Lone Star Planet, H. Beam Piper

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Read Lone Star Planet in English, with German beside it

by H. Beam Piper · 1904–1964

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"Lone Star Planet" by H. Beam Piper and John J. McGuire is a science-fiction novel first published in 1957. When diplomat Stephen Silk is banished to New Texas after writing a controversial article, he discovers a world where assassinating politicians is legal—as long as the killer proves their victim "needed killin'." His predecessor was murdered, and evidence suggests he's next. Silk must navigate deadly politics while convincing New Texans to join the Solar League against an alien threat.

Summary generated automatically by Project Gutenberg.

Read time
139 min
Words
30,539
Chapters
19
Paragraphs
895
Price
Free
  • Science fiction
  • Space colonies -- Fiction
Lone Star Planet_DEPARTMENT ADDENDUM_

Hoddy Ringo was there, wrapped up in--and I use the words literally--a young lady from the Alderbaran system.

Hoddy Ringo war da, eingewickelt in – und ich verwende die Worte wörtlich – eine junge Dame aus dem Alderbaran-System.

She was on her way home from one of the quickie divorce courts on Terra and was celebrating her marital emancipation.

Sie war auf dem Heimweg von einem der Schnell-Scheidungsgerichte auf Terra und feierte ihre eheliche Emanzipation.

They were so entangled with each other that they didn't notice me.

Sie waren so ineinander verschlungen, dass sie mich nicht bemerkten.

When they left the bar, I slipped after them until I saw them enter the lady's stateroom.

Als sie die Bar verließen, schlich ich hinter ihnen her, bis ich sah, wie sie in die Kabine der Dame eintraten.

That, of course, would have Hoddy immobilized--better word, located--for a while.

Das würde Hoddy natürlich für eine Weile immobilisieren – treffender: lokalisieren –.

So I went back to our suite, picked the lock of Hoddy's room, and allowed myself half an hour to search his luggage.

Also ging ich zurück in unsere Suite, knackte das Schloss von Hoddys Zimmer und gönnte mir eine halbe Stunde, um sein Gepäck zu durchsuchen.

All of his clothes were new, but there were not a great many of them.

All seine Kleider waren neu, aber es waren nicht allzu viele.

Evidently he was planning to re-outfit himself on New Texas.

Offenbar plante er, sich auf New Texas neu einz kleiden.

There were a few odds and ends, the kind any man with a real home planet will hold on to, in the luggage.

Es gab ein paar Kleinigkeiten, die Art von Dingen, die jeder Mann mit einem richtigen Heimatplaneten aufbewahrt, im Gepäck.

He had another eleven-mm pistol, made by Consolidated-Martian Metalworks, mate to the one he was carrying in a shoulder-holster, and a wide two-holster belt like the one furnished me, but quite old.

Er hatte eine weitere 11-mm-Pistole, hergestellt von Consolidated-Martian Metalworks, die passende zur einen, die er in einem Schulterholster trug, und einen breiten Gürtel mit zwei Holstern, ähnlich dem, den man mir gegeben hatte, aber ganz alt.

I greeted the sight and the meaning of the old holsters with joy: they weren't the State Department Special Services type.

Ich begrüßte die Sicht und die Bedeutung der alten Holster mit Freude: Sie waren nicht vom Typ der Special Services des Außenministeriums.

That meant that Hoddy was just one of Natalenko's run-of-the-gallows cutthroats, not important enough to be issued the secret equipment.

Das bedeutete, dass Hoddy nur einer von Natalenos durch und durch verdorbenen Schlägern war, nicht wichtig genug, um mit der geheimen Ausrüstung ausgestattet zu werden.

But I was a little worried over what I found hidden in the lining of one of his bags, a letter addressed to Space-Commander Lucius C. Stonehenge, Aggression Department Attaché, New Austin Embassy.

Aber ich machte mir ein wenig Sorgen über das, was ich versteckt in der Auskleidung einer seiner Koffer fand, einen Brief, adressiert an Weltraumkommandant Lucius C. Stonehenge, Attaché der Aggressionsabteilung, Botschaft New Austin.

I didn't have either the time or the equipment to open it.

Ich hatte weder die Zeit noch die Ausrüstung, ihn zu öffnen.

But, knowing our various Departments, I tried to reassure myself with the thought that it was only a letter-of-credence, with the real message to be delivered orally.

Aber, unsere verschiedenen Abteilungen kennend, versuchte ich, mich mit dem Gedanken zu beruhigen, dass es nur ein Akkreditivschreiben war, mit der eigentlichen Botschaft, die mündlich zu übermitteln war.

About the author

H. Beam Piper1904–1964

H. Beam Piper was an American science fiction writer born in Altoona in 1904 and died in Williamsport in 1964.

The H. Beam Piper page, and where to start →

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Book details

Original language
English
Translation
German, machine translation
Source text
Project Gutenberg #20121
Licence
Public domain in the United States

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