The Last Full Measure (short story)
Encyclopedia
"The Last Full Measure" is a short story by George Alec Effinger
, originally published in Isaac Asimov
's Science Fiction Magazine
.
landings. Shortly after he hits the beach, he is killed by an explosion
. However, he awakes to find himself uninjured and imprisoned in a dark dank cell. He is confronted by a strange creature with hypnotically luminous eyes, identified only as 'Aensa'. The creature communicates telepathically with him, questioning Steaffler as to the weapons and strategies used in the landings, but he's only a corporal and doesn't know much.
The Aensa sends him back to the beaches and when he is again killed, recovers him again. Steaffler, a pulp science fiction enthusiast, eventually realises that the creature is part of a potential invasion of Earth and seeks information on its defences. He projects telepathic visions of all the crazy weapons he has read about in magazines and creates a galaxy
-wide scenario for the war.
The Aensa is more and more concerned that Earth may not be ready for invasion, and flings Steaffler back into his own time and place. He is again - finally - killed and as his thoughts fade, he remembers only "We won".
George Alec Effinger
George Alec Effinger was an American science fiction author, born in 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio.-Writing career:...
, originally published in Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's Science Fiction Magazine
Science fiction magazine
A science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard copy periodical format or on the Internet....
.
Plot summary
Bo Steaffler, a young US Army corporal is participating in the 1944 D-DayD-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings. Shortly after he hits the beach, he is killed by an explosion
Explosion
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
. However, he awakes to find himself uninjured and imprisoned in a dark dank cell. He is confronted by a strange creature with hypnotically luminous eyes, identified only as 'Aensa'. The creature communicates telepathically with him, questioning Steaffler as to the weapons and strategies used in the landings, but he's only a corporal and doesn't know much.
The Aensa sends him back to the beaches and when he is again killed, recovers him again. Steaffler, a pulp science fiction enthusiast, eventually realises that the creature is part of a potential invasion of Earth and seeks information on its defences. He projects telepathic visions of all the crazy weapons he has read about in magazines and creates a galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
-wide scenario for the war.
The Aensa is more and more concerned that Earth may not be ready for invasion, and flings Steaffler back into his own time and place. He is again - finally - killed and as his thoughts fade, he remembers only "We won".
External links
- Effinger on Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America site
- List of his publications on FantasticFiction.co.uk
- Tribute page that includes FAQ
- Golden Gryphon Press official site - About Budayeen Nights
- Golden Gryphon Press official site - About George Alec Effinger Live! From Planet Earth
- Golden Gryphon Press official site - About A Thousand Deaths