The Angel in the House
the Ren
p Judd the Kite's rendezvous w
their tales conjure up from the past that raw, lusty period before the patrol-ships came, and the slender adventurer, gray-eyed and with queer bangs of hair obscuring his forehead, whose steely will, phenomenal ray-gun draw and reckless space-ship maneuverings combined t
eral bands of space-pirates, his individual agents and his ambitious web of power insidiously weaving over the universe, whipped his tentacles after the Hawk, and alw
tool in this plot, which started with a raid on the ranch. The fracas which followed the Hawk's escape from the trap was bloody and grim enough, and resulted in the erasure of Judd and all his men save one; but the im
ity to meet Dr. Ku face to face. The trail of the Eurasian was
d half-caste called Sako, sole survivor of Judd's crew. Aided sullenly by this man, they first cleaned up the ravaged ranch, burying the bodies of the dead, repairing fences and generally bringing order
her log book and once more scanned what
nd clothing of Carse to him, at N.S. (New System) X-33.7; Y-241.3; Z-92.8 on E.D. 24 January, E.T. 10:20 P.M. Note: the ship i
nd a good one. Judd's ship would keep that rendezvous, but it would she
a master of science, and high peril attended any matching of wits with him. Carse closed the log,
ebony giant, stood there. Shaking the drops of
here you said to hide her. An' now what? You still fi
odded,
a crew, suh? Porno? It's t
king any cr
prise at his master
st Ku Sui? We'll be
personal affair. You and I and Sako can run the ship; we've got to." One of the man's rare smiles relaxed h
wed the negr
ned at the spontaneous
"Now send Sako to me, and pr
of us!" and he was still very much disturbed when, after Carse had had a few crisp words with the captive Sako, telling him that he
k gro
her space-stick, she lifted sweetly from the crust of Iapetus and at ever-increasing sp
was on
uments, the screens and celestial charts, he spent his time in deep thought, turning ov
his men; stay behind and send some men over to receive the remains of the Hawk-for either of which variations he was prepared; or, a
I, less than three hundred thousand miles. Satellite III harbored Port o' Porno, main refuge and home of the scavengers, the hi-jackers, and out-and-out pirates of space, so many of
ion against the odds proving too great. So, his gray eyes reflective, he strode to the
XX-1 calling XX-2-X
wer from the loudspeaker. He kept calling: "XX-
in English came softly
ing XX-1. Do
onnection. Highly importa
voice answered. "Prote
softened. "How are you, Elio
ystem, Ku Sui being the only possible exception. He spoke now from his secret laboratory on Jupiter's Satellite III, near Porno, this transcen
d intention of keeping the rendezvous. "The odds are pretty heavily against me, M. S.," he went on. "It would be stupid not to admit that I may not come out of this affair alive-and that's why I'm calling. My affairs, of course, are in your hands. You know where my storerooms and papers are. Sell my tra
should be
. I'll very likely be down to see you after this meeting, and perhaps with a visitor who
rno, at the house you know. I'll come
k said shortly.
on the switch. There
d fellow. Get
have; through Ku Sui he, the gentlest of men, was regarded by Earthlings as a black murderer and there was a price on his head. Hawk C
, 1931, issue of A