Read "Aide Memoire" by Keith Laumer online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
With a bellow Slock reached for Retief -- and choked off in mid-cry as the Fustian elder, Whonk, pinioned him from behind, lifting him clear of the floor.
"Glad you reporters happened along," said Retief to the gaping newsmen. "Slock here had a deal with a sharp operator from the Groaci Embassy. The Groaci were to supply the necessary hardware and Slock, as foreman at the shipyards, was to see that everything was properly installed. The next step, I assume, would have been a local take-over, followed by a little interplanetary war on Flamenco or one of the other nearby worlds. for which the Groaci would be glad to supply plenty of ammo."