"Benford G - Furious Gulf" - читать интересную книгу автора (Benford Gregory)

PS3552.E542F87 1994

813' .54--dc20
94-6473

CIP

Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada

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For Joan,

FURIOUS

GULF

Prologue True Center

Toby watched his father walk the hull.
Killeen was a silvery figure, his suit tuned to reflect as much radiation
as possible. A mirror man. Slick light slid over him as he moved, shimmering
with the phosphorescence of stars and gas. Toby could follow Killeen's
smooth, slow lope as a rippling warp against the fiery background.
--Dad!--Toby called over his skinsuit comm band.
--What? Oh... --Killeen's surprise came through the fizz of comm
static.--How come you're outside?--
--Crew's wondering how come you're out here so long.-As
Cap'n of the Argo, Killeen could do whatever he liked, of course.
But Toby had felt the growing uncertainty among the officers inside.
Somebody had to act, to say something, so he had pulled on his skintight
suit and come clumping out here. Lately Cap'n Killeen had kept himself
isolated. He came out here to hike over the fat curves of the ship's hull,
often not even leaving his suit comm line open.
Killeen said distantly,--I'm navigating. Watching.-The
big man's watery image flowed, liquid with light, as Killeen came
toward Toby across Argo's blunt prow. His suit momentarily mirrored the
black depths of a nearby molecular cloud, and Toby saw him as an eerie
shadow-man against the distant burnt-orange wash of star-speckled gas.
--You can do that from the bridge,--Toby said.
--Get a better feel for it out here.--Killeen came close enough for
Toby to make out his father's stern expression through the suit's small
vision slit.