"C. J. Cherryh - Chanur 02 - Chanur's Venture" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cherryh C J)

expression at her at all.
"Fish," she said in disgust.
"Cheapest duty. What you want, pay more? I tell you, got thing fixed."
"I'll bet you do."
"Customs ask no question. Number one fixed."
"I've got questions. I've got plenty of questions. You set me up, you
egg-sucking bastard. So I take this deal. But by-the-gods you tell me everything
you know. What kif trouble? Where are they working? Are they on your tail right
now?"
"Always got kif at Meetpoint."
"Then why come here, for the gods' sakes? What are you doing here? The kif know
what you've got?"
Goldtooth shrugged. "Maybe."
"From how long? How long you been at this?"
A second shrug. "Packet. In packet got paper tell you. Tully bring in canister.
You take, you read all. You run fast. Go Maing Tol, go Personage. Get plenty
help from there."
"They on your tail?"
A third shrug.
"Goldtooth, you bastard, how tight?"
"Got trouble," Goldtooth said.
She weighed that. Mahijiru in trouble. A mahen hunter-ship with more kif
troubles than it could handle. "So you got. Where you go now?"
"Best thing you don't ask."
"Human space?"
"Maybe deep in stsho territory. Read packet. Read packet. Friend."
"Rot you."
"Rot you too," Goldtooth said soberly. His ears stayed up. There were fine
wrinkles round his dark eyes. "God save us. Need you, Pyanfar. Need bad."
"Huh." She flicked her ears up with a light chiming of their rings. "I'm not a
gods-blessed warship, mahe."
"Know that."
"Sure. Sure." She walked off a pace to get clear breath, looked at Tully, who
understood -- perhaps a little. Always more than he spoke.
Tully would not lie to her. That much she believed. His silence, his level,
unflinching stare now, that vouched for his own honesty in this. "When bring to
you?" Goldtooth asked. She turned back to him. "Got an appointment in station
office. Got to make that. Got to advise my crew. Got to tell them -- You give me
lot of problems, hear? And you be careful." She extruded a claw and poked
Goldtooth hard in the chest, so she saw him wince. "You be careful this package.
You be gods-rotted careful, hear?" She meant two things.
"Hear," Goldtooth said, full soberly. He heard both things. She knew.
"Got three days this port," she said. "Got stall three days with gods-rotted kif
sniffing round. I pull The Pride out sooner, big trouble. Lot of attention. When
you go?"
"Deliver package, wait awhile, then go. Got no cargo but fake cans I give to
you."
"So." She turned away, met Tully's eyes, patted him very gently on his arm,
recalling his fragile skin. "Safe, understand. You do what they say. No fear.
These mahendo'sat bring you to me. Understand?"