Machine of Klamugra

"Machine of Klamugra" by Allen K. Lang is a tale set in the realm of science fiction, where human space travelers Captain Jan Barnaby and Lieutenant Kim Teajun find themselves entangled in an alien legal system. It all begins when their spaceship accidentally causes the demise of a revered Martian priest, thrusting them into a trial by Klamugra's Machine. This colossal contraption, designed to dispense justice based on ancient Martian laws, becomes the focal point of their desperate attempt to avoid severe punishment. With their lives hanging in the balance, Barnaby and Teajun devise a daring scheme to subvert the mechanical system, introducing the concept of the "finagle factor," leading to chaos, and forcing the Martians to reconsider the foundations of their rigid and unyielding laws.