The Mars Monopoly by Sohl Jerry

Author:Sohl, Jerry [Sohl, Jerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781494424046
Google: t__UnQEACAAJ
Amazon: B008IJW7UG
Goodreads: 15792200
Publisher: Ace Books
Published: 1956-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

June 25, 2026

The sun was low in the sky when Bert entered Seven. He was tempted to stop at Emma Klein’s before he confronted Osborne, but though the pull of her was strong, he resisted it. He wanted to face Osborne with a clear head and without Emma’s dissuasion ringing in his ears. He looked for no one, saw no one as he strode determinedly through the empty, dusty streets to the Sully building.

Osborne would be sitting behind his desk when he opened the door, and Bert fancied the man would look up in horror when he saw him. And his face, Bert chuckled, would be a rewarding thing to see, for the answer to everything would be there, and in what he would say.

But Bert was not prepared for what he did see when he pushed Osborne’s office door, for it opened on a smoke-filled room, a room filled with faces, and for a moment he couldn’t find Osborne’s among them.

Then Bert saw the man, saw his eyes go wide. But there was, strangely enough, no horror there.

“My God, it’s Schaun!” The mouth hung opened, then snapped shut. “We thought you were dead!”

Bert watched the man rise, saw the worry-shadowed eyes looking more worried than ever, saw the bald head rise from those around it, and he suddenly knew Osborne was going to be pleasant, and this infuriated him. Wasn’t this the man who had blocked his every move, the man who had made him the unwilling object of violence?

“I’m not quite dead,” Bert said coldly. “No thanks to you.”

“Who is this guy?” a dark, heavy-set man asked Osborne, glowering at Bert.

“He’s Bert Schaun,” Osborne said. “His ship crashed south of here. We thought he was a goner.”

“Surprised you though, didn’t I?”

A hand was on his shoulder and Bert swung around at the pressure and looked square into the eyes of Steve Babcock, who said, “We did think you were dead, Bert. Whatever happened?”

“For details before the crash, I refer you to Osborne here. He planned it.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying, Schaun,” Osborne said, affronted.

“Don’t I? Suppose you tell them how you tried to get me to haul ore instead of going out on my own, how you refused to buy ore when I made that good strike, and finally, how you tried to wreck my ship so you could go through my records.”

“That’s preposterous,” Osborne snapped. He brought out a handkerchief and swabbed his forehead. “You’ve got everything all wrong from beginning to end. As Sam Ferrara here—he’s with Gianetti—and Tom Wagner—he’s general manager over at Schlenker—”

“I didn’t come here to ask them anything,” Bert answered. “It’s you I’m asking.”

“I’m only trying to point out that they operate exactly as the Sully Company does,” Osborne said patiently. “As for wrecking your ship—”

“We always try to discourage private prospecting,” Fer-rara said. “And why shouldn’t we? It’s too uncertain and a waste of time when there are all those claims already established out there.”

“If a man comes to Mars to do prospecting,” Bert said, “he ought to be allowed to do just that.

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