_There was something rotten in the planet named Truth ... rotten enough to call for the intervention of ... _ A Tourist Named Death By CHRISTOPHER ANVIL [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1960. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] Dan Redman walked swiftly and quietly down the broad hallway toward a door lettered: A SECTION J. KIELGAARD DIRECTOR As Dan opened the door, his trained glance caught the brief reflection of a strange, strong-featured face, and a lithe, powerful, and unfamiliar physique. Dan accepted this unfamiliar reflection of himself as an actor accepts makeup. What puzzled him was the peculiar silent smoothness with which his hand turned the knob, while his shoulder braced firmly and easily against the opening door. He stepped into the room in one sudden quiet motion. The receptionist inside gave a visible start. What kind of a job, Dan asked himself, did Kielgaard have for him this time? The receptionist recovered her poise, to usher Dan into the inner office. Kielgaard--big, stocky, and expensively dressed--glanced up from a sheaf of glossy photographs. He said bluntly, "Sit down. We've got a mess to straighten out." "What's wrong?" "A few years back, Galactic Enterprises discovered a totally undeveloped planet with no inhabitants. They claimed development rights and got to work to find an economical route to the planet, which is called Triax." Kielgaard snapped a switch on the edge of his desk and the room lights dimmed out. Three stellar maps seemed to hang in space in front of Dan, one map directly above the other. Kielgaard's voice said, "Galactic found a route to Triax that promised to be very economical. Watch." * * * * * On the lowest map, the word "Earth" lit up, and a silver line grew out from it along the stellar map, then jumped up in a vertical straight line to the second map, traveled along this map almost to a place where the word "Truth" lit up. The line then jumped straight up to the third map and traveled along it to the word "Triax." The room lighted and the maps vanished. Kielgaard said, "In two subspace jumps and not too much normal-space traveling, Galactic can ship a cargo from Triax to Earth. That's a good, short route, but it comes too close to that planet called Truth." Dan said, "Truth is the native name for the planet?"