When in the Course

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"When in the Course" is a science fiction short story by American writer H. Beam Piper. It is a part of Piper's Terro-Human Future History series, and is nearly identical with his 1964 Paratime short story "Gunpowder God", which was later expanded into the novel Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen. It is most likely set in the 3rd century A.E.

According to his introduction to the story, found in the book Federation, John F. Carr states that the unpublished manuscript for When in the Course was found among the late author's papers by Ace Books. It was Mr. Carr's belief that the story was the original story, but that it was rejected by editor John W. Campbell for its apparent use of parallel evolution as a part of the plot. He further contended that it was Mr. Campbell who recommended that the story be rewritten to make it a part of the Paratime storyline.^[1]

“When in the Course” made its first appearance in the 1981 short story collection Federation. Unlike most Piper stories, the copyright for “When in the Course” has not lapsed.