Explore "The Alien Dies at Dawn" by Randall Garrett on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Kendall Stone had twelve hours to save a thousand lives. It wasn't much time, especially since someone was making sure he didn't use it!
There was a scream of tortured air over the Mojave Spaceport as a two-man starship dropped on its hot jets toward the wide cementalloy landing field. It slowed and settled gently to the ground. Before the faint wisps of smoke had time to dissipate, the airlock door opened, and a big, broad-shouldered man got out. He dropped lithely to the ground and started off across the field at a quick trot.