

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Asteroid H277—Plus

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Title: Asteroid H277—Plus

Author: Harry Walton

Illustrator: Leo Morey

Release date: April 6, 2020 [eBook #61766]

Most recently updated: October 17, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online

Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ASTEROID H277—PLUS ***

Asteroid H277—Plus

By HARRY WALTON

It was a pretty web that Akars spun aboard

the Sun-freighter Cinnabar.... Mass

murder and piracy! But he wasn't clever

enough to allow for the innocent-sounding

asteroid charted as "H277—Plus."

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from

Planet Stories Summer 1940.

Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that

the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

Jon Akars, petty officer of the Sun Line freighter Cinnabar, backed away from the jimmied manifold of the air circulators and hastily felt for the emergency mask at his belt. Any moment now the Venusian kui-knor he had filched from the ship's medicine cabinet and dropped into the circulators would take effect. Without warning men would drop at their posts, apparently insensible, rigid of muscle, eyes staring fixedly. Actually, they would be keenly aware of everything about them, their senses sharpened rather than dulled by the drug. But it was no part of Akars' plans to be one of them. He strapped on the mask, and, at the sound of approaching footsteps, shrank back into the shadows of the machines.

An officer peered into the circulator chamber for an instant, then marched on down the corridor. Akars chuckled. Box Jordan was part of his plan; in a way, he had a star role. But not