In The mid-sixties when I was a teenager, the Agent of T.E.R.R.A. books started appearing. They were the adventures of Hannibal Fortune and his alien, shape-changing telepathic partner Webley. Shortly I received contact with the author’s daughter, Sabrina Jardine, who helped me clear up a few misconceptions, while also informing me that Webley had appeared previously in a series of stories in the British science fiction magazine NEW WORLDS. Those three tales recently became available in ebook format.
CREATURES, INCORPORATED
Earth has had interstellar travel for fifteen years when Bil Grant meets Webley, the alien shape-changing symbiote disguised as a cat(his most frequent appearance.
Both are out of work and decide to team up. They set up Creatures, Incorporated, a travel agency that assists aliens visiting Earth in quarters, finding food, money exchange, tourist spots, that sort of thing.
In this one, a completely unknown alien has been captured and no one can talk to it. It’s up to Creatures, Incorporated to save the day
ALIEN FOR HIRE
Webley and Bill Grant, as well as their new secretary, have a slightly different problem this time around. They are visited by a Kobabra, an eight foot tall alien that looks like a bird. Johrkoll is his name and he’s lost everything. His passport, his identity papers, and all his money.
He needs, first, to be able to prove his identity, get the proper papers, and a job. The paperwork will be tough because no proof of I.D. Johrkoll is quite an accomplished singer on his home world. Unfortunately, his register is to high for human ears.
A tough task for Creatures, Incorporated.
WHEN IN DOUBT
Creatures, Incorporated has a pair of problems. An Aldebaranian priest, an eight foot tall grasshopper, named Kaara needs a job. He’d come to Earth on vacation to check out Earth religions. He’d misfigured his funds and was flat broke.
The second trouble was the Mantashi, slug-like aliens hired out for a tunnel project. Excellent diggers, they also secreted a slime that hardened, reinforcing the walls. The trouble started when they sent a seventh Mantashi to help. The aliens promptly stopped work and dug a side room where they all disappeared into. The project was time sensitive and a big bonus could be lost if they couldn’t be got back to work quickly.
It took the Aldebaranian priest to put them on the right track.
An amusing little short story involving alien biologics.
The varied works of Larry Maddock are available at Amazon