Mars (Planet) -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
He came up the street from the South airlock--a big fellow--walking
kinda unsteady, his respirator hanging from his thick neck. He was
burned a dark reddish black from the Dryland sun and looked like he
was on his last legs when he turned into Otto's. He staggered up to
the bar.
"Water," he said.
Otto passed him a pitcher and damned if the guy didn't drink it
straight down!
"That'll be ten munits," Otto said.
"For water?" the man asked.
"You're on Mars," Otto reminded him.
"Oh," the big fellow said, and jerked a few lumps of yellow metal out
of a pocket and dropped it on the bar. "Will this do?" he asked.
* * * * *
Otto's eyes damn near bulged out of their sockets. "Where'd you get
that stuff?" he demanded. "That's gold!"
"I know."
"It'll do fine." Otto picked out a piece that musta weighed an ounce.
"Have another pitcher."
"That's enough," the big fellow said. "Keep the change."
"Yes, sir!" You'da thought from Otto's voice that he was talking to
the Prince Regent. "Just _where_ did you say you found it."
"I didn't say. But I found it out there." He waved a thick arm in the
direction of the Drylands.
By this time a couple of sharpies sitting at one of the tables pricked
up their ears, removed their pants from their chairs and began closing
in. But I beat them to it.
"My name's Wallingford," I said. "Cyril Wallingford."
"So what?" he snaps.
"So if you don't watch out you'll be laying in an alley with all that
nice yellow stuff in someone else's pocket."
"I can take care of myself," he said.
"I don't doubt it," I said, looking at the mass of him. He was sure
king-sized. "But even a guy as big as you is cold meat for a little
guy with a Kelly."
He looked at me a bit more friendly. "Maybe I'm wrong about you,
friend. But you look shifty."
"I'll admit my face isn't my fortune," I said sticking out what little
chin I had and looking indignant. "But I'm honest. Ask anyone here." I
looked around. There were three men in the place I didn't have
something on, and I was faster than they. I was a fair hand with a
Kelly in those days and I had a reputation. There was a chorus of nods
and the big fellow looked satisfied. He stuck out a hamsized hand.
"Me name's Redman," he said. "Noble Redman. My father had a sense of
humor." He grinned at me, giving me a good view of his pink teeth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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