Obscurocious

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Ray Aldridge is a relatively new writer, but his name is no stranger to those who peruse the Nebula ballots, and his first novel has just come out to enthusiastic notices.

A chlorine-breathing ambassador from the Sirius system is found dead in his hotel room in an orbiting, multi-environmental hotel. He is alone in his room, the door is locked, and there are no marks on the body. The Sirius system is at peace, but they have a formidable military force, and since the hotel is owned and run by humans, they have given the human authorities twenty-four hours to solve the problem before declaring war.

   1. Was he murdered or did he die from some other cause?

   2. If he was murdered, how was he murdered, who did it, and what might the motive be?

* * *

The nameless messenger had come to Natty Looper an hour ago, terrified and carrying the chop of the Osiris Grand Hotel's security chief. The messenger had revealed nothing of the matter to be discussed, but he displayed the sort of barely-suppressed hysteria that Natty associated with major disasters. He had handed over a huge retainer, collected Natty's mark on a nondisclosure form, and left without a single informative word.

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