The Return by Evan Innes

Author:Evan Innes [Innes, Evan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780553271843
Google: G2lSAQAACAAJ
Amazon: 0553271849
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 1988-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

The veranda was shaded and tastefully decorated with green plants. The entry door was not locked. Inside, there was splendor. Max had not taken the time to see too much of the city, and he was impressed. The floors were of beautiful, perfect white marble. The statuary and decor had the look of ancient Egypt. The foyer branched into two hallways. The admiral hesitated for a moment, then took the right branch. He had walked only a few paces when he heard a wild cry from behind an ornately carved door. He threw open the door.

Lance Corporal Celia Hadley had taken the opportunity of being relieved of duty at the guard post to visit her Eeperan friends. She had brought with her two male marines. With them were two Eeperan women and one male, and the cry the admiral had heard was * Celia’s response to the ministrations of the Eeperan man. When the door burst open, Celia looked up, angry because the interruption had lessened the quality of terminal pleasure, then her eyes went wide as she saw the admiral and a space marine lieutenant. She tried to push the Eeperan off her. The two male marines were continuing with their activities.

“Stun, please,” the admiral commanded, and when the officer hesitated, the robot grabbed the stun gun and one by one, starting with the woman and the Eeperan male, used a two-hour stun charge on all the occupants of the room. He handed the stun gun back. “Sir, would you please call the camp and have a hospital unit with litters sent?”

Max said, “Those marines were drugged.”

“Yes,” the admiral agreed. He went back into the hall and continued his exploration. The villa had over a dozen rooms, but all were empty. The rear rooms were windowless, for they had been constructed underground, set back into the cliff.

“No priests,” Max commented.

The admiral was examining a rear wall closely. It was well-decorated with Egyptian-style painting and seemed to be solid.

“Where the hell are the priests?” Max growled, his gut aching with worry.

The admiral raised his laser pistol and blasted the wall, the beam charring and then penetrating a beautiful scene of serving girls in attractive brief costumes. A shout of fear came from the hole. The admiral ran directly at the wall, flattened his chest against it, and burst through. In the chamber beyond, a group of Eeperan priests wailed in fear. The admiral held his laser weapon trained on them. The lieutenant was ready with his stun gun, and Max stood helplessly, looking around frantically for Grace.

“Where is the chief priest?” the admiral demanded. The priests shrank back from the threatening face and remained silent. The admiral took three quick steps forward and seized a priest by his robe, bunching it below the priest’s chin and lifting him from the floor. “Where is Ahmes?” he demanded.

“I don’t know,” the priest gasped. “We were told to stay here in the villa until we would be allowed to return to our duties.

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