# Conn Maxwell — The Cosmic Computer character guide > Conn Maxwell in The Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Once Conn, Young Mr. Conn Maxwell, Young Maxwell, Mr. Maxwell **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A young man returns to his dying homeworld with a secret about the legendary computer Merlin that could either save Poictesme or destroy it. ## Who they are Conn Maxwell comes home from university on Terra to a planet of mothballed war surplus and Merlin-obsessed dreamers, carrying knowledge he can't yet share. He must balance his father's schemes, the frenzy he inadvertently ignites, and his own guilt as the search for Merlin spirals into cults, riots, and a stock-market fever. His quiet campaign to rebuild industry—and his nightmares of an unstoppable machine—make him the reluctant fulcrum of Poictesme's fate. ## Relationships ### [Merlin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/merlin) _friendship_ Conn and Merlin share a deep, loyal friendship with Merlin acting as a wise and protective companion. ### [Rodney Maxwell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/rodney_maxwell) _family_ Rodney is Conn's father, and their relationship is marked by mutual respect and familial affection. ### [Kurt Fawzi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/kurt_fawzi) _friendship_ Conn and Kurt are close friends and allies, working together on shared goals. ### [Sylvie Jacquemont](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/sylvie_jacquemont) _romantic_ Conn and Sylvie share a romantic relationship with clear affection and emotional intimacy. ### [Wade Lucas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/wade_lucas) _rivalry_ Conn and Wade are antagonists, often in conflict over goals and ideologies. ### [Mike Shanlee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/mike_shanlee) _friendship_ Conn and Mike are friendly companions, working together in their ventures. ### [Flora](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/flora) _family_ Flora is Conn's mother, and their relationship is warm and supportive. ### [Yves Jacquemont](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/yves_jacquemont) _friendship_ Conn and Yves are friends, with Yves being Sylvie's brother and a supportive ally. ### [Tom Brangwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/tom_brangwyn) _professional_ Conn and Tom have a working relationship, likely as colleagues or business associates. ### [Carl Leibert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/carl_leibert) _professional_ Carl and Conn interact in a professional capacity, possibly as employer or colleague. ### [Judge Ledue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/judge_ledue) _social_ Conn and Judge Ledue have a formal, respectful acquaintance, likely due to legal matters. ### [Merlin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/merlin) _friendship_ Conn and Merlin share a deep, loyal friendship with Merlin acting as a wise and protective companion. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/i) Returns to Litchfield after six years on Terra, sees his home with new eyes, and is greeted by a hopeful crowd. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/ii) Returns home and delivers the disappointing news that he found no evidence of Merlin, then proposes building a hypership. ### [The Price of Truth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/iii) Reveals the truth about Merlin to his father and proposes a scheme to build a hypership using hidden war supplies. ### [Breakfast and the Home Guard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/iv) Returns home, defends his belief in Merlin to his mother, and later discusses the Home Guard and local lawlessness with Tom Brangwyn and Fred Karski. ### [The Meeting at the Academy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/v) Presents his findings about Federation installations and defends the existence of Merlin, using rhetoric to sway the crowd. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/vi) Stays at Tenth Army to oversee operations; visits Litchfield and reassures his mother about Merlin; discusses Zareff's suspicions with his father. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/vii) Leads the excavation, identifies the personnel-file machine, and deduces the collapsium shielding. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/viii) Returns home, confronts Flora about the Merlin craze, plans the Barathrum expedition, and negotiates with Zareff for gunboats. ### [The Assault on Barathrum](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/ix) Leads the expedition, observes the attack, and studies the spaceport plans, considering a dangerous tunnel entry. ### [The Battle for the Spaceport](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/x) Leads the raid, coordinates with freed prisoners and Zareff, makes tactical decisions about noncombatants. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xi) Returns to Litchfield, spends time with Sylvie, and learns of the new company Alpha-Interplanetary. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xii) Works on the Harriet Barne, studies Koshchei, and is selected as astrogator and representative for the expedition. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xiii) Sets course for Koshchei, explores Port Carpenter, and prioritizes building a hypership over finding Merlin. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xiv) Leads the exploration of the factory, deals with the robot uprising, and decides to finish the Ouroboros II. ### [The Trial of Intentions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xv) Defends his father's shipbuilding project against accusations of abandoning the Merlin search; feels growing unease about Leibert's fanaticism and the potential for religious conflict. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xvi) Leads the discovery of Sickle Mountain, organizes the conversion of ships, and manages his computer class. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xvii) Returns to Storisende, survives an assassination attempt, and learns of the escalating violence and corporate scheming. He agrees to investigate the mysterious preacher Leibert. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xviii) Takes charge of the excavation at Force Command, orchestrates the digging of the collapsium structure, and stays behind during the Ouroboros II launch. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xix) Orchestrates the exposure of Shanlee as Leibert, maintains the fiction that Merlin exists to control the situation, and pushes for immediate excavation. ### [The Truth About Merlin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xx) Confronts Shanlee, threatens mind-probe, reveals Merlin is built into the walls of Force Command. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xxi) Leads the debate on Merlin's fate, runs new computations, and presses the button to initiate Merlin's output. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/chapters/xxii) Attending the wedding rehearsal, discussing his own wedding with Sylvie, and going to fetch his father. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters/conn_maxwell - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cosmic_computer_se/characters