Life on other planets -- Fiction; Science fiction; Solar Queen (Imaginary space vehicle) -- Fiction; Space ships -- Fiction
And it was clear they were prepared to take no chances with the outlaws.
In spite of the passiveness of the Queen's men, their hands were locked
behind them with force bars about their wrists. When a quick search
revealed that the three were unarmed, they were herded onto the riser by
two of their captors, while the other pair remained behind, presumably to
uncover any damage they had done to the Tower installations.
The police did not speak except for a few terse words among themselves
and a barked order to march, delivered to the prisoners. Very shortly
they were in the entrance hall facing the wreckage of the crawler and
doors through which a ragged gap had been burned. Ali viewed the scene
with his usual detachment.
"Nice job," he commended Dane's enterprise. "They'll have a moving--"
"Get going!" A heavy hand between his shoulder blades urged him on.
The Engineer-apprentice whirled, his eyes blazing. "Keep your hands to
yourself! We aren't mine fodder yet. I think that the little matter of a
trial comes first--"
"You're Posted," the Patrolman was openly contemptuous.
Dane was chilled. For the first time that aspect of their predicament
really registered. Posted outlaws might, within reason, be shot on sight
without further recourse to the law. If that label stuck on the crew of
the Queen, they had practically no chance at all. And when he saw that
Ali was no longer inclined to retort, he knew that fact had dawned upon
Kamil also. It would all depend upon how big an impression their
broadcast had made. If public opinion veered to their side--then they
could defend themselves legally. Otherwise the moon mines might be the
best sentence they dare hope for.
They were pushed out into the brilliant sunlight. There stood the Queen,
her meteor scarred side reflecting the light of her native sun. And
ringed around her at a safe distance was what seemed to be a small
mechanized army corps. The authorities were making very sure that no more
rebels would burst from her interior.
Dane thought that they would be loaded into a mobile or 'copter and taken
away. But instead they were marched down, through the ranks of portable
flamers, scramblers, and other equipment, to an open space where anyone
on duty at the visa-screen within the control cabin of the spacer could
see them. An officer of the Patrol, the sun making an eye-blinding flash
of his lightning sword breast badge, stood behind a loud speaker. When
he perceived that the three prisoners were present, he picked up a hand
mike and spoke into it--his voice so being relayed over the field as
clearly as it must be reaching Weeks inside the sealed freighter.
"You have five minutes to open hatch. Your men have been taken. Five
minutes to open hatch and surrender."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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