Ride The Star Winds (The John Grimes Saga IV) by A. Bertram Chandler

Author:A. Bertram Chandler [Chandler, A. Bertram]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Space Opera, Adventure, Fiction
ISBN: 9781451638127
Google: MkcHfAEACAAJ
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2012-04-03T04:00:00+00:00

Maggie brought him his sandwiches—rather inferior ham with not enough mustard—and a vacuum flask of coffee that was only a little better than the brew which they had become used to (but never liked) in the Palace. But he did not complain. (As far as Maggie was concerned he had learned, long since, that it was unwise to do so.) He munched stolidly while keeping a watchful eye on the instruments. One drawback of making an orbit around a planet with the ship’s Mannschenn Drive in operation is that there are no identifiable landmarks; the appearance of a world viewed in such conditions has been described as that of a Klein Flask blown by a drunken glassblower.

But the instruments, Grimes hoped, were not lying.

“What time—local time, that is—should we get there?” asked Maggie.

“Midnight,” replied Grimes. “Anyhow, that’s what I’ve programmed the little bitch for. How are the girls getting on with their fossicking?”

“Fenella’s found clothing for all of us—tough coveralls. Boots might be a problem. Shirl and Darleen have rather long feet, as probably you’ve already noticed.”

“On their own planet,” he said, “they’re used to running around barefoot. What about rainwear?”

“Rainwear? Are you expecting rain?”

“Rain has been known to fall,” he said. “Tell Fenella, when you go back down, to find something suitable. And the weapons?”

“So far a stungun, fully charged, with belt and holster, for each of us. Laser pistols likewise. And projectile pistols.”

He said, “We can’t load ourselves down with too much. We’ll take the stunguns and the lasers. We don’t want to do any killing.”

“Lasers kill people. Or hadn’t you noticed?”

“A laser is a tool as well as a weapon, Maggie. It comes in handy for burning through doors, for example. Too, it’s silent. Even more so than a stungun.”

“Shirl and Darleen have their own ideas about silent weapons,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“They found a dozen metal discs—what they’re for the Odd Gods alone know!—in the engineer’s workshop. They say that once they’re given a cutting edge they’ll be very nice throwing weapons.”

Grimes muttered something about bloodthirsty little bitches.

“I thought that you liked them, John,” said Maggie.

“I do. But . . . .”

“Haven’t you ever shed any blood during your career?”

“Yes. But . . . .”

But what he did not tell her was that he strongly suspected that the guards at Miletus, Ellena’s people, would be women. He derided himself for his old-fashioned ideas but still was reluctant to kill a member of the opposite sex.

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