Vacation Planet

About the Book

"Gencha!" The translator radio screamed it in two languages. Truax looked around, but there wasn´t much place he could hide from the escaped two-ton killer alligator.

Earlier, Captain Huff unknowingly landed the starship in King Chefrun´s front yard. The landing terrified the natives and caused the king to delay sending his troops and their riding genchas to battle for fear of the demons in the star. He felt certain they and the ship were summoned from the dark places by his enemy.

King Chefrun´s troops kill three ship´s security men before they hear the rumor he starts that these are benevolent spirits, hoping to prevent panic among his people, but privately he still considers them demons. Captain Huff fears losing more people, so nobody is allowed from the ship. He´d go elsewhere except for the hundred or two natives who moved their tents under the ship to be near the benevolent spirits.

Truax, ship´s purser, sneaks out to trade with the natives and is hauled up into court. Then ship psychologists decide trading might break the impasse, and it becomes official. During this time, Truax discovers the natives are badly infested with lice and coerces a female medic to lead daily trips to the river where the natives are taught the exotic ritual called bathing, using louse soap from the ship.

King Chefrun is still fearful the demons intend to take over both kingdoms and eat all their souls. He delays too long and the war is on his land and he is losing. Escaped genchas will attack anything moving, and will roam his kingdom for years to come. But to escape the court charges, Truax suggests a weapon to destroy the lizards and later shows the locals how granny made coal tar soap to rid her youngun´s of parasites.

Captain Huff not only dismisses the court charges, but presents Truax with a reward and a promotion to full purser. King Chefrun decides maybe these might be good demons after all, and agrees to have metals to trade when another ship comes in two or three years. The female medic becomes friendly with Truax, but he´s dreadfully shy around girls.

About the Author

Don Sueck was born in Milwaukee in the thirties, raised in Wisconsin, and employed as a printer before serving as a clerk and aircraft computer repairman in the Air Force during and after Korea . Back in the northwoods, he worked on newspapers for a dozen years, then switched to marine engine repair, which he performed thirty years before retiring. He currently holds both pilot's and amateur radio licenses. He left cold Wisconsin for Kansas, where he now resides.