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diff --git a/30437-0.txt b/30437-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..42325ad --- /dev/null +++ b/30437-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,265 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30437 *** + +LARSON'S LUCK + +by GERALD VANCE + + + Larson couldn't possibly have known what was + going on in the engine room, yet he acted.... + + +[Illustration: There would be hell to pay; Larson was stunting again.] + +"We moor in ten minutes," I said. + +We were flying at reduced speed because of the heavy fog we had run into +at the outer fringe of Earth's atmosphere. But I knew we were within +forty or fifty miles of the Trans-Space base. I had counted the miles on +this particular trip because of the load of radium we were carrying from +the Venusian mines. I wouldn't draw a completely relieved breath until +we were down and the stuff was in the hands of the commerce agents. + +I eased my position slightly to relieve the pressure on my broken +flipper and grinned at the pilot, Lucky Larson, the screwiest, most +unpredictable void trotter who had ever flown for dear old Trans-Space. + +"You've been too good to be true this trip," I said, "and it's a good +thing. The chief told me that if you so much as _thought_ about clowning +around or stunting he was going to clip your wings for good." + +Lucky grinned, an impish, devil-may-care grin that lightened up his +freckled face and bunched the tiny wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. +Then with characteristic abruptness he scowled. + +"That grandmother," he said disgustedly. "Who does he think I am, +anyway? Some crazy irresponsible madman who hasn't got enough brains to +stay on a space beam?" + +"That's just what he does think," I grinned, "and you've given him +plenty of reason to think it. You can't bring your crate in to the base +without stunting around and showing off and risking your damn neck. +That's why he sent me along with you this trip. Just to see that you +act like a pilot--instead of circus acrobat." + +"A lot of good you'd do," Lucky mumbled. "You got a broken arm. The only +reason he sent you is because he didn't want to pay you while you was in +the hospital so he cooks up this trip to get his money out of you. And +say," he turned to me belligerently, "when did I ever crack up a ship? +When did I ever even dent one of the babies?" + +"You haven't," I was forced to admit, "but that's just because of that +screwy luck of yours. But it won't last forever and one of these days +it's going to run out just when you need it. So just remember--no +stunting this trip or you'll be out of the strata for the rest of your +natural life." + +"Aw, that's the trouble with this racket," Lucky grumbled, "a guy can't +have no fun no more. Back when I was with the Space circus--" + +"Okay, okay," I cut in, "I've heard that before. Just fly your ship, +now, and forget about the deep dark plot of the company to take all the +joy out of your life. I'm going to take a look-see at the atomic floats +and get the passengers bundled together." + +I stood up and crawled over him and opened the door leading to the body +of the ship. I could still hear him grumbling as I slid the light +chrome-alloy door shut. I chuckled to myself and headed up the aisle to +the baggage compartments. Lucky Larson was a legend as space pilots go. +An unpredictable, erratic screwball but one of the finest rocket riders +who ever flashed through the void. + +Company regulations and interplanetary commissions were the bane of his +existence. He made his own rules and regulations and got by with it. +That is he _had_ gotten by with it. Now they were cracking down on him. +He had been grounded twice and the chief had threatened to set him down +for life if any more infractions were charged to him. I shook my head +gloomily. He was a great guy, the last of a great and gallant army of +space adventurers, but he was on the way out. The rules were necessary, +vital to safe space travel and the Lucky Larsons would have to live up +to them, or else. + + * * * * * + +My mind was a long way away from the cabin of the space ship and maybe +that's why I got what I did. I didn't see it coming. One minute I was +walking through the aisle, thinking about Lucky Larson and the next +second something slammed into the back of my head knocking me to my +knees. + +Through a haze of red and white lights I heard a voice bark, "Toss him +into a chair and grab that good arm of his." + +I wasn't out. Just damn sick. Something like a cold hand seemed to have +closed over my stomach and for an awful moment I gagged and tried to +retch. But the moment passed and I forced open my eyes and focused them +on two tough-looking, hard-eyed gents who stood in front of me. Another +unpleasant-looking little man knelt along side of me, twisting my good +arm behind my back. + +"Okay," I gritted, "what's the gag?" + +The tallest of the three, evidently their leader, smiled at me. "It's no +gag," he murmured calmly, "we happen to need the radium you're carrying. +We're going to take it. Any objections?" + +"You'll never get away with this," I snapped, "your names and +descriptions are registered with the passenger office. You'll be tracked +down in twenty-four hours." + +I was bluffing, of course, and I knew from their contemptuous smiles +that they knew it, too. They probably had given fictitious names, and +the descriptive information which the bureau required consisted of a few +generalities, such as height, weight and the like. I cursed myself for a +stupid, careless fool. The three men had been the only passengers from +Venus and they had kept to themselves the entire trip. Once or twice I +had wondered at their reticence and quietness but I had not been +suspicious enough to make a check-up. + +One of the men laughed shortly. "Let us worry about that. We've covered +every angle that could possibly come up. With the help of your friend up +front, this ship will be flown to a certain deserted asteroid where a +few friends of _ours_ are to meet us with another ship. How you come out +afterward will depend on how you co-operate now. Clear enough?" + +It was clear enough all right. Lucky and I wouldn't last long after we +served our purpose. + +The tall man turned from me and nodded significantly to the man standing +next to him and then pointed to the closed door to the pilot's chambers. + +"Take care of the pilot," he murmured, "and tell him if he isn't +obliging we'll take the cast off his friend's arm and--" he smiled at +me, "massage it a bit." + +I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead. + +The thug grinned wolfishly at me and then winked at his leader. "I'll +tell him, boss." He dug his hand into his pocket and drew out a stubby +atomic pistol. "If he won't listen to me maybe this'll persuade him." + +Still grinning he turned and headed up the aisle, the gun clenched in +his huge fist. + + * * * * * + +I glanced at the tall figure standing in front of me and saw that he was +watching the retreating figure of his henchman with a saturnine smile on +his face. I thought swiftly. If I could yell a warning to Lucky, he +could bolt the door of the pilot's chamber and then set the ship down at +the Trans-Space base. It was the only way to save Lucky and the radium. +I wasn't very optimistic about my own chances. I knew they were zero. + +I opened my mouth, took a deep breath and then, before I could scream +the words that would warn Lucky, it happened. The ship shuddered for an +instant and then zoomed upward, the smooth hum of the rocket motors +crescendoing to a roaring song of power and speed. + +The sudden jolting acceleration hurled me to the tail of the ship and I +saw, like an image in a kaleidoscope, the tangled thrashing figures of +the space bandits as they were tossed to the floor, a dazedly struggling +mass of arms and legs. + +The ship was lying over on its back in a few seconds, and before I could +catch a breath it suddenly whipped over and blasted toward Earth in a +screeching, hissing power-dive. + +It was terrific punishment even for this type of space crate but it was +worse for human beings. The three bandits were clutching at their +stomachs as if they were afraid of losing them. Their faces were mottled +and blotchy and their eyes were rolling beseechingly. + +I didn't mind the erratic convolutions the ship was making but my arm +was burning as if it were on fire. Numbing waves of pain were coursing +up and down my entire body. + +I tried to crawl to my knees but the floor rolled under me as the ship +whipped over in a twisting spiral and I crashed forward on my face. Then +everything dissolved into inky blackness.... + + * * * * * + +When I came to, I heard a great commotion, then a sudden shot and then a +babble of voices booming around me. I remember thinking fleetingly of +crooks, Lucky Larson and a mountain of radium and then--because nothing +made sense--I passed out again. + + * * * * * + +The next time I opened my eyes I found myself stretched out on a cot in +the chief's office. I turned my head slightly and saw Lucky Larson, the +chief and a half dozen other guys staring down at me. + +"It's not very original," I said, "but where the hell am I?" That was +silly of me because I knew where I was, so I said: "Never mind that but +please tell me what the hell happened?" + +The chief laughed and Lucky Larson laughed and then they slapped each +other on the back. "Don't worry about a thing," the chief said, "those +crooks are under lock and key and there's not a thing to worry about." + +"But how--I mean what...?" My voice trailed off. Nothing made sense. + +"Well," the chief broke in, "Lucky here really deserves the credit for +catching them. And I'm not forgetting your good work either. Both of you +will receive more tangible evidence of my appreciation. But Lucky really +did the brainwork." + +"Awww," Lucky mumbled, "it wasn't much. Just a little common sense and, +uh, a little luck." + +"It was damn fast thinking," the chief cut in belligerently, "you knew +your stunting over the base would drive me crazy. You knew I'd get so +mad I'd call out the base police and have you thrown in when you moored. +And when you did moor and the crooks toppled out we were right on hand +to receive them. They were so weak from the shaking up you gave them +that they didn't have a chance." + +Lucky rolled innocent eyes to the ceiling. "Sometimes," he remarked +piously, "stunting has its uses." + +"Congratulations," I said weakly. "You certainly used your head. Caught +the chief's attention with your stunting and almost knocked the crooks +out with it too. That's killing two birds with one stone, all right." +Then another thought occurred to me. + +"How did you know I was in trouble?" I asked curiously. "How did you +know we had those crooks on board?" + +"Why--why," Lucky sputtered, "that was simple. I just happened to look +behind me and I saw those boys piling into you. So I did a little fast +thinking and then I whipped the ship into a few maneuvers and, like the +chief says, they caught his eye all right." + +The chief was beaming fondly and I turned my head to hide the smile on +my lips. "So you just looked behind you," I muttered. "Well, Lucky, you +certainly are--and were." + +He grinned down at me and winked. "You said it, kid." + +I wanted to ask him a question then, but I decided to wait until we were +alone. I closed my eyes and smiled again, thinking of his expression +when I would ask him how he had been able to look behind him and see me +struggling with those crooks, _when the door of the pilot's chamber was +closed all the time_.... + + +THE END + + + + +Transcriber's Note: + + This etext was produced from _Amazing Stories_ January 1943. + Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. + copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and + typographical errors have been corrected without note. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Larson's Luck, by Gerald Vance + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30437 *** |