"Bunch, Chris - Last Legion 01 - The Last Legion 2.0" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bunch Chris)

the rest of the ship, was spotless and smelled of fresh paint. Fresh
paint and an incongruous odor of dust, as if the Malvern was an antique.

The recruits were ordered by a harried-looking crewman to strap down in
their bunks and stand by for lift.

The Malvern came alive, a deep hum reverberating through every deck. The
deck speaker said, 'Stand by.' The hum grew deeper until it made your
bones sing, and the Malvern shuddered.

'Are we in space?' Njangu asked.

'I think so, but-'

The speaker interrupted Garvin, and said, 'Stand by for jump,' and
moments later the slight nausea, disorientation came, and they were in
stardrive. They waited to see what would happen next, but,
characteristic of space travel, nothing did.

'Let's go see what there's to see,' Garvin said, unstrapping.

'I thought we'd be in zero gravity,' Njangu complained.

'Be grateful we're not,' Garvin said. 'Lots of people's stomachs would
be real unhappy, and I don't get my thrills swabbing up puke in midair.'

'Oh yeh?' Njangu said. 'You been out before?' The phrase, heard on
holos, rang tastily on his tongue.

Garvin smiled, shrugged, and led the way out of the compartment.

There wasn't much to see. More crew bays, deserted assembly areas, long
corridors looking like the one they'd just left. There weren't any
viewports, even on the outer decks, and neither Njangu nor Garvin could
figure out how to operate the occasional screen they came upon.

Njangu stopped at one compartment hatch labeled LIBRARY.

'Let's go educate ourselves, like that goon told us we were supposed to
do.'

Low tables lined the walls, with screens and keypads at regular
intervals. Njangu sat behind one, touched a key. The screen lit:

ENTER REQUEST

'What?'

'Try, uh, destination,' Jaansma suggested.