Children of the Lens by E. E. 'Doc' Smith

Author:E. E. 'Doc' Smith [Smith, E. E. 'Doc']
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Classics, Fantasy, War
ISBN: 9781882968145
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 287498
Publisher: Old Earth Books
Published: 1947-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

forbearing. Kinnison's insulting omission of his title should have touched him off like a

rocket. "I was not thinking of you in any minor capacity, but as an ally. An entirely

independent ally, working with us in certain mutually advantageous undertakings."

"Such as? Kinnison allowed himself to betray. his first sign of interest. "You may

be talking sense now, brother, but what's in it for me? Believe me, there's got to be

plenty."

"There will be plenty. With the ability you have already shown, and with our vast

resources back of you, you will take more every week than you have been taking in a

year."

"Yeah? People like you just love to do things like that for people like me. What do

you figure on getting out of it?" Kinnison wondered, and Lensed a sharp thought to his

junior at the board.

"On your toes, Frank. He's stalling for something, and I'm betting it's maulers."

"None detectable yet, sir."

"We stand to gain, of course," the pirate admitted, smoothly. "For instance, there

are certain features of your vessel which might—just possibly, you will observe, and

speaking only to mention an example—be of interest to our naval designers. Also, we

have heard that you have an unusually hot battery of primary beams. You might tell me

about some of those things now; or at least re-focus your plate so that I can see

something besides your not unattractive face."

"I might not, too. What I've got here is my own business, and stays mine."

"Is that what we are to expect from you in the way of cooperation?" The

commander's voice was still low and level, but now bore a chill of deadly menace.

"Cooperation, hell!" The cutthroat chief was unimpressed. "I'll maybe tell you a

thing or two—eat out of your dish— after I get good and sold on your proposition,

whatever it is, but not one damn second sooner!"

The commander glared. "I weary of this. You probably are not worth the trouble,

after all. I might as well blast you out now as later. You know that I can, of course, as

well as I do."

"Do I?" Kinnison did sneer, this time. "Act your age, pal. As I told that fool

Harkleroy, this ain't the first planet I ever sat down on, and it won't be the last. And don't

call no maulers," as the Boskonian officer's hand moved almost imperceptibly toward a

row of buttons. "If you do, I start blasting as soon as we spot one on our plates, and

they're full out right now."

"You would start blasting?" The zwilnik's surprise was plain, but the hand

stopped its motion.

"Yeah—me. Them heaps you got up there don't bother me a bit, but maulers I

can't handle, and I ain't afraid to tell you so because you probably know it already. I

can't stop you from calling 'em, if you want to, but bend both ears to this—I can out-run

'em and I'll guarantee that you personally won't be alive to see me run. Why? Because

your ship will be the first one I'll whiff on the way out. And if the rest of your junkers stick

around long enough to try to stop me

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