Trillions of stars, billions of planets, millions of planets in the "Goldilocks Zone." This is the present. In the near future, perhaps even next week, the first extrasolar planet with a biosphere discovered. Further in the future, maybe just decades, the first discovery of an extrasolar civilization. Within a century or two, many. Certainly many more advanced than we are now. So why haven't we been contacted? That is the question called the Fermi Paradox. THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES is, among other things, the answer.First published in ANALOG magazine, now permanently available.