An unheralded SMAC literary inspiration

[Buster's Uncle]

Victory, a story By Fred Saberhagen -the Berserkers and Book of Swords author- about an emissary (with a familiar name) from an interstellar government visiting a world that's had a one-sided nuclear war going for 40 years - and meets a leader with a very familiar outlook and modus operendi. This is a scan of two pages from the story, anthologized in Saberhagen: My Best.

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I found this six years ago, but my post about it is on an old dead forum where few of you will have seen it - so I figured I'd re-post here.  -But read the two pages I attach below, and tell me this didn't have everything to do with the creation of the Hive.  The story's worth turning up and read for any dedicated SMACer.

[Geo]

Clearly, some faction still needs to fear the power of a Buster!