"Anderson, Poul - For Love and Glory" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anderson Poul)

He shrugged. УEverywhere, and to my friends.Ф With another laugh: УHey, this is an unexpected pleasure. Welcome for sure, LissaЧand, uh, Karl, of course. Come on, weТre being rotten hosts, letТs get you settled down and have a drink for openers.Ф
He was scanning her with imperfectly concealed lust. That was natural under the circumstances, even a compliment if he kept it under control. She was not tall but full-bodied, supple, tawny of skin and high of cheekbones, short-nosed, heavy-lipped, stubborn-chinned, mahogany hair banged and bobbed. Her last rejuvenation having been eighteen years ago, time had thus far only laid a few laughter lines at the hazel eyes. And she always carried her biological age well, whatever it was at any given time.
[18] УWe thank you, but we must take your hospitality provisionally,Ф Karl said toward Dzesi.
УYour warning satisfies,Ф the Rikhan told him.
УFor now, anyway,Ф said Hebo. Quickly: УWeТve got a lot to talk about. Plus that drink.Ф
He led the way. Dzesi came well behind.
Karl signed to Lissa that she should lower the volume of the translator before he explained: УHer ancestors seldom went about without a rearguard. To provide one was an amicable act. The feuds are now endedЧor sublimatedЧbut traditions endure. And, I believe, instincts. Ghazu is largely steppe. Its inhabitants are the only known beings who, nomadic, independently developed high technology.Ф
Lissa nodded. What a diverse and wonderful universe she lived in!
The habitation dome was clean, and neat where neatness counted. HeboТs things showed a certain bachelor disarray. DzesiТs things were few. The humans sat on folding chairs, the Rikhan on her haunches, the Gargantuan balanced on his tail. Hebo broke out a bottle of excellent whiskey for Lissa and himself, not diluting it much. Dzesi poured water from a gilt bottle into a decorated drinking horn and sipped ceremoniously, almost religiously. Karl had tea from his own canteen. Everybody knew how poisonous alcohol was to his kind.
Hebo lifted his tumbler. УHereТs to friendship.Ф
УIndeed.Ф No matter how much she enjoyed the dram she took, Lissa tautened. УI must say, though, you havenТt seemed eager for it.Ф
УBusiness is business,Ф Hebo replied, unabashed. УNow that youТve found us, letТs make the best of it.Ф
УWhatТs your business, then, if you please?Ф
УI might ask why you care. A whole planet should be plenty big enough for all, no?Ф
УIf nothing else, weТre concerned about possible damage. You canТt be unaware of what ecological havoc can start if strict [19] precautions arenТt taken, especially when biochemistries are strongly similar.Ф She was sounding like an elementary school teacher, she heard. Amusement flickered across his face. She didnТt want that. УAnd now, this object in the riverЧwhatТs it mean, whatТs its scientific valueЧand you havenТt reported it. I imagine you counted on sheer area to hide you.Ф
His grin flashed afresh. УHey, I like your frankness. ItТs a long story on both sides, IТll bet. YouТre with a scientific expedition, right?Ф She nodded. УYeah, Dzesi and I guessed that, when we detected your ship and base as we approached. Whose are they?Ф
УYou could have learned that when you arrived.Ф His gaze on her stayed shameless. УOur expedition originated on Asborg. Several Houses there sponsor what planetary exploration and research their means allow. This time itТs mine and one other. Jonna has been neglected since it was first found and skimpily surveyed.Ф
УJonna? Your peopleТs name?Ф
A second sip glowed along her tongue. She relaxed somewhat and smiled. УBetter than a catalogue number.Ф
УSeems like your partyТs awfully small. To judge by the glimpse we had. No offense, but how much can you do, working out of one camp inЧhow long a stay?Ф
She sighed. УTwo years. Asborgan, that is; twenty-one months Earth standard. The most the consortium can afford at this stage.Ф Too many worlds, she thought, too full of unknownness, and we sophonts too few. УBut a beginning. ThereТs no such thing as useless information, insight, is there?Ф Enthusiasm surged. УWho knows? We could make a discovery important enough that major institutions on several planets will mount a real effort.Ф She curbed it. УYou may have made one, Captain Hebo.Ф
УTorben, Lissa. Formality doesnТt belong hereabouts.Ф
The Rikhan surprised her by taking her side. УTradition is not a shield to lower lightly.Ф
УSpeak for your own folk, partner. Uh, not to get forward, Lissa, or mТlady Windholm if youТd rather. How did you find us?Ф
УA monitor satellite of ours captured a view.Ф Happenstance, [20] as enormous as the region was, but not too improbable, given the capabilities.
УI reckoned so. WeТd figured it was lucky for us your base is on the next continent. Well, our luck didnТt hold out. Not that any harmТs necessarily been done. For sure, none was intended.Ф
УYou didnТt respond to our calls,Ф she accused.
УIs that compulsory? They werenТt distress signals.Ф
Her amity dimmed. УYou hoped we didnТt receive more than an inadequate image that could be misleading, and weТd be too busy to investigate just on the strength of it. DidnТt you?Ф
He laughed again. УThat was sort of what we hoped. At least, we were buying a little time. But, say, if you wanted to check, why not send a flyer directly?Ф
УWe are busy,Ф she admitted. УUndermanned, underequipped, under a deadline because of suppliesЧФ She stiffened her backbone. УIt chanced that Karl and I were in this vicinity. Base asked us to go have a look.Ф
He raised beaker and brows together. УOn foot?Ф
УOur flyer is parked about fifty hoursТ journey away by the most direct route,Ф Karl put in. УOur mission is to conduct a random-sampling investigation of nature in these parts, on the ground, for comparison with data from elsewhere. Brief, superficial, inadequate in itself, granted; but trained observers may conceivably come upon a clue that causes research to redirect itself. Since, in our ignorance, one direction was as good as another, we readily agreed to make for this point.Ф
Hebo kept his attention on the woman. УSo youТre a xenobiologist, Lissa?Ф
УNo, Captain Hebo,Ф she said. УIТm aЧgeneralist. IТve simply done a fair amount of wilderness exploration on more than one planet, and the forest here is not too unlike others for scouts afoot to cope with.Ф The joy of it! УKarlТs the scientist.Ф
УAnd the muscle, I see. Not that you donТt have mighty good-looking muscles yourself,Ф Hebo purred.
She felt herself flush, and snapped, УVery well, here we are. Now itТs the turn of you two to explain what youТre at.Ф
III
A shelter window let in the deceptively mellow sunlight. From where she sat, Lissa could see over the scarred ground to the edge of the canyon and, beyond, wanly sheening amidst the gleam of water, the thing.
УFair enough,Ф Hebo was saying. УYep, fair enough. WeТre absolutely legitimate.Ф
She swung her gaze back to meet his. УThen why the stealth?Ф
Dzesi stirred. She touched her knife. УS-s-s,Ф she hissed. УThat is not a pleasant word about this.Ф
Karl took a short step forward and loomed at her.
Lissa had experienced a multitude of situations in the course ofЧgoing on a hundred years, was it? she thought in sudden astonishment. That long? Already? She lifted her free hand and made a smile. УNo offense, as you put it, Captain Hebo, nor to your honorable companion. Shall we say youТve been remarkably discreet?Ф
The atmosphere eased. The man laughed once more. УWe could spend the rest of this large economy-size day beating around the bush. I donТt want to, do you? Sure, Dzesi and I have been sneaky.Ф
Again he was likeable. In fact, Lissa admitted to herself, he had a good deal of raffish charm. УWould you care to explain? No, I donТt imagine I have any authority, but others do.Ф
УIТd argue about that. But put it aside for now.Ф Hebo leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and took a long swallow. УAll right. To start with, IТm a free-lance entrepreneur, to give it a fancy name. I keep my senses and sensors open, and when I get [22] wind of a possible profit to be made, I go there.Ф
Lissa half gasped. УOn your own?Ф
УYep, my little spaceship is mine free and clear, along with the assorted gear and such, including enough capital to keep me solvent till the next success. More ventures donТt work out than do.Ф
УBut, but what government licenses you?Ф