The Project Gutenberg EBook of Larson's Luck, by Gerald Vance

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Title: Larson's Luck

Author: Gerald Vance

Illustrator: Robert Fuqua

Release Date: November 9, 2009 [EBook #30437]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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LARSON'S LUCK

by GERALD VANCE

Larson couldn't possibly have known what was
going on in the engine room, yet he acted....

[Illustration: There would be hell to pay; Larson was stunting again.]

"We moor in ten minutes," I said.

We were flying at reduced speed because of the heavy fog we had run into
at the outer fringe of Earth's atmosphere. But I knew we were within
forty or fifty miles of the Trans-Space base. I had counted the miles on
this particular trip because of the load of radium we were carrying from
the Venusian mines. I wouldn't draw a completely relieved breath until
we were down and the stuff was in the hands of the commerce agents.

I eased my position slightly to relieve the pressure on my broken
flipper and grinned at the pilot, Lucky Larson, the screwiest, most
unpredictable void trotter who had ever flown for dear old Trans-Space.

"You've been too good to be true this trip," I said, "and it's a good
thing. The chief told me that if you so much as _thought_ about clowning
around or stunting he was going to clip your wings for good."

Lucky grinned, an impish, devil-may-care grin that lightened up his
freckled face and bunched the tiny wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
Then with characteristic abruptness he scowled.

"That grandmother," he said disgustedly. "Who does he think I am,
anyway? Some crazy irresponsible madman who hasn't got enough brains to
stay on a space beam?"

"That's just what he does think," I grinned, "and you've given him
plenty of reason to think it. You can't bring your crate in to the base
without stunting around and showing off and risking your damn neck.
That's why he sent me along with you this trip. Just to see that you
act like a pilot--instead of circus acrobat."

"A lot o