"Baldwin, Bill - The Helmsman 01 - The Helmsman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Baldwin Bill)

!!!!"It certainly does, sir," the face stated with conviction.
!!!!"Pardon?"
!!!!"But then I understand all you young fellers love snow."
!!!!Brim was just opening his mouth again when be was interrupted by the appearance of a
Great Sodeskayan Bear with engineering blazes on the high collar of his Fleet Cloak. The
newcomer-a full lieutenant-peered through the door, appeared to immediately grasp the
situation, and wiggled long, unruly whiskers. "Lieutenant Brim?" he asked.
!!!!"Yes, sir," Brim answered. "Ah. . . ?" He inclined his head toward the pantry door.
!!!!The Bear smiled. "Oh, that's Chief Steward Grimsby," he explained. "He's all right-he just
doesn't listen anymore."
!!!!"Doesn't listen, sir?"
!!!!"Well, not in the half year since I signed on he hasn't."
!!!!Brim nodded, more in capitulation than anything else.
!!!!"Don't let him bother you, friend," the Bear maid. "He seems to anticipate most everything
we require. Anything else, we get for ourselves."
!!!!"I, ah, see, sir."
!!!!The Bear grinned, exposing long, polished fangs, each with the tiny jeweled inlay all
fashionable Bears seemed to consider indispensable. "'Sir' is not really my name," he said,
extending a large furry hand. "On the Mother Planets, I sin called Nikolas Yanuar Ursis-but
you should call me 'Nik,' eh?"
!!!!Brim gripped his hand. "Nik it is," he replied. "And you seem to know mine's Wilf Brim-
Wilf Ansor Brim, that is."
!!!!"Kristoba told me you were here," Ursis said, drawing a battered Sodeskayan Zempa pipe
from a pocket of his expensive-looking tunic. Six strong fingers delicately charged its bowl
from a flat leather case, and he puffed vigorously until the hogge'poa glowed warmly, filling
the wardroom with its sweet, heavy fragrance-object of centuries' aggravated complaint by
suffering human crewmates all over the Universe. "You don't mind, do you?" Ursis asked,
settling into one of the less seedy recliners.
!!!!Brim smiled and shook his head. Hogge'poa never especially bothered him. Nobody
seriously expected the Bears to stop anyway, but the tolerance had less to do with altruism than
with recognition of the extraordinary genius by which engineered Hyperspace Drive systems,
and besides, female Bears simply loved the smell of it.
!!!!"Fresh from the Academy, eh?" Ursis asked, crossing his legs comfortably. His high boots
were perfectly polished, as if he expected an imminent inspection.
!!!!"I only graduated last week," Brim admitted.
!!!!"Then you came in from Avalon on Amphitrite, didn't you?"
!!!!Brim pursed his lips and nodded. Indeed, he had arrived in the big converted liner only the
night before. "Convoy CXY98," he explained.
!!!!"Word has it we lost heavily in that one," the Bear said.
!!!!"More than half the cargo vessels," Brim asserted. "Twelve, I think."
!!!!"And most of the escorts," the Bear stated.
!!!!Brim nodded again. The Eorean Complex boasted an accurate rumor mill. "I watched old
Obstinate blow up no more than a c'lenyt off our port bow," Brim said.
!!!!"No survivors you could see?"
!!!!"I can't imagine anything living through that blast," Brim answered. "All four Drive
chambers seemed to blow at the same time-there wasn't even much wreckage."
!!!!Ursis got out of the recliner thoughtfully. Standing, he was average for a Sodeskayan native:
powerfully barrel chested and slightly taller than the three irals Brim claimed for himself. Like
other Bears, he had short pointed ears and a short muzzle for natural heat retention on the cold
planets of his origin. He looked Brim in the eye. "Two cousins," he pronounced slowly.