Book excerpt: The Venus Equilateral is a series of science fiction short stories concerning the Venus Equilateral Relay Station, an interplanetary communications hub located at the L4 Lagrangian point of the Sun-Venus system. Venus Equilateral is a space station three miles long and one mile in diameter that serves as a communications relay between Venus, Earth, and Mars whenever interference from the Sun prevents line-of-sight communication between them. Venus Equilateral was formed out of a nickel-iron asteroid that was moved into Venus' L4 point. At the time the stories take place, the asteroid has been completely reworked, resulting in a burnished steel cylinder with a large docking port at one end and a bank of communications dishes at the other. Most of the stories feature Dr. Donald A. Channing, Director of Communications at Venus Equilateral; Walter Franks, Beam Control Engineer; and Arden Westland, Channing's secretary turned fiancée turned wife. The typical plot of a Venus Equilateral story consists of the station's engineers inventing new devices that allow them to solve the story problem. Table of Contents: QRM—Interplanetary Calling the Empress Recoil Off the Beam The Long Way Beam Pirate Firing Line Special Delivery Pandora's Millions Mad Holiday