet. Kane, now married to the Baroness D’Estang and an El Doradan citizen, has discovered the concept of letters of marque and intends to get a breakaway Hallicheki colony to issue his privateer fleet one, allowing them to legally prey on merchant shipping. Damien has anticipated this and wants Grimes to engineer a mistake that will allow the Federation to step in. In addition to Sister Sue, there are three other armed merchants in the privateer fleet – Agatha’s Ark, Spaceways Princess and Pride of Erin; an El Doradan representative is assigned to each one, including the Countess Walshingham, who is assigned to Sister Sue. One of the representatives is Grimes’ son, Graf Ferdinand von Stolzberg. All of the El Doradan officers are accompanied by their guard robots, animal brains in robot bodies that are fiercly loyal to their owners and programmed to self-destruct if the owner dies. The fleet leaves and travels to Kalla, the breakaway Hallicheki colony. There, they are issued the letters of marque and they begin their privateering. While taking the first prize, Pride of Erin has some trouble with its Manschenn Drive; the Countess, ordered by Grimes to tell its captain to catch up to the rest of the fleet, uses inappropriate language. This contributes to the ship being lost. The other ship captain’s blame Grimes and refuse to serve under him once the present cruise is completed. Spaceways Princess leaves with the first prize and Agatha’s Ark with the second. Grimes is then able to waylay a Federation ship, giving the Federation its excuse to step in. Just prior to the arrival of a Federation cruiser, Walshingham and Connellan attempt mutiny. With the help of Una Freeman’s miniature, Grimes is able to kill Walshingham; her guard cat chases the miniature into the airlock, where both are discharged before the cat can explode. The Federation cruiser arrives and arrests Sister Sue and it is revealed that Una Freeman, in her role as Skymarshall, is the leader of the boarding party. Grimes sells Little Sister and, with Billy Williams and Magda Granadu, purchases the ITC Epsilon Scorpii and renames it Sister Sue. Grimes is Owner and master of Sister Sue and a Captain in the FSS Reserve, Intelligence Branch It is revealed that Damien has been manipulating Grimes' career for years. Grimes presumably is forced(?) to resume his relationship with Una Freeman while she has him under arrest for piracy. The Anarch Lords (1981): Following the privateering episode, Grimes loses his Masters Certificate. In partial recompense for his work in ending the El Doradan privateer affair, Grimes is assigned as Federation Governor General to the colony of New Liberia. The president of New Liberia and a Federation Marine Colonel assigned there have been using the planet as their own private treasure chest. Damien has pulled strings behind the scenes in order to throw a monkey wrench into the works. The planet has been accepting refugees as indentured servants and the economic situation on the colony has been so arranged that the indentured are treated more like slaves and have little, if any chance of achieving citizenship status. Once installed as Governor, Grimes quickly establishes contact with the underground and successfully foments a rebellion. The Federation can no longer ignore the situation on the colony and is forced to step in. Grimes, in his final act as governor, issues himself a Liberian Master’s Certificate. Grimes
is owner of Sister Sue, a Captain in the FSS Reserve, Intelligence
Branch Grimes has an affair with Su Lin of the New Liberian underground. The Last Amazon (1984): Grimes takes passage aboard Rim Wayfarer to New Sparta, where he will rejoin Sister Sue. Once on Sparta, he learns that Brasidus (now Archon) has married an Earth woman; the woman has established an Amazon Guard and has been slowly and steadily gaining power. He also finds Margaret Lazenby, who is doing research on behalf of the Survey Service Scientific Branch and Fenella Pruin, who is doing research for her paper Star Scandals, there. Shirl and Darleen, the New Alicians, are performing with a sexual acrobatics group in the newly opened entertainment district. Lazenby informs Grimes that she is secretly investigating New Sparta for the intelligence branch and that Grimes has been activated by Damien once again. Grimes enlists Pruin’s aid as well as Shirl and Darleen, who are persuaded to join the Amazon corps as officer-trainers in unarmed combat. Everyone keeps their eyes and ears opened and they suspect a plot to overthrow the government, when Brasidus is kidnapped. His wife, the Archoness, steps in and slowly and steadily consolidates her power, leading up to the day when she is to have herself crowned as Empress. Grimes and company manage to discover where Brasidus has been hidden, rescue him and engineer his reappearance during the Archoness’ coronation ceremony. Brasidus is returned to power following some armed conflict. Finally, Sister Sue arrives and Grimes is able to rejoin her, this time with Shirl and Darleen aboard. Grimes is Master and owner of Sister Sue and a Captain in the FSS Reserve, Intelligence Branch Grimes presumably resumes his relationship with Shirl and Darleen. The Wild Ones (1984): Grimes, aboard Sister Sue, travels from New Sparta to Earth. There, he, Shirl and Darleen pay a visit on his parents in Alice Springs. At the ancestral home, Grimes admires a personal humanoid robot that his father has acquired. Following the vacation, Grimes is contacted by Commodore Damien once again, who wants Grimes to investigate the goings on on New Salem. The planet was colonized by religious zealots prior to discovering that an indigenious species – the Silkies - were sentient. The Silkies’pelts are harvested (brutally) by the Salemites and exported through Abel Enterprises, Drongo Kane’s company. Damien arranges for Sister Sue to take a Federation shipment to Pleth and, from there, a shipment to New Otago. New Salem lies between Pleth and Otago and Grimes is to engineer an excuse to put down on New Salem. When Grimes arrives back at Sister Sue, he discovers that his father’s robot – Seiko – has been shipped to him. Mrs.Grimes will no longer tolerate the robot in her household and Mr. Grimes gifts his son with her. Eventually, Sister Sue makes landing on New Salem where they immediately run afoul of the local Pastor. Seiko makes contact with the Silkies. The Salemites suspect Seiko of being a witch and arrest Grimes, Shirl, Darleen and Seiko. Grimes and party have deliberately given this impression in order to provoke the situation. However, no one suspects that the Salemites will go so far as to execute them, which is what they proceed to do, following a sham witch trial. The Silkies come to Seiko’s rescue and Grimes issues a distress call, which is answered by the FSS cruiser Pollux. Seiko stays on New Salem to assist the Silkies. While recalibrating the Manschenn Drive prior to departure, Grimes experiences a bit of time travel into his future where he has already become a Commodore in Rim Runners and Sister Sue has become Faraway Quest. He visits with Seiko briefly and then is returned to his present. Grimes is Master and owner of Sister Sue and a Captain in the FSS Reserve, Intelligence Branch Grimes’ relationship with Shirl and Darleen continues. Grimes and the Gaijin Daimyo (unpublished): The incidents in this story reported by Grimes to Kitty Kelly occurred during this time frame. Sister Sue puts into Yokohama port on Earth. Grimes takes a side trip to visit his parents, where he and his father discuss the Anjin Sama. Grimes returns to Sister Sue, where he discovers some of his officers are playing time-travel games with the Manschenn Drive. Yoshi, the MD engineer and an ardent Japanese, even though born on Austral, has gone into the past and influenced the Anjin Sama to build a fleet of European-style ships. They have headed south to Australia, and the future is changing to one in which Australia was colonized by Japan. Grimes determines to go into the past to stop the interference. He sets fire to the ships and manages to return to his own time. They retrieve Yoshi, but she has committed Hari-Kiri. Grimes is Master and owner of Sister Sue and a Captain in the FSS Reserve, Intelligence Branch Grimes relates that Sister Sue was purchased by Rim Runners and re-named Rim Scorpii, which he commanded for a while. It was then re-named Faraway Quest at about the same time that Grimes became Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners. Gift Horse (1958): An unknown ship appears off of Dunsinane, a very poor world in the Shakespearing sector. The planet is served, grudgingly and infrequently, by the ITC, who’s freight charges prevent the local economy from getting anywhere. Several of the colonists decide to try and seize the ship; they discover that it is of alien manufacture, but workable, and decide to go into business for themselves. They depart on their first journey. Once the Manschenn Drive is started, the ship refuses to answer their commands and transports them to a far-future Dunsinane. A robotic intelligence on the planet has gotten lonely (all of the people have departed) and it cooked up a scheme to repopulate the planet with people from the past. (This is not a Grimes story, but the incident is mentioned in two other Grimes stories.) Grimes is Captain of Rim Tiger prior to discovering the worlds of the Eastern Circuit Grimes, surveying in Faraway Quest, makes the first landings on Tharn, Grollor, Mellise and Stree Chance Encounter (1959): Grimes heads up an expedition to the worlds towards Galactic West of the Rim Worlds. An alien ship is encountered and it is decided that one member of each crew – the telepaths – will meet halfway between both ships to negotiate. Both have strong feelings for the other and feel that they have met their soulmates – despite the fact that they are alien to each other. When the two come together, they explode, revealing that the aliens – the Llanithi – and their worlds, are anti-matter. The crew of ITC Epsilon Pavonis deliver that ship to Rim Runners on Faraway, to be sold and re-named Faraway Quest Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve Grimes at Glenrowan (1978): Grimes and Faraway Quest are laid up on Elsinore awaiting repairs. Kitty Kelly, a local reporter, interviews Grimes for her show. He relates his experiences of traveling back in time and participating in Ned Kelly’s aborted revolt. Grimes and the Great Race (1980): Grimes and Faraway Quest are laid up on Elsinore awaiting repairs. Kitty Kelly, a local reporter, interviews Grimes for her show. He relates his experiences of participating in a dirigible race on Darban. Grimes Among the Gourmets (1978): Grimes and Faraway Quest are laid up on Elsinore awaiting repairs. Kitty Kelly, a local reporter, interviews Grimes for her show. He relates his trip to Warrississia, showing the Federation flag, and a run-in with the Empire of Waverly and local custom. Grimes and the Odd Gods (1983): Grimes and Faraway Quest are laid up on Elsinore awaiting repairs. Kitty Kelly, a local reporter, interviews Grimes for her show. He relates his trip transporting a missionary to Stagatha. Grimes and the Jailbirds (1984): Grimes and Faraway Quest are laid up on Elsinore awaiting repairs. Kitty Kelly, a local reporter, interviews Grimes for her show. He relates his experiences serving as a supply ship to the prison planet Sheol. Grimes and the Gaijin Daimyo (2007): Grimes and Faraway Quest are laid up on Elsinore awaiting repairs. Kitty Kelly, a local reporter, interviews Grimes for her show. He relates his trip to Earth and a time-travel experience he has there. Forbidden Planet (1959): Clavering, owner of the tramp freighter Sally Ann, makes his way to the Rim, but finds no return work for his ship. Eventually, Grimes charters the ship to take a scientific party to Eblis, a spectacular inferno world that until recently was believed to be uninhabitable. The planet resembles a mythical hell, the natives mythical demons. Clavering ultimately sets up a resort on the planet. (Grimes makes cameo appearances in this story.) Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve The Key (1959): Halvorsen, who made his riches selling plumbing, builds his own private space yacht and hires a retired spaceman to pilot it. He wants to make a discovery that will immortalize him, and settles on discovering where the new matter entering the universe is coming from. They travel to Stree and consult one of the philosopher lizards there, who informs Halvorsen that what he seeks will be found to the north of the galaxy, not on the rim. They travel to Polaris, a world on the extreme northern end of the galaxy, where changes are made to their Manschenn Drive, and then they head out. They discover the source – the hydrogen appearing in their universe is the “sanitary” outflow of another universe. (This is not a Grimes story, but the incident is remembered by Grimes in another tale.) The Rim of Space (1961): Derek Calver, fleeing a bad marriage, travels out to the Rim and joins up with Rim Runners as third officer. He is assigned to Lorn Lady, an older ship serving the Eastern Circuit run. On Tharn, the second officer is killed by a native and Calver is promoted. Sonya Verrill, of the FSS Inteligence Branch, tries to kidnap Calver. On Mellise, the ship is almost destroyed by a hurricane and the Captain dies, placing Calver in command. They complete their route and are the closest ship that can offer assistance when Thermopylae, a galactic cruise ship, ends up in a decaying orbit around Eblis. Calver tows Thermopylae out of danger, but at the expense of destroying Lorn Lady. By the end of the trip, Calver realizes that he has found his new home on the Rim. (This is not strictly a Grimes tale; however, Calver and his adventures are frequently referred to and remembered by Grimes in other stories.) Rendezvous on a Lost World (1961): Alan Kemp, crewman of Rimhound, wins the lottery on Elsinore – but it is illegal to export money from that planet. He and his mates have been stuck on Elsinore for quite some time by a cargo-handlers’ strike, and all Alan wants to do is get back to Faraway and his girl, Veronica. While they are waiting, an unidentified ship crashlands at the port. It turns out to be a gausjammer from the lost colony of Londonderry. Gausjammers employ an older, less reliable FTL drive than current ships. Fortunately, one of Rimhounds crew (Jim Larson) is old enough to have served on one of the last such operational ships. Kemp uses his winnings to purchase the ship and repair it, and convinces several of the other Rimhound crew members to join him in the venture. Repairs completed, they take off, set course for Faraway and are immediately caught in a magnetic storm and thrown way off course. They find a habitable planet, land and discover a machine intelligence during their explorations. The machine – Central Intelligence – is lonely for people to care for and captures the crew. It tries to entice them with luxury, even creating fully-functional, anatomically correct female robots that are the likenesses of women attractive to the crewmen, including one that looks like Veronica. A subordinate intelligence – auxiliary control – has its own rivalry with Central Intelligence and sympathizes with the crewmen, especially Alan, who want to leave. It assists them in escaping, although in doing so three of the female robots are destroyed, only the Veronica robot survives. They make their way off-planet and eventually end up on a world inhabited by the descendants of Black Bart the space pirate and his crew. Baron Bligh, the pirate leader, has star charts that can help them get home. They trade the Veronica robot (with her consent) to Black Bart for the charts, but in typical pirate fashion, he tries to renege on the deal. Kemp uses the ship’s reaction drive like a flamethrower and slags the Baron’s castle and his people. They make their way back to Faraway, crash on landing, totaling the ship. Kemp is seriously hurt and it turns out that his Veronica has run off with another man. (This is not strictly a Grimes tale; however, the ship originally served on by Kemp and his mates is mentioned in the Calver stories, which are in turn frequently referred to and remembered by Grimes in other stories.) Rimhound is mentioned in The Rim of Space as following Lorn Lady on the Eastern Circuit run, about a month behind her. The Ship From Outside (1963): Calver and friends use the salvage money they are awarded for rescuing Thermopylae to purchase a ship on Nova Caledon and go into business for themselves. They rename Epsilon Aurigae The Outsider, hire a crew, including the alcoholic Bill Maudsely, who lost a ship due to incompetence, and proceed to the Rim. Maudsley is ill and dying, but before he goes he confesses that his troubles are due to running from the Outsider, something he found out beyond the Rim. The crew of The Outsider vote to go and investigate it, but before they can pump Maudsley for all he knows, he commits suicide. They run on charter to Rim Runners for a couple of years and then try to make it on their own, but eventually can no longer get paying jobs. The crew does not want to sell the ship to Rim Runners, opting to accept a one way charter out of the region. Once on Nova Caledon, Calver runs into Sonya Verrill in a restaurant (she had tried to kidnap him several years before). It turns out that Maudsley was a Federation intelligence officer and Verrill is investigating his death. Verrill offers Calver a charter to investigate the Outsider for the Federation, but Calver will not work for them, he is a loyal Rim Worlder. Verrill and Calver have a tryst, which Calver’s wife suspects and Calver uses this to convince his wife to vote for investigating the outsider on their own. Verrill pulls strings and gets herself signed on as a member of The Outsider’s crew. She confesses to Calver that she and Maudsley were lovers and she wants to get to the bottom of why he killed himself. Jane resents Sonya being on board and the situation gets worse until she attempts to sabotage the ship. The crew manage to subdue her, but she is in such a state that she must be dropped off at Lorn to undergo treatment. Sonya leaves the crew also, but arranges for The Outsider to take the loan of an MPI from the Rim Worlds, which will help in the search. The eventually find and board the Outsider and are “tested” by an entity there that forces them to review their entire lives and all of their actions and, based on that, determines whether to share its information and technology with them. (This is not a Grimes story, although he is mentioned off-stage. Grimes remembers this incident in later stories and Sonya Verrill eventually becomes Grimes’ wife.) Rimghost (1967): Willoughby, an officer of the ITC is landed on Lorn due to illness and, when he finally recovers, there are no ITC ships for him to join immediately. He’ll be laid over for quite some time, so he signs on temporarily with Rim Runners Rimgirl. The ship is a hot-bed of interpersonal relationships. Among them, Captain Salvetti is having an affair with the purser, Ms. Jenkins, who would also welcome a pass by Willoughby. Right before the end of their trip, the PRO’s dog’s brain gets scared and agitated and everyone on the ship feels it. The PRO states that there is a door opening into the unknown. A rim ghost appears alongside them, another Rimgirl ship, the same people crewing her as are on the original, with the exception that Ms Jenkins is obviously attached to Willoughby, not Captain Salvetti. The rim ghost vanishes and, once back on Lorn, Salvetti dismisses Willoughby from the crew. (This is not strictly a Grimes tale; however, Calver and his adventures are referred to here and those stories are remembered by Grimes in other tales.) Catch the Star Winds (1969): Grimes (an alternate reality one named Andy Grimes who has a non-spaceman son named John) commissions the building of a new type of ship – the lightjammer (light sail). The new type of ship and drive were developed following experimentation with a chunk of anti-matter iron that Grimes brought back from the anti-matter worlds. In playing around with it, Rim Worlds scientists discovered that they could create anti-gravity of a sort, and this provided the genesis for the new ship. Grimes realizes that the Erikson drive, originally used for interplanetary transport, would be a perfect mix with the anti-iron. He appoints various Rim Runners personnel to the crew of the first one – Flying Cloud – for its test flight. Ralph Listowel is selected as captain because he has sailing ship experience. Listowell and crew practice with a blimp and eventually get the handling of an Erikson drive ship down. Peggy Simmons, a mechanic and daughter of a friend of Grimes’, is appointed to the crew as mechanic. Once the ship leaves port, she falls for Listowell, who is not interested in her. She determines to do something that will endear her to him and comes up with the crazy idea of using a makeshift cannon to boost the ship past light speed once it is traveling as close to light speed as it can get under Erikson drive. Unexpectedly, the scheme works, pushing the ship faster than light but also shunting it into an alternate reality. The first is a Rim Worlds Confederacy run by feminists. The second in which the Federation still rules the Rim Worlds. They are then shunted back to their own universe and discover that their atomic sign has been changed, which allows them to physically trade with the anti-matter worlds. (This story is the most out of kilter of all the Grimes tales; Grimes' first name is Andy, not John. The incidents and characters from this story feature heavily in some later tales, so it belongs. The easiest explanations are: Andy is Peggy Simmons' nickname for Grimes or the same exact events happened to John Grimes as to Andy Grimes and Listowell and crew moved from the Andy Grimes Rim World to the John Grimes Rim World universe as a result of their unconventional FTL drive.) Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve Into the Alternate Universe (1964): Sonya Verrill of the FSS Intelligence branch is sent to the Rim to investigate the phenomena of Rim Ghosts. She is to employ a Rim Worlds ship and crew. Grimes is assigned to captain Faraway Quest and they head off. Sonya is hoping that she may be able to find her way to a universe where she can resume her unrequited relationship with Bill Maudsley or Derek Calver. After quite some time of waiting for something to happen, nothing does, so they resort to holding a séance, which brings results. A ship appears – Rim Ranger – which is name Grimes had in mind for the next Rim Runners ship As the two ships are establishing communications, it is realized that they are on a collision course. Grimes uses the reaction drive while still running the Manschenn Drive, casting Faraway Quest into a crack between universes. Grimes and Sonya begin a relationship. They come across a number of other vessels, some of which are known to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. One such is a first expansion deep-freeze ship, which they board. They determine that a dowser aboard the deep-freeze ship was responsible for it leaving the universe. The Quest’s Psionics officer influences the dreams of the remaining dowsers aboard and the ship disappears. The same technique is used on Faraway Quests crew and they appear off Lorn – but not their Lorn. It is apparently a Rim Worlds universe where the Rim is still controlled by the Federation. They are contacted by a ship commanded by Bill Maudsley – Sonya Verrill’s lost love, but there is another Sonya Verrill aboard. She decides that she wants Grimes, not Maudsley or Calver. They use the mind-influencing technique again and this time end up back in their own universe. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve Grimes begins his relationship with Sonya Verrill, an officer in the Federation Survey Service intelligence branch. The Dutchman (1972): The captains of the lightjammer ships have been reporting strange sightings. Grimes is sent aboard Pamir to investigate. Pamir is also transporting Madame Swithin, a spiritualist church missionary, to Llanith. At the end of the voyage, a ghost ship, resembling an old time sailing vessel, is sighted and Swithin is possessed by the Vandervecken, the Captain of the Flying Dutchman. He warns them, through Swithin, to alter course and, in doing so, they avoid collision with something. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve The Last Hunt (1973): A Hummel Foundation ship, the New Bedford and her captain Haab arriive on the Rim. The Hummel Foundation was created for the capture and study of xenobiological species. Haab is there to capture one of the somethings that had been threatening the lightjammers. These turn out to be interstellar creatures named energy eaters by the rim worlders. Prior to New Bedford’s arrival, the RWC Navy had engaged in wiping the creatures out in order to clear the shipping lanes for the lightjammers. Haab sets out with Grimes appointed by the RWCN as observer. The energy eater destroys Haab’s small boat and attempts to eat Haab, but Haab’s artificial leg, which as a very dense power supply in it, is the first thing the eater goes for and it is overwhelmed and dies. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve On the Account (1973): Shortly after the energy eaters are cleaned up, two lightjammers go missing. Grimes is recalled to active duty and Pamir, a lightjammer captained by Listowell, is commissioned as an auxiliary naval ship. Sonya is seconded to the investigation as well. The Duchy of Waldegren is suspected of having built their own lightjammers and to be engaged in piracy. During test firings of Pamir’s lasers, they discover that they are ineffective when traveling at FTL speeds, so Grimes has the crew build makeshift, muzzleloading cannon. The pirate lightjammer puts in an appearance at the end of their journey. Grimes’ cannon are a surprise and they destroy the pirate ship. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve Contraband from Otherspace (1967): Grimes has just retired from the Rim Runners service and Sonya from her Federation service. They have recently married and plan on using their retirement money to buy a one ship freight business to work together. The arrival of an unknown ship interrupts their plans. It doesn’t communicate and is on a course that will cause it to burn up in the sun. The only ship in port capable of effecting a rescue is a tug; Grimes is the only one available to take it out on the rescue mission. The ship turns out to be from an alternate universe. Investigation of the ship itself and its signals log reveals that the ship was not built by humans, although it is close to human design, words are spelled in recognizable letters and are spoken in a heavily accented english. The technology is approximately 50 years behind their own. The crew of the ship are all human, wearing rags, with no personal possessions and all are dead. Damage makes it obvious that the ship was attacked. The ship was originally named Distriyir, and was renamed Freedom by her human crew. It is decided to repair the ship and use it to travel to the alternate reality it came from, which will be accomplished by detonating a nuclear bomb while the ship is under Manschenn Drive. This works and Grimes finds himself in an alternate universe where intelligent rats rule the Rim Worlds and have enslaved human beings. The decision is made to find the origin of this particular alternate Rim World and keep it from occurring. They travel to Stree and enlist the aide of the Streen in traveling back in time to the arrival of a ship on the rim that has been taken over by mutated rats. They try to assist the ship’s crew in eliminating the mutants, but are unsuccessfull. The ship is abandoned and they use their remaining nuclear bomb to destroy it, which fortuitously casts them back into their own universe. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve Grimes and Sonya Verrill are married. The Gateway to Never (1972): Grimes is asked to assist the customs department in investigating the importation of an illegal drug – dreamy weed. The trail eventually leads to Eblis, where Clavering, Grimes’ old acquaintance, is still running his resort. Grimes suspects and eventually confirms that Clavering is working with Drongo Kane to import the drug. Eblis, while part of the Rim Worlds Confederacy, is not yet strictly under RWC control and the RWC drug laws do not apply there. However, Grimes is concerned for Clavering and not happy at all with Kane. He manages to stop the importation of the drug, but not before the Guru William and his cult arrive on Eblis for their meeting. The cult uses dreamy weed to achieve communion with nothingness and almost succeed in dragging Grimes, the resort and everyone else along with them to who knows where. Clavering survives but will have to emigrate and Kane gets away scott free. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve The Rim Gods – story collection (1969) The Rim Gods (1968): Grimes is appointed as RWC observer aboard Piety, a survey ship outfitted by a Neo-Calvinist church searching for a new revelation. Their theory is that on Kinsolving’s Planet, they will be able to revive the god of the old testament, by using Clarisse, the daughter of Raul, who was a native of Kinsolving’s and who possessed the psionic ability to draw animals and other things to him after depicting them in drawings. His daughter possesses the same ability. They arrive on Kinsolving’s, Clarisse is given drugs to help and enhance her abilities and she succeeds in drawing the Greek pantheon to the planet. Zeus destroys Piety and a large number of the crew, including their leaders. Grimes and Clarisse are eventually rescued; Clarisse meets Mayhew, the PRO Grimes frequently uses aboard Faraway Quest, and they are married. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve The Bird-Brained Navigator (1968): Grimes must go to Tharn to straighten out a mess among the crew of one of the Rim Runners ships there. Missenden, a second officer, is causing trouble with his crew. Grimes relieves him from his ship and appoints him to his own crew, but before Missenden signs on board he joins up with Tharnian outlaws. Grimes, in trying to bring him back, is kidnapped by the outlaws. He uses a Tharnian navigation system – a homing bird chained into the hold of a ship – to cause the ship he is on to sail into the territory of friendlies and is rescued. The birds will orient on home – or on a female in heat, which Grimes supplies. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve The Tin Fishes (1968): Grimes goes to Mellise where a new predator is destroying the giant pearl crop. Grimes realizes that something is amiss and uncovers a plot by Trans-Galactic Clippers to destroy the Mellisan economy with giant robot starfish. TGC will break the Rim Worlds Confederacy relationship with Mellise by offering to build resorts and bring cruises there, following the economic collapse. Grimes uncovers the ringleaders and destroys the robots. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve The Last Dreamer (1968): On his way home a new planet appears on the ship’s screen. Investigating, Grimes finds himself in a fantasy land, which turns out to be the dreams of a crewman aboard a Waverly ship that is experiencing a Manschenn Drive malfunction. By playing along with the fantasy, Grimes is able to break the spell and eventually returns home. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve Alternate Orbits – story collection (1971) Hall of Fame (1969): Sonya returns from a vacation and brings Grimes a present, a pipe that supposedly belonged to Sherlock Holmes. Grimes has to explain Holmes’ fictional nature to Sonya. The RWC decides that its time for a more thorough investigation of Kinsolving’s Planet, outfits the Quest, puts Grimes in command. The Federation appoints Sonya as an observer. In addition to a scientific team, Grimes takes along Mayhew and Clarisse. They arrive and nothing much happens, so Grimes suggests that Clarisse should do her summoning act again. This time she calls up Mephistopheles, who kidnaps Grimes and brings him to the Hall of Fame, a haven for well-remembered fictional characters. Sherlock Holmes demands his stolen pipe back. Grimes begins to fade and it is explained that he’s disappearing because he is no longer remembered. Grimes appeals to the powers that be and they relent, sending him off to meet his author, Bertram Chandler. Grimes confronts Chandler who expresses his boredom with his character. Grimes appeals to Chandler who relents and Grimes is cast back to Kinsolving’s to be reunited with Sonya and the Quest. Grimes is Astronautical Superintendent of Rim Runners and a Commodore in the Rim Worlds Navy Reserve The Sister Ships (1971): Grimes and Sonya are on Aquarius, a second expansion colony given mostly to water. Seamanship is important there and Grimes, the author of many texts on seafaring, has been invited there to write a history of the colony. The Aquarians are slow to accept new technology, but it is creeping in, including an automated navigational device from Elektra, the Purcell Navigator, a sealed device, one of the terms of its sale being that no tinkering is allowed. The Man Who Sailed the Sky (1970) The Rub (1971) Rim Change (1975): Captain Rule, a native-born Rim Worlder and now captain of the Dog Star Line’s Basset, got himself kicked out of Rim Runners by Grimes for being insubordinate. He was lucky to get a berth with TGC and eventually ended up with the Dog Star Line. He returns to the Rim, with no cargo for the return passage. Grimes arranges for a charter to Kinsolving’s planet, taking a scientific team, including himself, Sonya, and Ken and Clarisse Mayhew. Eventually they revisit the Temple of the Principal and Mayhew passes through the tesseract-shaped alter to somewhere. He senses an alien intelligence that does not want them on the pl |