Gangsters -- Fiction; Saturn (Planet) -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories; Space stations -- Fiction
"Vicenzo's a streak, kid," Aziz said. The short, wide man's sallow face
looked horrible behind the faceplate. "You oughta done like Vicenzo
said," he advised. "You won't get nowhere goofin' like dat or--Hey,
take a check on the doll! I never thought to see nothin' like dat on a
sweeper! Lucky me!"
"She's not in this," Henry said. "She's from the other ship. Leave her
alone, Aziz."
"Don't yap at me like dat, kid," Aziz warned.
Morna, who had stood as if frozen, turned to Henry and squealed,
"You're a gangster? How awful, after I thought you were nice, letting
Ranjit save your life!"
"Shut up, girl," Vicenzo said.
"A gangster!" Morna shrieked. She slapped Henry twice across the face,
knocking his shoes loose from the magnetic deck. He flipped and fell
against the net with his feet touching the ceiling.
In the confusion, Joachim broke from his terrified trance and dived
through the door. "I'll get 'im!" Aziz roared and, waving his knife,
followed the fleeing Second Vice-President.
As Henry struggled to regain an erect position, Morna wailed in his
ear, "I thought you were good and handsome, but you're a gangster! You
didn't deserve to be saved!" She slapped him again, knocking him to
the deck, and began to weep wildly. Under no gravity, the tears spread
in a film across her face. Surprised, she stopped crying and wiped her
cheeks with her hands. A few tears flew into the air as shimmering
globes.
Joachim floated into the compartment. His long chin was bruised, and
he muttered, "Save the Rings!" Aziz, grinning, followed and stood on
guard before the door. Morna gasped, darted to her employer, and made
helpless gestures.
"All right, now," Vicenzo said. "Let's get this jaunt moving. Henry,
tie these cubes up and--"
"We can't do it, Vicenzo," Henry said, staring in horror at Joachim's
half-conscious body.
"What?"
Henry said, "It's the old man. His heart's bad. The acceleration would
k-kill him!"
"Dat's the chance he's gotta take," Aziz sneered.
"You mean you don't care if you m-murder someone?"
"It's all in the orbit," Vicenzo said. "I told you that when you
clinched with us."
"I didn't believe you," Henry said. "You can't hurt Ranjit! He saved my
life!"
"Dat's what he was supposed to do, so's ya could get aboard," Aziz said.
"But he really did save me! He pulled me in on a lifeline. I would've
missed the station. I wouldn't be surprised if you two tried to
m-murder me! I'm checking out. The whole deal's off. Both of you get
back in the ship and go! I'll give you that much of a chance. I'll stay
here and take Revision, or whatever's coming to me."
"The kid's stripped his cogs," Aziz laughed through his loudspeaker.
Vicenzo aimed his rocket launcher at Henry's midriff. He growled, "Too
bad you turned cube, Henry."
"Don't fire that thing in here!" Ranjit yelled. "You'll blow a hole
through the hull! What are you fellows up to? I never saw such mixed-up
goings on."
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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