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Upstarts, by L. J. Stecher
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Title: Upstarts
Author: L. J. Stecher
Illustrator: Dillon
Release Date: December 11, 2008 [EBook #27492]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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UPSTARTS
Earth was being bet on to break her blockade ... but what was the purse ... and who was to collect?
By L. J. STECHER, JR.
Illustrated by DILLON
The sight of an Earthman on Vega III, where it was impossible for an outlander to be, brought angry crowds to surround John Crownwall as he strode toward the palace of Viceroy Tronn Ffallk, ruler of Sector XII of the Universal Holy Empire of Sunda. He ignored the snarling, the spitting, the waving of boneless prehensile fingers, as he ignored the heavy gravity and heavier air of the unfamiliar planet.
John Crownwall, florid, red-headed and bulky, considered himself to be a bold man. But here, surrounded by this writhing, slithering mass of eight-foot creatures, he felt distinctly unhappy. Crownwall had heard about creatures that slavered, but he had never before seen it done. These humanoids had large mouths and sharp teeth, and they unquestionably slavered. He wished he knew more about them. If they carried out the thre