Re: YASID: "Alien Ruler" possibly

On 30/09/2024 13:28, banjo@dontspam.silent.com wrote:

On Sun, 29 Sep 2024 12:55:50 -0000 (UTC), jdnicoll@panix.com (James
Nicoll) wrote:
 

In article <vdb8p0$1n6o1$1@dont-email.me>,
Robert Carnegie  <rja.carnegie@gmail.com> wrote:

If I sisn't raise this already, does anyone recognise
a short story described here?
>
<https://qr.ae/p2uyZB>
>
This is a link to a long and, from experience,
variably accurate memory on  "Quora".
Basically:  An alien lands his spaceship on Earth.
The good news: He represents the galactic empire of
benevolent non-interferers, and Earth is within the
empire.  The bad news: The empire has decided to swap
the space containing Earth for some nicer space owned
by the other galactic empire of exploiting planets
and their inhabitants.  So the message from the
non-interferers is hello, goodbye, and submit.
>
The asker says "I might have read it in a
SF anthology back in the 80’s or possibly in
Analog or Isaac Asimov’s SF magazine back in
the 80’s."
>
Which Earth "political" situation is represented
is one of the points of debate: I proposed
Hong Kong, in 1997.  So the alien may look like this.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Patten>

>
I think it's a Mack Reynolds. Down the River (1950), which
appeared in The Best of Mack Reynolds and Galactic Empires
Volume Two. My bet would be that they read it in the
latter.

 Also in "The Second Mack Reynolds Megapack" by Wildside Press.

Thanks to both!  I've looked up that "Down the River",
and it's a very strong match, so I've replied with that.
And that according to another source, the old governor
alien apparently actually mentions "The Louisiana Purchase"
of 1803 to explain the situation for humans.
In fact someone else had bid "Down the River" meanwhile
without an author, and the questioner apparently found
and noped a different story with that title.
As for "Alien Ruler", I think I see why it isn't listed
in ISFDB - it's paraspecies romance.  I mean, so is
_A Princess of Mars_, and I'm not even claiming that
Princess is better written - but "Alien Ruler" has
the cooties.  :-)