A full meal and three extra helpings of hot biscuits later, Grandma,
Lamps and Snake were sitting around in the captain's cabin talking.
"... and that's the way it is, Grandma. When STAR froze us out of work,
we just took our ship here and became pirates." Lamps stuffed one more
of Grandma's biscuits into his mouth.
"But where'd you get that fancy gadget that stopped the Kismet's
engines from running?" Grandma asked, passing the plate to Snake.
Snake took a biscuit and passed the plate back. "That's our Suggestor
Ray. Perfessor Spindle, he invented it. He invents a lot of things.
He's got a lavoratory at our hideout."
"You mean laboratory, Snake. But who's Professor Spindle?" Grandma
asked.
Snake wolfed the biscuit down in one mighty gulp. "He used to work for
STAR until they stole a couple of his inventions and wouldn't pay him
for them. So he come to work for us. He fixed up the suggestor ray in
no time."
"You mean suppressor ray," muttered Lamps, his mouth full.
"That's right. We get close to another space ship and turn it on and it
suggests that the engines don't work. Perfessor Spindle, he shedded our
engines so they'd work even with it on."
"You mean shielded," said Grandma.
"That's right. He put a big shed over the engines to shed out the
suggestor rays." As Snake leaned over to pick up the remaining biscuit
from the plate in front of him, a locket slipped out of the neck of
his shirt. Grandma saw the picture of a pretty blonde girl in it, and
attached to the chain was a wedding ring. Snake noticed her looking at
it. "That's my wife. We was married when we was awful young. But she
up and flewed the coop on me about a year after we was married. Awful
pretty, she was."
"She reminds me of someone," said Grandma.
Lamps leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk.
"You know, Grandma, you sure do bake fine biscuits. Maybe we'll stop in
and see you sometimes at that old folks home and you can fix us some
more. Yes, sir, you sure can cook."
Grandma Perkins saw her opening and seized upon it. "You sure could use
a woman's touch on this ship. Why, this is the dirtiest ship I've ever
seen, and--"
"Aw, now, Grandma. You know we never could have a female on a pirate
ship. And we got to get you back to safety before the Space Patrol has
us in the coop for good. And what would your ten children say--"
Lamps was saved from further explanation when the door to the cabin
burst open and Willie Wicket, the youngest of the pirates, dashed in.
"Captain Lamps! There's a Space Patrol ship bearing down on our tail
hell bent for leather!"
Lamps jumped to his feet, as did Snake. "Well, turn on the suppressor
ray. That ought to fix it!"
"I turned on the ray and they're still a-coming!" wailed Willie.
"Oh, Lordy, Lordy! Professor Spindle told us this would happen, and we
didn't believe him. That must be one of the new patrol ships," Lamps
moaned as he, Snake and Grandma rushed for the control room. En route
Grandma was told that the newest patrol ships had a special kind of
shielding that made them invulnerable to the Spindle suppressor ray.
Lamps, Snake, Willie and the rest of the crew took turns at trying
to out-maneuver the patrol craft, but it had far too much speed for
the slower craft, and it became obvious within a few minutes that the
pirate ship was doomed to be captured.