Joseph Mauser

Nadine Haer

Joseph and Nadine share a deeply intimate and complex romantic bond, marked by intense emotional connection and frequent interaction.

Simon Pond

Joseph and Simon are close allies and companions, often working together or supporting each other in various endeavors.

Max Mainz

Joseph and Max have a professional relationship, likely as colleagues or collaborators in a shared project or organization.

Freddy Soligen

Freddy and Joseph are antagonists, frequently clashing over goals or ideologies, creating a tense competitive dynamic.

Stonewall Cogswell

Joseph and Stonewall have a professional association, possibly as colleagues or in a mentor-mentee capacity within a structured setting.

Bela Kossuth

Bela and Joseph are rivals, engaged in a persistent conflict or competition that drives much of their interaction.

Philip Holland

Joseph and Philip are friends, sharing a supportive and cooperative dynamic.

Simon Pond

Joseph and Simon are close allies and companions, often working together or supporting each other in various endeavors.

Nadine Haer

Joseph and Nadine share a deeply intimate and complex romantic bond, marked by intense emotional connection and frequent interaction.

Max Mainz

Joseph and Max have a professional relationship, likely as colleagues or collaborators in a shared project or organization.

Nadine Haer

Joseph and Nadine share a deeply intimate and complex romantic bond, marked by intense emotional connection and frequent interaction.

Freddy Soligen

Freddy and Joseph are antagonists, frequently clashing over goals or ideologies, creating a tense competitive dynamic.

Halftripper

Referred to as 'Joseph,' the old man in the bar; revealed to be an immortal former spacebaron from Calypso.

The Cosmic Bluff

The narrator and protagonist, known as Jak Dempsi, the Solar System Gladiator Champion, who is struggling with his ego and the reality of his upcoming fight.

Happy Ending

Not present in this chapter; no relevant excerpt.

Farmer

The protagonist, a farmer and former soldier, contemplates his role in society and the possibility of rebellion.

Mercenary

The protagonist, a mercenary captain, signs up for vacuum tube transport to a new conflict.

I

Captain Joe Mauser, a veteran mercenary from the Mid-Lower caste, signs up with Vacuum Tube Transport and demonstrates his combat skills in a brawl.

II

Signs up with Vacuum Tube Transport, receives acting rank of major, gives Telly interview, recruits Max Mainz as batman.

III

Engages in a deep conversation with Max Mainz about social stratification, his own rise from Mid-Lower caste, and his determination to fight his way to the top.

IV

Joe Mauser changes into mufti, critiques the class system, and goes to the airport for aerial reconnaissance. He meets Marshal Cogswell and deflects questions about his contract with Baron Haer.

V

Joe Mauser secures Baron Haer's pledge to sponsor his caste upgrade, debates Nadine Haer about social mobility and the military, and reflects on his own ambitions.

Chapter VI

Reflects on his feelings for Nadine Haer and their debate about society.

VII

Captain Mauser, a Mid-Middle, navigates Election Day freedoms with his Lower orderly, confronts Balt Haer's disdain, and is reminded of his past heroics by Colonel Warren.

VIII

Captain Mauser intrudes on the command meeting, asserts he can pinpoint Cogswell's position, and leaves despite orders to return.

IX

Pilots the glider for reconnaissance, outmaneuvers Colonel Arpàd with a legal argument about pre-1900 technology.

The Glider Revolution

Captain Joseph Mauser; Cogswell sends a dispatch to him as part of the request for terms.

Chapter XI

Now a Major, he visits the Haer family to claim his reward but learns the debt cannot be paid.

Frigid Fracas

Scouts the terrain and observes the alien ship and Earth teams.

I

Major, Mid-Middle Caste, drinking alone in the club, frustrated by his stalled career and the need to become a media-made hero.

II

Argues with Nadine about social climbing, then violently defends himself against a former boxing champion.

III

Major Joseph Mauser is announced at the door, calling on Freddy Soligen at the end of the chapter.

IV

Major Joe Mauser confronts Freddy Soligen about the staged fight and expresses disillusionment with the publicity campaign.

V

Visits Nadine Haer, discusses history with Philip Holland, and is summoned by Marshal Cogswell.

The Marshal's Predicament

Major Joe Mauser visits Marshal Cogswell for a commission, but initially declines due to personal reasons.

VII

Visits Freddy Soligen's home, debates with Sam Soligen about the ethics of military and religion, and discusses his need for a new spectacle with Freddy.

VIII

Major Joe Mauser meets Nadine at the Agora Bar, reveals he has taken another commission with Stonewall Cogswell to advance his caste ambitions, and argues that cross-caste marriage is impossible.

IX

Major Joe Mauser is assigned to monitor a critical defile and is recognized for reintroducing aerial observation.

The Glider Gambit

Major Mauser pilots the sailplane, smuggling a machine gun to deliver a message to Cogswell about Altshuler's cavalry.

XI

Recovering from injuries in a convalescent bed, learns of his punishment from the Disarmament Commission.

XII

Referenced as the hero whose career Freddy had hoped to boost, and as an inspiration for Sam's enlistment.

XIII

Recovering from injuries, using auto-crutches; expelled from Category Military; bitter about his situation and the spectacle of violence.

XIV

Recruited into a subversive organization; assigned to Budapest.

Chapter XV: The Proletarian Paradise

Joe is the central figure, being introduced to Sov-world officers and questioning their social and military structures.

XVI

Ostensibly a military attaché in Budapest, secretly on a private mission for Philip Holland; struggles with his relationship with Nadine and adapts to embassy life.

XVII

Joe visits a cabaret with Max, gets into a brawl with Soviet officers, and escapes.

XVIII

Accepts a duel challenge from Sándor Rákóczi, choosing Bowie knives as the weapon.

XIX

Joe Mauser prepares for a duel with Sándor Rákóczi, selecting a Bowie knife and refusing Nadine's pleas to escape.

XX

The protagonist, fighting a duel against Sándor Rákóczi. He uses a thrown Bowie knife to win despite being outmatched.

XXI

Recovering from duel wounds, discusses the Party's knowledge of his mission with Armstrong and receives a candid lecture from Kossuth.

XXII

Returns from Sov-world, reports on the existence of a Sov-world underground, and proposes marriage to Nadine.

Spaceman on a Spree

Protagonist and professional soldier recruited for the war game on an alien planet.