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And if the other planters are going to rebuild your buildings, that's fine and charitable of them." Suddenly Connel's voice became harsh. "That does not, however, erase the fact that a group of uniformed men, armed with paralo-ray guns and with ships equipped with blasters, attacked you! Atomic blasters, Mr. Sinclair, are not bought at the local credit exchange.
It would be tricky at such long range, but should the paralo-ray fail, the cadet was prepared to use the shock rifle. He fired, and for a breathless second waited for the effects of the ray on the troopers. Then he saw the men go rigid and he smiled. Three hundred feet with a ray pistol was very fancy shooting! He raced for the door.
He handed over one of the paralo-ray guns, and Mason shoved the muzzle into Roger's stomach. "Get moving, Manning!" he snarled. "I'd like nothing better than to let you have it right now!" Roger smiled, knowing Mason still harbored a grudge for the beating he had taken earlier on the trip. "When you have him locked up, get back on the control deck," said Loring.
They've come to carry out their threat!" Connel pulled the paralo-ray gun from his hip and gripped it firmly. "Do you want those men in your house?" he asked Sinclair. "No no, of course not!" "Then you have Solar Guard protection." "How ?" Sinclair asked. "There are no Solar Guardsmen around here!"
"That's all right with me, sir," the young cadet said excitedly. "This is something I'll be able to tell my grandchildren riding with the hottest spaceman in the hottest race through space." Quent Miles spun around, his paralo-ray gun leveled. He saw a figure enter through the hatch, but when light revealed the face he relaxed. "Oh, it's you!" he grumbled.
He laughed. "It takes a direct electric charge to set that stuff off. You just helped me get rid of a very obnoxious partner." He leveled his paralo-ray gun. "I hate to do this," he said, "but it's you or me." He fired. Tom was again frozen into that immobile state more dead than alive. Miles laughed and hurried to the control deck. Astro got up on his knees slowly.
Finally he climbed out of the launch and stood by the hatch, peering intently at the buildings around him, his eyes squinting against the glare of the fiery sun overhead. The plantation seemed deserted. Reaching back into the launch and pulling out a paralo-ray gun, he strapped its reassuring bulk to his side and stepped toward the building that was obviously the main house.
All that is left for me is escape. And you two are going to help me do just that!" Roger suddenly dropped to one knee and leveled the blaster. But the Nationalist leader was too quick. His paralo-ray crackled and Roger was frozen solid. "Why, you !" roared Tom. "Drop your gun, Corbett," warned Sinclair, "and take that blaster away from him."
From their ship, Tom, Roger, and Astro saw the men scatter across the field, and realizing their bluff had failed, they opened fire with the paralo-ray guns. But their range was too far. In a few moments the clearing around the Sinclair home was alive with the coughing roar of the jets blasting off.
"By the craters of Luna, it's Sharkey!" "Sharkey? Who's that?" asked Astro. "Supposed to be the leader of the Nationalists," said Connel. Strong quickly released Sharkey from the paralo-ray effects and the man shuddered so violently from the reaction that Astro had to grab him to keep him from falling down. "Where are Corbett and Manning?" demanded Connel.
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