corporate-secrecy

Arthur Randolph, a technical manager and arbitrator recently separated from his wife, receives a mysterious invitation from William Fort, founder of the transnational Praxis, to attend a secret seminar on Mars. The chapter details Art's background, his career trajectory from engineering to social arbitration, and his complex personal life, before describing the journey with other Praxis employees to a secluded coastal compound where the seminar will take place. The narrative sets up the intrigue surrounding Fort's reclusive power and the secretive nature of the seminar, highlighting the tension between personal and corporate worlds in a future dominated by transnationals.

The chapter recounts three bizarre incidents involving explosive flatulence caused by the consumption of stale Master Mixfrozen Foods: the death of Mrs. Edith Greetlan's dog Tumsie, the fatal explosion of Father Trentchel, and the catastrophic explosion of a prize-winning sow named Nellie. These events lead to an investigation by a young chemistry student, Ripler Cleeby, who discovers that the stale frozen dinners produce a dangerous mixture of gases in the intestines, prompting the food company's withdrawal of the product under a fabricated public explanation. The chapter critiques industrial food production and its hidden dangers, as well as corporate secrecy and public deception.

Colonel Paige Russell visits the pharmaceutical firm Jno. Pfitzner & Sons to deliver soil samples collected from various outer space locations, including Ganymede and Jupiter V. He encounters bureaucratic delays and evasiveness but eventually is given a tour of the laboratories where the firm processes soil samples to discover new antibiotics, illustrating the intersection of space exploration and pharmaceutical research. The chapter highlights the challenges of scientific discovery, the secrecy surrounding advanced research, and the commercialization of space-derived resources.