 Was Akroida like the rest of the scorpions?
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Planet Stories Fall 1954. Sure, the crystals are deadly, but I was smuggling them legitimately, in a manner of speaking, for this doctor to experiment with. And instead, blast me, if they didn't foul me with this trip to good old Jupiter. Jupiter was a death sentence. "You've no doubt heard tales of the strange population of Jupiter," he said. Insect-like creatures who manifestly migrated there from some other system and who inhabit the Red Spot of the planet, floating in some kind of artificial anti-gravity field in the gaseous portion of the atmosphere—" I snorted. That whole Kooleen caper: Had it been just a trap to lead me straight to this? Not when I already had more counts against me than a cur has fleas. Those inhabitants were charming, just charming if you like scorpions. Well, a cross between a scorpion and a grasshopper, to be accurate. No doubt they had it figured that I'd gratefully throw myself into a sea of ammonia among man-size scorpions just for the hell of it. Big as hen's eggs, an even dozen of 'em; and flawless, I'm a-shoutin', not a flaw!" Those emeralds were in the inner shrine of the super-sacred, super-secret temple of the cavern-dwelling tribe of Killicuts on Mars—the real aborigines.
 No - she was larger and meaner
 Yes - they were all enormous and vicious  Yes - they were all purple and covered in jewels  No - she was larger and meaner  No - she spoke better and was prettier