"Avatar 2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Avatar)

Herald. Or Emissary. And who else could the first son be, if the Avatar was
Kas and Dad's baby? Istani Reyla had given the prophecy to him because she
knew that it was true, and he knew it, too. He could feel it, and that
everything had gone so smoothlyЧ buying the Venture from Quark, the readiness
with which everyone had bought his story about going to Earth to visit his
grandfather, even the fact that the Aldebaran had been destroyed and would
effectively shield his movementsЧall of it had fit together in a way that was
almost frightening, that suggested there were greater powers at work. Powers
that wanted him to succeed.

Except for Istani Reyla, his mind whispered. Where did she fit in?

He didn't know, and didn't want to think about it. At the moment, there was
nothing he could do about it anyway, not without abandoning his mission. When
he got back, he'd tell Kira everything, he'd tell her about the prophecy and
what he suspectedЧ that somehow, Istani had been killed because of it.

Or I'll tell Dad. He'll know what to do.

It was hope talking, but that was okay; he thought he deserved a little hope.
And if he was wrong about everything, no one would ever have to know what he
had attempted. He could make up a story about the shuttle being faulty, that
it had been nudged into the wormhole by some of the debris as he was returning
to the station; he could make up anything he liked, if the prophecy turned out
to be false.

It won't be.

On the screen, the space station slowly grew, its tiny lights glittering and
bright against the fathomless dark, Jake tucked the aged paper back into its
wrapping, excited and nervous. He was going to bring his father home.

2

Captain Picard found Elias Vaughn in cargo hold D, standing over the closed
ark that held the Orb of Memory. It didn't surprise him, really; the commander
had been quite taken with the Bajoran artifact. Understandably.

Vaughn glanced up as Picard approached, perhaps pulled from his reverie by the
sound of another's footsteps. The cargo hold was still and peaceful, the low
lights making it seem even quieter, a dark and silent place far from the
bustle of a starship.

"Captain," Vaughn said lightly, tilting his head. "You're up early this
morning."

"Commander," Picard returned, smiling. "Yes. I hope I haven't interrupted
yourЧmeditation, but I thought you might like to join Dr. Crusher and myself
for breakfast. It may be our last chance." They were running a few hours late