The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pirates of Ersatz, by Murray Leinster

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Title: The Pirates of Ersatz

Author: Murray Leinster

Illustrator: Freas

Release Date: December 26, 2007 [EBook #24035]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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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.