Blue Behemoth - Leigh Douglass Brackett
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What is the Imperial Circus and why is it in trouble?
THE BLUE BEHEMOTH by Lee Brackett bucky shannon leaned forward across the little hexagonal table he knocked over the pitcher of fill but it didn't matter the pitcher was empty he jabbed me in the breastbone with his forefinger not very hard not hard enough to jar the ribs clean loose just enough to spring them we he said are broke we are finished through washed up and down the drain He added, as an afterthought, destitute. I looked at him. I said sourly, you're kidding. Kidding? Shannon put his elbows on the table and peered at me through a curtain of very blonde hair that was trying hard to be read. He says I'm kidding. With Shannon's Imperial Circus, the greatest show in space, plastered so thick with attachments.
It's no more plastered than you are. I was sore because he'd been a lot quicker grabbing the pitcher. The greatest show in space? Phooey. I've wet-nursed Shannon's Imperial Circus around the triangle for eleven years. And I know. It's lousy. It's mangy. It's broken down. Nothing works. From the ship to the roustabouts. In short, it stinks. i must have had the pitcher oftener than i thought nobody insults buck halter shannon's imperial circus to buck halter shannon's face unless he's tired and wants a long rest in the comfy fracture frame shannon got up he got up slowly i had plenty of time to see his gray-green eyes get sleepy and hear the quarter earth-blood martian girl wailing about love over by the battered piano and watch the slanting cat-eyes of the little dark people at the tables swing round toward us pleased and kind of hungry
I had plenty of time to think how I only weigh 137 to Shannon's 175, and how I'm not as young as I used to be. I said, "'Bucky, hold on, fella. I—' Somebody said, "'Excuse me, gentlemen.' Is one of you Mr. Buckhalter Shannon? Shannon put his hands down on his belt. He closed his eyes and smiled pleasantly and said, very gently, Would you be collecting for the feed bill or the fuel? I shot a glance at the newcomer. He'd saved me from a beating, even if he was a lousy bill collector, and I felt sorry for him. bucky shannon settled his shoulders and hips like a dancer the stranger was a little guy he even made me look big he was dressed in dark green syntha silk very conservative there was a powdering of grey in his hair and his skin was pink soft and shaved painfully clean he had the kind of a face that nice maiden ladies will trust with their last dime i looked for his strong arms
There didn't seem to be any. The little guy looked at Shannon with pale blue eyes like a baby, and his voice was softer than Bucky's. He said, I don't think you understand. I felt cold suddenly between the shoulders. Somebody scraped the chair back. It sounded like he'd ripped the floor open. It was so quiet. I got my brassies on, and my hands were sweating. Bucky shan inside, and let his fist start traveling, a long, deceptive arc. Then I saw what the little guy was holding in his hand. I yelled and knocked the table over into Bucky. It made a lot of noise. It knocked him sideways and down, and the little dark men jumped up, quivering and showing their teeth. The Martian girl screamed. Bucky heaved the table off his lap and cursed me.
"'What's eating you, Jig? I'm not going to hurt him!' "'Shut up!' I said. "'Look what he's got there! Money!' The little guy looked at me. He hadn't turned a hair. "'Yes,' he said. "'Money. Quite a lot of it. Would you gentlemen permit me to join you?' Bucky Shannon got up. He grinned his pleasantest grin. Delighted. I'm Shannon. This is Jig Bentley, my business manager. He looked down at the table. I'm sorry about that. Mistaken identity. The little guy smiled. He did it with his lips. The rest of his face stayed placid and babyish, almost transparent. I realized with a start that it wasn't transparent at all. It was the most complete deadpan I ever met. And you couldn't see into those innocent blue eyes any more than you could see through sheet metal.
I didn't like him. I didn't like him at all. But he had money. I said, Howdy, let's go find a booth.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the Imperial Circus and why is it in trouble?
0:00–13:19
2
How does Beamish propose a new charter for the circus?
13:19–34:03
3
Why does the crew become concerned about Gertrude’s condition?
34:03–40:50
4
What triggers the violent breakout in the brute tank?
40:50–51:51
5
How do the characters confront the mysterious Kansan creatures?
51:51–1:02:43
6
What role does Ara the Nahali woman play in the swamp‑town showdown?
1:02:43–1:15:52
7
How is the final escape from the Venusian swamp orchestrated?
1:15:52–1:19:02
8
What are the lasting consequences for Shannon’s Imperial Circus?
1:19:02–1:20:55