Federation and Empire Author:H. Beam Piper The collected short story to novella length works from H. Beam Piper's "Terro-human" future history. This edition covers the Federation and Empire periods. The Edge of the Knife - A professor who can see the future tries to convince those around him of their impending doom. Omnilingual - How can archaeologists translate a dead language found am... more »ong the ruins of a lost civilization, on an alien planet? Naudsonce - A first-contact story concerning communications with beings who hear and speak, but don't seem to convey information through set words. Oomphel in the Sky - Since Logic derives from postulates, it never has, and never will, change a postulate. And a religious belief is a system of postulates ... so how can a man fight a native superstition with logic? Or anything else...? A Slave is a Slave - There has always been strong sympathy for the poor, meek, downtrodden slave-the kindly little man, oppressed by cruel and overbearing masters.Could it possibly have been misplaced...? Ministry of Disturbance - Sometimes getting a job is harder than the job after you get it ? and sometimes getting out of a job is harder than either! The Keeper - Raud the Keeper protects a millenia old treasure on an Earth that is poor and forgotten among the empire of the stars.« less