The Project Gutenberg EBook of World of the Drone, by Robert Abernathy

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Title: World of the Drone

Author: Robert Abernathy

Release Date: April 20, 2010 [EBook #32068]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WORLD OF THE DRONE ***

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Transcriber's note:

This etext was produced from Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
January 1955. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.

[Illustration]

Dworn knew that if his machine failed him in battle he would die.
For men fought each other viciously, with no bond of brotherhood,
in this--

World Of The Drone

_by_

_Robert Abernathy_

The beetle woke from a dreamless sleep, yawned, stretched cramped limbs
and smiled to himself. In the west the sunset's last glow faded. Stars
sprang out in the clear desert sky, dimmed only by the white moon that
rose full and brilliant above the eastern horizon.

[Illustration]

Methodically, suppressing impatience, he went through every evening's
ritual of waking. He checked his instruments, scanned the mirrors which
gave him a broad view of moonlit desert to his left. To the right he
could see nothing, for his little armored machine lay half-buried,
burrowed deep into the sheltering flank of a great dune; all day long it
had escaped the notice of prowling diurnal machines of prey. He
listened, too, for any sound of danger which his amplifiers might pick
up from near or far.

The motor, idling as it had all day while its master slept, responded to
testing with a smooth, almost noiseless surge of power. The instruments
were in order; there was plenty of water in the condenser, and though
his food supply was low that shouldn't matter--before tonight was done
he would be once more among his people.

Only the fuel gauge brought an impatient frown to his face. It was
menacingly near the empty mark--which meant he would have to spend time
foraging before he could continue his journey. Well ... no help for it.
He ope