The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pirates of Ersatz, by Murray Leinster
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Pirates of Ersatz
Author: Murray Leinster
Illustrator: Freas
Release Date: December 26, 2007 [EBook #24035]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PIRATES OF ERSATZ ***
Produced by Greg Weeks, V. L. Simpson, Bruce Albrecht and
the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net
THE PIRATES OF ERSATZ
BY MURRAY LEINSTER
[Illustration]
_Sometimes it seems nobody loves a benefactor ... particularly
nobody on a well-heeled, self-satisfied planet. Grandpa always
said Pirates were really benefactors, though...._
Illustrated by Freas
I
It was not mere impulsive action when Bron Hoddan started for the planet
Walden by stowing away on a ship that had come to his native planet to
hang all his relatives. He'd planned it long before. It was a
long-cherished and carefully worked out scheme. He didn't expect the
hanging of his relatives, of course. He knew that they'd act grieved and
innocent, and give proof that they were simple people leading blameless
lives. They'd make their would-be executioners feel ashamed and
apologetic for having thought evil of them, and as soon as the strangers
left they'd return to their normal way of life, which was piracy. But
while this was going on, Bron Hoddan stowed away on the menacing vessel.
Presently he arrived at its home world. But his ambition was to reach
Walden, so he set about getting there. It took a long time because he
had to earn ship-passage from one solar system to another, but he held
to his idea. Walden was the most civilized planet in that part of the
galaxy. On Walden, Hoddan intended, in order (a) to achieve splendid
things as an electronic engineer, (b) to grow satisfactorily rich, (c)
to marry a delightful girl, and (d) end his life a great man. But he had
to spend two years trying to arrange even the first.
On the night before the police broke in the door of his room, though,
accomplishment seemed imminent. He went to bed and slept soundly. He was
calmly sure that his ambitions were about to be realized.
|