In "Fool's Mate," it takes a crazy man and a set of fake orders to break a deadly battle stalemate in deep space.

The ten other stories in this collection are "Prospector's Special," "The Girls and Nugent Miller," "Meeting of the Minds," "Potential," "Subsistence Level," "The Slow Season," "Alone at Last," "Forever," "The Sweeper of Loray," and "The Special Exhibit."