Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers by Harry Harrison

Author:Harry Harrison
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Published: 2011-01-16T00:00:00+00:00

12

DISASTER AT THE MINE

“If I’m going through with this scheme I’ve got to have a lot more info than I have now,” Jerry sweated, wiping his forehead with a sweep of his hand. “What is this DnDrf stuff they are mining?”

“Terrible!” Lord Prrsi said, shivering at the thought, and all the other HaggInder quivered as well and, let me tell you, until you have seen a room full of red-hot, quivering, twenty-foot-long black scorpions, you have seen nothing. “It is a drug one sniff of which will render the sniffer an addict for life. And an addict will do anything to keep the supply coming until, after a few years, the chitin turns to powder and the suffering creature is finally released from the terrible bondage.”

“What if you don’t have chitin?” John asked, interested. “What’s chitin?” Sally whispered. “I thought it was something you ate.”

“That’s chitlin,” John whispered back. “Chitin is the hard outer covering of most insects and aliens like the Haggis here.”

“Any time you are through whispering I’ll be happy to answer your question,” Lord Prrsi said, and twitched his great poison sting with annoyance. “The answer is if you don’t have chitin, then you are immune to the drug effects of DnDrf. Which is why the cold, soft-fleshed races like yours are sent to the mines. The interstellar slave traders always drop by here knowing they can get a good price for their cargo. And by jingo! there’s the answer to your problem of how to get into the mine! Grab the next slave trader that comes along and get sold to him. I would ask for one hundred credits but don’t settle for a penny less than eighty-five.”

“I do believe a slave trader will be calling in here,” the king broke in. “A wonderful idea. And if you could stop the DnDrf trade, we would be ever so grateful.” “If there is a slave trader here,” SaIly said, putting her pretty little mind to work, “then that means gasp! you keep slaves!”

“Well, not too many,” the king said with a certain amount of guilt oozing out between his words. “We treat them well and that sort of thing, and it does keep the working classes quiet since they miss the worst jobs.” SaIly turned her back, folded her arms, sniffed loudly, and said no more. Lord Prrsi was leafing through a sheaf of thin metal sheets marked with strange calligraphy. “Yes, by Jove!” he elated. “Here’s one of the bods just took off this morning. Slow tubs, you know, you can catch him up easily in your ship and flog Jerry to him for a decent price. They’ll buy him, then sell him to the HaggLoos who will instantly pop him through the one-way door of the DnDrf mine and that is that.¯ “How will we get out?” Jerry asked.

“That is a bit of a problem. Any plans you make with the others will be heard instantly by the mind-reading villains. Of course you could take in a batch of miniaturized mind shields; we have some nice ones.

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