Relic Radio Sci-Fi

Episode: Protective Mimicry (X Minus One)

Date: November 24, 2025
Podcast: Relic Radio Sci-Fi (old time radio)
Host: RelicRadio.com

Overview

This episode features a broadcast of the classic old-time radio show X Minus One, presenting the story "Protective Mimicry" by Algis Budrys (adapted for radio by Ernest Kinoy). The narrative blends sci-fi procedural with pulpy noir humor as an interstellar Treasury agent investigates an impossible case of currency counterfeiting. The plot leads him to the soggy jungles of Deneb 11, where the true culprit turns out to be neither a criminal mastermind nor advanced technology, but an extraordinary natural phenomenon.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Counterfeit Crisis

• [02:39–06:39] Main character, Mr. Baumholzer, a special agent for the United Galactic Federation’s Treasury, narrates his frustration over a troublesome and unprecedented case: 1,450 credit notes with identical serial numbers and legitimate electronic security patterns have surfaced, making standard counterfeiting seem impossible.
• [04:34] Quote:
  • Tour Guide: "The currency is... non-defaceable, fireproof, immune to wear, weather and water. But the most important thing is an electronic pattern impressed into the fiber... Only the government has the equipment to put that in. Your currency is safe and sound. Don't you worry about that."
• Chief Sax (his boss) is deeply concerned, worrying that perhaps matter-duplication technology has been invented.

2. Tracking the Source: Deneb 11

• [08:30–13:00] Baumholzer travels to the only city on Deneb 11 (“Glub”), a muggy jungle world, and coordinates with the resident agent.
• The environment is humorously described as hostile, with biting insects like the “Laboratory Beetle” and “whittle fly.”
• [11:45] Quote:
  • Baumholzer: "In a way, the beeper plates make it tougher. Nobody even looks at the bills anymore. Just throw them over the plate, and if no bells ring, it's okay."

3. An Unusual Encounter in the Jungle

• [12:38–14:40] In a bar, Baumholzer is approached by Odysseus Munger, a long-standing weirdo resident with a unique sense of style and clear local reputation. Munger brazenly admits to being behind the duplicate bills and holds Baumholzer at gunpoint.
• [13:53] Notable Quote:
  • Munger: “Well, as a matter of fact, I am [the counterfeiter].”
  • Baumholzer: “What?”
  • Munger: “And don’t move. This is a power 30 mystery coagulator I have.”
• Baumholzer is knocked out and wakes up in the local agent’s office, shaken but determined to pursue the counterfeiter.

4. Into the Wild – and the Villagers' Secret

• [16:13–22:00] With the resident agent “Hall” as backup, Baumholzer treks deep into the Denebian jungle to Munger’s village, enduring miserable conditions and comical mishaps.
• They are soon captured by Munger and his tall, spear-carrying native allies. The villagers are having a raucous drum-and-dance party, celebrating or “propitiating the tree,” while dressed, notably, in currency-based loincloths.
• [20:50] Quote:
  • Munger: “They’re propitiating the tree. I don’t know why. It’s never failed yet. But they’re very conservative. They’ve got to go into this act every night before I can do my stuff. Lasts all night.”

5. Revelation: The True Source of the Counterfeits

• [22:00–24:23]
  • The next morning, Munger reveals the secret: a massive jungle tree which, when startled, reflexively reproduces any object thrown into it—“protective mimicry”:
  • Munger demonstrates by folding a 50-credit note into a paper airplane, firing a gun into the air, and launching the bill at the tree. The tree then ejects the note back—along with hundreds of perfectly duplicated copies, all valid under government security checks.
• [24:22] Notable Quote:
  • Baumholzer (awed): “Protective mimicry.”
  • Munger: “Yes, yes, precisely… I discovered this tree six years ago while I was attempting to evade the clutches of the law on a confidence ramp. I swung an ax at it to blaze a trail and 50 axes came bouncing back at me.”
  • Baumholzer: “Well, I never heard of any plant developing mimicry to this extent…”

6. Resolution & Aftermath

• [24:47–25:54]
  • As Munger prepares to kill Baumholzer to keep the secret, Hall returns with law enforcement. Munger tries and fails to shoot Baumholzer (who falls into the duplicating tree), and is ultimately captured.
• [25:54–26:37]
  • Baumholzer closes by sharing that Munger is imprisoned in “New Alcatraz,” and jokes about filing his expense report—now that there are 168 copies of him, courtesy of the mimicry tree.
• [25:54] Notable Quote:
  • Baumholzer: “He didn’t stand a chance against us. That’s right, us—all 168 of me. Right in. Right, right, right, right, right, right.”

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On bureaucracy and counterfeiting:
  • Chief Sax [07:16]: "I've seen cigar coupons and crayon sketches come into this office... some people will try to pick a Yale lock with a quarter pound of butter."
• On Deneb 11's wildlife:
  • Resident Agent [09:29]: "That's why he's called a whittle fly... Carve his initials in your arm if he gets a good bite."
• On the tree's duplicative powers:
  • Munger [24:23]: “All I know is that you scare the tree with a loud noise, you throw something at it, and it duplicates what it thinks is the danger.”

Important Timestamps and Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Content | |------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:39 | Start of Story: Baumholzer introduces his problem with expenses | | 03:55 | Tour of Currency Mint – Electronic Security Explained | | 06:00 | Baumholzer Brings Counterfeit Bills to Chief Sax | | 08:30 | Journey and Arrival at Deneb 11 – Atmospheric Descriptions | | 12:38 | Baumholzer Meets Odysseus Munger at Bar; Munger Confesses | | 14:40 | Baumholzer Attacked/Knocked Out | | 16:13 | Jungle Trek to Munger’s Village | | 19:39 | Village Life – Loincloths and Prepping for the Secret | | 22:00 | Munger Prepares to Demonstrate Counterfeit Method | | 23:43 | Paper Airplane Trick; Tree's Extravagant Duplicating Power | | 24:22 | Explanation of ‘Protective Mimicry’ Tree | | 25:13 | Showdown and Rescue | | 25:54 | Denouement and Expense Report Humor |

Podcast Tone and Style

The dialogue and narration balance hardboiled satire with bureaucratic absurdity, incorporating classic sci-fi technobabble and dry, self-effacing humor. The hostile-yet-wacky jungle planet setting and deadpan delivery are reminiscent of both pulp detective fiction and early space-age optimism/irony.

Conclusion

Protective Mimicry combines detective noir, bureaucratic farce, and speculative natural history into a tightly-paced adventure. It highlights not only the perils of overconfidence in technology (the seemingly foolproof currency system) but also the limitless surprises of nature—sometimes the solution is stranger than the crime. The humor, pacing, and outlandish sci-fi twists make this a memorable episode in the Relic Radio Sci-Fi collection.