[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
cheered and slapped their suckers against the deck with wet shlurping sounds
and I galloped into the conference.
"Treason, treachery, betrayal?" I cried.
"Take your seat and make your statement in the proper form after the meeting
is correctly opened," the secretary said. But a thing like a purple whale with
terminal hemorrhoids was more sympathetic.
"Gentle Jeem, you seem disturbed. We have heard that there has been mayhem in
your quarters, and all we can find of the noble Gar-Baj is his tail which
doesn't say very much. Can you elucidate?"
"I can--and will, if the secretary will let me."
"Ohh, get on with it then," the secretary grumbled ungraciously, looking more
and more like a squashed black frog with every passing moment. "Meeting called
to order, Sleepery Jeem speaking re certain grave charges."
"It's like this," I explained to the attentive War Council. "We of Geshtunken
have certain rare abilities--in addition to being inordinately sexy, I mean."
They appreciated this last and there was a lot of squishy banging on the
furniture and wet smacking sounds. "Thank you, and the same to you. Now one
thing we can do is smell very good--yes, I know, we smell good too, sit down,
boy, you're in the way. As I was saying, my keen sense of smell led me to
believe that there was something not strictly kosher about this planet. I
sniffed out humans!"
Through the cries of shocked horror I heard shouts of "Cill Airne!" and I
acknowledged them with a nod of my head.
"No, not the Cill Airne, the natives of this planet. I detected their traces
at once, but they
file:///F|/rah/Harry%20Harrison/Harry%20Harriso...The%20Stainless%20Steel%20Ra
t%20wants%20you.txt (35 of 87) [1/17/03 7:26:25 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Harry%20Harrison/Harry%20Harrison%20-%2007%20-%20The%20Stainles
s%20Steel%20Rat%20wants%20you.txt are like mouse droppings and I know the
extermination corps is surely taking good care of them.
No, I mean humans right here in our midst! We have been penetrated!"
That rocked them back and I let them shout and writhe a bit while I sharpened
my claws with a file. Then I raised my paws for silence and there it was in an
instant. Every eye, large, small, stalked, green, red or soggy, was on me. I
walked slowly forward.
"Yes. They are among us. Humans. Doing their best to sabotage our lovely war
of extermination.
And I am going to reveal one to you--right now!"
My legs' motors hummed and my power plant grew warm as I sprang into the air
with a mighty leap. Sailing in an arc through the air, twenty meters or more.
Graceful too. Landing with a horrible crunch that set my shock absorbers
groaning. Dropping down crash onto the secretary's desk which crashed nicely.
Paws extended so that my claws sank through the secretary's damp black hide.
Picking him up and waving him about as he writhed and shouted.
"You're mad. Let me down! I'm no more human than you are!"
That was what made my mind up. Up until this moment it had all been guesswork.
The gray men were here, they must be disguised, and the only four-limbed
creature other than myself was the secretary. In the position of power to run
things, the only really organized alien I had yet encountered. But it was
still just guesswork until he had spoken. Roaring with victory I hooked a
recently sharpened claw into the front of his throat.
Dark liquid spurted out and he screamed hoarsely.
I gulped and almost hesitated. Was I wrong? Was I going to dismember the
secretary of the War
Council right in front of the council itself? I had a feeling they would not
take that too well.
Page 37
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
No! It was for only a microsecond that I hesitated--then I tore on. I had to
be right. I ripped out his throat, delicately sliced all around his neck--then
tore his head off.
There was a shocked silence as the Wad bounced and squashed on the floor. Then
a gasp from all sides.
Inside the first head there was another head. A sargraally, mPlanlid, scowling
human head. The secretary was
While the council was shocked into immobility the gray man was not. He pulled
a gun from a gill slit and leveled it at me. Which of course I had been
expecting and I brushed it aside. I was not as quick when be grabbed out a
microphone from his other gill and began shouting into it in a strange
language.
I wasn't as fast because this was just what I wanted him to do. I gave him
more than enough time to get out the message before I grabbed away the
microphone. Then he kicked out and got me in the stomach and I folded, gasping
and unmoving as he vanished through a trapdoor in the floor.
Recovering quickly I waved away all offers of aid.
"Care not for me," I croaked, "for the blow was mortal. Avenge me! Send out
the alarm to grab all the other black ploppies like the secretary. Let none
escape! Go now!"
They went, and I bad to roll aside before I was trampled in the rush. Then I
thrashed and expired, in case anyone was watching, and peeked through one
half-closed eyelid until they were all gone.
Only then did I blow open the locked trapdoor and follow the gray man.
How could I follow him? it might be asked, and I will be happy to answer.
During the struggle [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
cheered and slapped their suckers against the deck with wet shlurping sounds
and I galloped into the conference.
"Treason, treachery, betrayal?" I cried.
"Take your seat and make your statement in the proper form after the meeting
is correctly opened," the secretary said. But a thing like a purple whale with
terminal hemorrhoids was more sympathetic.
"Gentle Jeem, you seem disturbed. We have heard that there has been mayhem in
your quarters, and all we can find of the noble Gar-Baj is his tail which
doesn't say very much. Can you elucidate?"
"I can--and will, if the secretary will let me."
"Ohh, get on with it then," the secretary grumbled ungraciously, looking more
and more like a squashed black frog with every passing moment. "Meeting called
to order, Sleepery Jeem speaking re certain grave charges."
"It's like this," I explained to the attentive War Council. "We of Geshtunken
have certain rare abilities--in addition to being inordinately sexy, I mean."
They appreciated this last and there was a lot of squishy banging on the
furniture and wet smacking sounds. "Thank you, and the same to you. Now one
thing we can do is smell very good--yes, I know, we smell good too, sit down,
boy, you're in the way. As I was saying, my keen sense of smell led me to
believe that there was something not strictly kosher about this planet. I
sniffed out humans!"
Through the cries of shocked horror I heard shouts of "Cill Airne!" and I
acknowledged them with a nod of my head.
"No, not the Cill Airne, the natives of this planet. I detected their traces
at once, but they
file:///F|/rah/Harry%20Harrison/Harry%20Harriso...The%20Stainless%20Steel%20Ra
t%20wants%20you.txt (35 of 87) [1/17/03 7:26:25 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Harry%20Harrison/Harry%20Harrison%20-%2007%20-%20The%20Stainles
s%20Steel%20Rat%20wants%20you.txt are like mouse droppings and I know the
extermination corps is surely taking good care of them.
No, I mean humans right here in our midst! We have been penetrated!"
That rocked them back and I let them shout and writhe a bit while I sharpened
my claws with a file. Then I raised my paws for silence and there it was in an
instant. Every eye, large, small, stalked, green, red or soggy, was on me. I
walked slowly forward.
"Yes. They are among us. Humans. Doing their best to sabotage our lovely war
of extermination.
And I am going to reveal one to you--right now!"
My legs' motors hummed and my power plant grew warm as I sprang into the air
with a mighty leap. Sailing in an arc through the air, twenty meters or more.
Graceful too. Landing with a horrible crunch that set my shock absorbers
groaning. Dropping down crash onto the secretary's desk which crashed nicely.
Paws extended so that my claws sank through the secretary's damp black hide.
Picking him up and waving him about as he writhed and shouted.
"You're mad. Let me down! I'm no more human than you are!"
That was what made my mind up. Up until this moment it had all been guesswork.
The gray men were here, they must be disguised, and the only four-limbed
creature other than myself was the secretary. In the position of power to run
things, the only really organized alien I had yet encountered. But it was
still just guesswork until he had spoken. Roaring with victory I hooked a
recently sharpened claw into the front of his throat.
Dark liquid spurted out and he screamed hoarsely.
I gulped and almost hesitated. Was I wrong? Was I going to dismember the
secretary of the War
Council right in front of the council itself? I had a feeling they would not
take that too well.
Page 37
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
No! It was for only a microsecond that I hesitated--then I tore on. I had to
be right. I ripped out his throat, delicately sliced all around his neck--then
tore his head off.
There was a shocked silence as the Wad bounced and squashed on the floor. Then
a gasp from all sides.
Inside the first head there was another head. A sargraally, mPlanlid, scowling
human head. The secretary was
While the council was shocked into immobility the gray man was not. He pulled
a gun from a gill slit and leveled it at me. Which of course I had been
expecting and I brushed it aside. I was not as quick when be grabbed out a
microphone from his other gill and began shouting into it in a strange
language.
I wasn't as fast because this was just what I wanted him to do. I gave him
more than enough time to get out the message before I grabbed away the
microphone. Then he kicked out and got me in the stomach and I folded, gasping
and unmoving as he vanished through a trapdoor in the floor.
Recovering quickly I waved away all offers of aid.
"Care not for me," I croaked, "for the blow was mortal. Avenge me! Send out
the alarm to grab all the other black ploppies like the secretary. Let none
escape! Go now!"
They went, and I bad to roll aside before I was trampled in the rush. Then I
thrashed and expired, in case anyone was watching, and peeked through one
half-closed eyelid until they were all gone.
Only then did I blow open the locked trapdoor and follow the gray man.
How could I follow him? it might be asked, and I will be happy to answer.
During the struggle [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]