Sten: Court of a Thousand Suns by Allan Cole; Chris Bunch

Author:Allan Cole; Chris Bunch
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781605487199
Publisher: Books In Motion
Published: 1982-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEX

Sten thought it was too easy. The max-variation chip in Dru's central computer that determined the draw of the escort lottery turned out to be near-Stone Age, its random-variable generator only controlled by a pickup that measured the magnetic flux from Dru's sun and the other two worlds in the system.

His fellow guards didn't.

"Clottin' hell. I said this man was lucky," a guard marveled. "Not two months on-post, and you get the bag detail."

"Ah, tha's m'partner Mr. Keet," Alex covered.

"He cannae play cards worth a whistle, an' his choice on the racin' beasties is horrific.

"But gie the wee lad a pure-chance game, an' he always walks."

Their shift sergeant was more then irked.

"Mr. Keet. Mr. Ohlsn. I find it upsetting that you two new assignees to Dru are this lucky."

"Yessir," Sten said. He and Alex, in formal grays, were locked at attention.

"Consider this, gentlemen. While you're escorting this prisoner's body back to Heath, I plan on a full investigation."

"Investigation? A' wha?" Alex said.

"Of… we'll just call it luck. But I expect, when you two return here, there shall be great surprises."

"Aye, Sergeant," Alex put in fervently. "When next y' see us, surprises will be all around."

Before Alex could continue, Sten side-kicked him into silence, saluted, and the two about-faced and exited.

The robot ship, just out-atmosphere, automatically shut off the Yukawa drive and kicked in the AM2

drive for the stars.

Alex and Sten had already broken the lock to the control chamber and were standing over the pilot.

"Th' Tahn dinna be a' bright a' they think," Alex said. "This autopilot's a' easy to reprogram a' bacon through a goose." And Alex busied himself at the tapeplotter, changing the ship's course. "Dinna y' want to be unfreezin't wee Dynsman?"

"Why bother," Sten said. "A dead villain's not a worry."

"Aye. Time enow to lazarus the lad when we rendezvous."

Rendezvous was with a superspeed Imperial destroyer lurking just outside the Tahn sector, with instructions to monitor a given wave frequency for pickup. Once Alex and Sten were picked up, the robot ship would be returned to its old course for Heath. But a spacejunk fragment lay in its future. The robot ship would never arrive at its destination.

"W hae our mad bomber, w' hae our health, wha' more could a man want?"

"A good healthy drink," Sten offered, and headed for the guards' living section to see if anybody had been humane enough to pack a liter or so of alk.

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