Gus, help me! Help! Oh, God, no no nooo!" So screamed the female upon at last fully perceiving the stained altar just before her, and evidently realizing its purpose, just at the moment when the two priests who were not playing instruments came to tear away her garlands and clothes and chain her down upon the stones. The berserker watched steadily to see whether Gus or God {whatever entities these might be} might come to the female's aid, although from its experience following 17,261 similar appeals the probability seemed vanishingly small.
( Fred Saberhagen )
[ Berserker's Planet ]
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