The stainless steel rat's revenge by Harry Harrison

Author:Harry Harrison [Harrison, Harry]
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science fiction, Adventure, General, Fiction, Space Opera, Non-Classifiable, Fiction in English, English fiction
Publisher: Berkley Pub.
Published: 2010-01-21T15:55:51+00:00

Chapter 12

Pire shrieked in a muffled manner and drew back, not understanding the colonel’s words but recognizing his manner and his weapon. I smiled, as coldly as I could, as I saw that my hands were out of sight below the bar. Turning to the youth I pointed to the far end of the room and ordered him there. He scuttled nicely and while this bit of mis-direction was going on I slipped the tourist book into my pocket and eased my gausspistol out of its holster. When I turned back to the colonel I saw that he had half raised his rifle.

“You are wrong,” I said, “and insulting as well to a fellow officer who recently was a flight-major. I am aiding our invading forces by securing this drinking establishment to prevent any of your troops from becoming drunk on duty and therefore injuring our all-out efforts. And while in this place I took a prisoner who was hiding here. That is what happened and it is my word against yours, colonel.”

He raised his gun barrel towards me and said, “It is only my word that I caught you looting and was forced to shoot you when you resisted arrest.”

“I am a hard one to shoot,” I said, letting the muzzle of my pistol slide up over the edge of the bar until it was centered between his eyes. “I am an expert shot and one of these explosive slugs will take the top of your head off.”

Apparently he had not expected this kind of instant response from a flying officer and he hesitated for a moment. Pire squealed faintly and there was a thud. I assumed he had fainted but was too busy to look. This murderous tableau held for a moment and there was no way of knowing how it might have ended if a soldier had not rushed into view with a field radio. The colonel took the phone and went back to the war while I stuffed two bottles into the back of my jacket and went out the other exit, stepping over Pire who was unconscious on the floor and undoubtedly better off that way. I was gone before the colonel realized it and I took the drink back to the ship and sent it up the service lift to Otrov. “And don’t drink more than one,” I ordered and his voice responded with a happy cry over the intercom.

I was on my own now and I meant to make the most of the opportunity. With the battle still being waged my movements would not be watched and I could make my observations. Of course I might also be killed, but that is one of the occupational hazards of the service. Once the invasion had succeeded movement would be sharply restricted and I would probably be on my way back to Cliaand. The guide booklet was still in my pocket, the heat of my hip keeping the action going on the cover. I opened it and flipped through the pages which were heavy on pictures and short on copy.

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