Bloodhype
Page 26
Well, fine! Hail the intrepid explorer! Now where were those damned supplies? He took the small container of powerful liquid from his belt and downed a sizable swallow. He, himself, would dedicate the new pier now and beat all the pompous, arrogant, frog-faced politicians to the privilege! He staggered towards the water, halted against a wooden wall when his balance threatened to horizontalize him.
A tall figure strode out from between two long, boarded-up warehouses. The face was hidden, but the rope-sbape coiled around one shoulder moved slightly. Even in the dark and drunk, Porsupah couldn't mistake it. He rubbed his eyes blearily, which only made things worse.
The figure halted at the edge of an ancient boat landing. It did something to a concealed mechanism. Porsupah giggled, burped violently. Apparently he went unnoticed.
A monstrous bulk heaved itself out of the sea close by the pilings. It blotted out much of the night sky. A few lights shone from the cylindrical nose. The faintest lavender iridescence was visible far far down the main body, hundreds of meters long.
A brighter rectangle of light appeared in one side of the vessel. A small platform floated out. It approached the pier, riding a barely audible basso hum. The tall human stepped onto the platform, standing behind a huge hairy alien Porsupah could not identify. The vehicle returned to the main ship the way it had come, the square of light disappearing behind it.
Porsupah staggered away from the wall and stumbled back in the direction he'd arrived from. Three days, wasya, three days! Long, enough to start seeing things, hey? Want to fall out of a tree someday? KK-drive ships did not come within a thousand kilometers of planetary surfaces. The direst penalties would befall any who survived the cataclysm of their own making.
KK-drive super-battleships especially did not do this. They double-especially did not make secretive stops to take on board single apprentice sanitation engineers. No, no down with the booze, already, schuzz?
Wait a minute! Down with booze? What blasphemy was this? Sacrilege! And over a simple dream-dream?
The bell with it. Heading for brighter lights and a chaser, Porsupah broke into an uneven but rousingly risque Tolian ballad.
Behind him, the great ship lifted silently toward the stars.
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Note: Map of the Commonwealth and its Chronology Published in 05: Flinx in Flux
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ALAN DEAN FOSTER was born in New York City in 1946 and raised in Los Angeles, California. After receiving a bachelor's degree in political science and a master of fine arts degree in motion pictures from UCLA in 1968-69, he worked for two years as a public relations copywriter in Studio City, California.
He sold his first short story to August Derleth at Arkham Collector Magazine in 1968, and other sales of short fiction to other magazines followed. His first try at a novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, was published by Ballantine Books in 1972. Since then, Foster has published many short stories, novels, and film novelizations.
Foster has toured extensively around the world. Besides traveling, he enjoys classical and rock music, old films, basketball, body surfing, and weightlifting. He has taught screenwriting, literature, and film history at UCLA and Los Angeles City College.
Currently he resides in Arizona.
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Author: Alan Dean Foster
Title: Bloodhype
Original copyright year: 1973
Genre: Science Fiction
Version: 1.0
Date of e-text: 12-09-2000
Revised: 12/15/00
Source:
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Comments: Download both lit and txt version. Please correct any errors you find in this e-text, update the txt file's version number and redistribute.
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Chapter headings missing.