"Baldwin, Bill - The Helmsman 02 - Galactic Convoy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Baldwin Bill)imaginary machine pictured by your precious plans has never so much as lifted
from the image of a globular display, much less east off for deep space. There are bound to be errors. That is what you engineers are for-to catch mistakes before they hurt someone...." His laugh returned again, this time with a little of his normal humor. "It wouldn't be so good if one of your creations lost its Verticals and fell out of the sky, now would it? Someone could be hurt!" The man only stared into the huge Bear's eyes, mesmerized. "Well, civilian engineer?" "N-no...." "No, what?" "N-no... ah, I, ah, w-wouldn't want a starship t-to f-all out of the sky..." "And what will you do to ensure this does not happen?" "F-fix it-t-the waveguide so the Verticals are b-better insulated from energy strikes...." "Excellent," the Bear exclaimed, gently placing the engineer on his feet. "Your cooperation is most gratifying, civilian. I shall mention it favorably to my superiors. But," he added, "your equipment here is poor. Behold, Wilf, this very drafting display is not functional." Brim could only nod as he fought the gale of laughter that threatened to overwhelm his control. "I'd noticed that," he choked. "You should endeavor to find a workable instrument" Ursis advised the man seriously. "Immediately. Otherwise, by the time you order this waveguide to be reversed, it will be a difficult operation-every metacycle that passes sees new equipment installed in Defiant's already crowded machinery spaces. Eh?" of breath. Suddenly, he turned and ran madly along the consoles until he disappeared through a door at the end of the room. Ursis pursed his lips and frowned. "I only hope he really will do something about that waveguide," he said, "instead of just covering the mistake with a minor insulating job. Once the hull is buttoned up, there will be no way I can check." Then he smiled wryly and shook his head. "Groaning trees and growling wolves are all the same in a spring snowstorm, eh?" "Huh?" Brim responded, looking up from the wreckage of the drafting table. "An old saying from the Mother Planets," the Bear answered with a grimace, "and-it seems that I shall never learn to hold my temper," he observed. "Now we are probably both in trouble." Brim shrugged. "A little, maybe. But it's at least possible now that something may be done to protect the Verticals. If we'd kept our mouths shut, nobody would even had looked. Besides," he chuckled as they boarded an elevator for the observation balcony, "I've dealt with bullies all my life. Once you scrape away their rank, as you did so well, they're all the same sort of cowards." He winked. "Now, if you want to talk about real trouble, imagine us fighting a dead ship after something like a lightning strike tripped the Verticals at low altitude-maybe during a landing. Universe...." Nergol Thannic's all-consuming galactic conflict seemed terribly remote that day among the ancient starship yards of Eleandor-Bestienne. Outside a lofty Engineering Tower in the Orange-Eight district, cobalt skies and soft puffs of summer clouds ruled the late afternoon over Construction Complex 81-B. On an open balcony, a warm breeze rustled the blue Fleet Cape at Brim's neck and |
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