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"Finished" is a science fiction short story written by L. Sprague de Camp, a story in his ''Viagens Interplanetarias'' series. It was first published in the magazine ''Astounding Science Fiction'' in the issue for November, 1949. It first appeared in book form in the collection ''The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens'', published in hardcover by Twayne Publishers in 1953 and in paperback by Signet Books in November, 1971. ==Plot summary== An interplanetary conference between ''Viagens'' officials of the Tau Ceti system being held in Novorecife on the planet Krishna is interrupted by an unusual situation in customs; a Terran visitor to Krishna is attempting to take a native mummy to Earth. Abreu, the local security chief, excuses himself to investigate. The mummy, that of the first and (for complicated legal reasons) only king of the island nation of Sotaspé, appears to be a legitimate purchase, and so is allowed through customs. Subsequently, Ferrian bad-Arjanaq, the reigning prince regent of Sotaspé, shows up claiming the mummy was stolen and the sale fraudulent. To avoid a diplomatic incident, Abreu allows Ferrian to take the next interstellar vessel to Earth to recover the mummy. Since the relatively primitive Krishna is under an embargo to prevent its tumultuous cultures and political systems from being disrupted by advanced Terran technology, he sends along assistant security officer Herculeu Castanhoso to prevent Ferrian from enquiring into matters he shouldn't. Many years elapse on Krishna before the travelers return with the mummy, though for them, due to the relativistic speeds at which interstellar voyages take place, much less time has passed. Ferrian is sent on his way to his island. Then Abreu learns that a most peculiar ship has rendezvoused with the prince to convey him to Sotaspé—a steamship! Realizing that somehow Sotaspé has been acquiring forbidden technology, Abreu and Castanhoso set out in pursuit, hiring a swift smuggling ship to overtake Ferrian's craft. Catching it off the island of Darya, their crew overwhelms the prince's in a pitched sea battle, and the prince himself is seemingly lost overboard. The steamship is scuttled, and the mummy, discovered to contain smuggled scientific texts, is also destroyed. The two return to Novorecife smugly convinced that the most egregious attempt ever to break the blockade is "finished." Meanwhile Ferrian, who has survived, returns to his kingdom and reassumes its governance. Having been allowed to study Terran law on his trip to Earth to distract him from technological espionage, he is full of ideas for reforming Sotaspé. He institutes a patent law to foster Krishnan invention, and is soon awarding his first patent to the inventor of a native aircraft. At the ceremony, he announces that the Terran plot to keep Krishna backward and in the dark is "finished." Abreu, Castanhoso and Ferrian all appear as secondary characters in a number of later "Krishna" stories. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Finished (short story)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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