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"But—blast it, Karen, you don't appreciate the need for security. Berg explained it to me once—how dangerous the rebels are, and how easily they can steal our secrets. And they'll stop at nothing. Do you want another Hemispheric War?"

In a world where Security is all-important, nothing can ever be secure. A mountain-climbing vacation may wind up in deep Space. Or loyalty may prove to be high treason. But it has its rewards.

In this 1953 science fiction tale by Poul Anderson, physicist Allen Lancaster is recruited for a top secret project where security is everything. But is everything what it appears to be?

Poul Anderson (1926-2001) was an American science fiction author who wrote during the Golden Age of the genre. He received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948 and turned immediately to writing.

Anderson is probably best known for adventure stories in which larger-than-life characters succeed gleefully or fail heroically. His characters were nonetheless thoughtful, often introspective and well developed. His plot lines frequently involved the application of social and political issues in a speculative manner appropriate to the science fiction genre.

"Security" was originally published in Space Science Fiction in February 1953.