Imperial Stars by E. E. 'Doc' Smith

Author:E. E. 'Doc' Smith [Smith, E. E. 'Doc']
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Adventure
ISBN: 9780515038392
Google: unaJtQAACAAJ
Amazon: 0515038393
Barnesnoble: 0515038393
Goodreads: 1303246
Publisher: Jove Books
Published: 1976-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

eleven and, after a light brunch, engaged in games of tennis and rondola by themselves, or played in

team sports with other guests. Then came a brisk swim in the indoor pool, followed by a midafternoon

snack. They retired to their suite until dinner, after which they walked for at least one hour through the

relatively deserted pathways of the hotel's planned forest. Unsuspicious activities for two people on a

vacation for the purposes of relaxation.

But those walks in the late evening played a central role in their plans. Heretofore, all the SOTS agents

who had investigated the criminal activity on Algonia had gone looking for it. They had found it, of course,

but it was Yvette's theory that perhaps they had only found what was meant for them to find. Perhaps the

d'Alemberts would have more success if they let the criminal activity find them.

Their hikes on the first few nights were exploratory more than anything else. But after a while they hit

upon a path that they particularly liked, and stuck to it monotonously from then on. Every evening they

would take their rented car and drive it from the hotel to the corner of the grounds where the forest began;

then they would park it and begin their six kilometer hike along a dark, heavily wooded area of hills and

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rocks. It was a route on which they encountered no other people; a route that had five places to order for

an ambush; and a route that they had gone to much trouble to publicize.

For six nights they swung along their chosen path at a steady eight-kilometers-an-hour gait, swathed in

complete silence ...

Complete silence? Yes. Their flashy but sturdy walking boots made not even a whisper of sound as they

trod across the soft ground; no item of their apparel or equipment rattled or tinkled or squeaked or even

rustled - everything had been designed that way. They could hear, but they could not be heard. Anyone

lying in wait for them would have to spot them before moving into action - and the d'Alemberts themselves

had very acute hearing and aerialists' eyesight.

As they reached a clearing with minimal potential for danger, Yvette asked, 'Do you suppose we goofed,

Julie?' 'Uh-uh, pretty sure not. I've learned to trust your intuitions. I think it's just taking them some time to

get the operation set up. Consider: Senor and Senora Velasquez can't just disappear into thin air - it

would raise entirely too many questions. Also, besides the king-sized fortunes we're wearing, everyone

knows we've got enough capital tucked away in the Splendide's safe to start a bank. They'll want to get

their hands on that, too. I think they'll want to use substitutes for us, after getting us out of the way - and

that will take a bit of planning. We didn't specifically design these three-quarters naked outfits of ours to

make it hard to impersonate us, but it worked out well that way. There aren't too many people around who

could carry off that imposture.'

'That's right. They'd have to check out the Splendide, going past the entire staff that knows us well

because of our tips, and pry our fortune out of the safe.

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