PRISONER OF WAR
By Randall Garrett
It was the first time a Flesso had met an
Earthman face to face. And the Flesso appeared
puzzled as to why the Earthman showed no fear!
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
June 1958
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Marten wasn't prepared for it when the alien tractor-beam grabbed his little ship. He had been in the Fourth Quadrant of Fless territory, threading an uneasy course through the extraterrestrials' home grounds, but he hadn't expected to be caught so suddenly or so hard.
The ship stopped in mid-flight abruptly—so abruptly that Marten's head was slammed back against the rear of the seat, and for a moment he was paralyzed by the shock of what had happened.
But only for a moment. His toe reached out, snapped the pedal on the subspace radio, and an instant later the voice of Earth Central's operator said, "What is it, Marten?"
"Tell them I've been caught," Marten said crisply. "Tell 'em the Flesso patrols got me. And—"
The radio went dead as the Flesso dampers got to it. Marten pulled himself forward and ran his eyes over the instrument panel. Against the dark velvet of space, a dull-gray Flesso warship was swelling in the viewplate, preparing to scoop up its prey. Marten had been caught like a fly in molasses.