"John DeChancie - Skyway 1 - Starrigger" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dechancie John)

sat for a while surrounded by chirping, twittering jungle.
Presently, Sam asked, тАЬOne of those treehuts near here?тАЭ тАЬI think. CanтАЩt really see a thing.тАЭ тАЬWell,
find the nearest one and see if itтАЩs vacant.тАЭ тАЬWait a minute. Is this a clearing up ahead? Go forward a
few meters.тАЭ
Sam started the engine, eased ahead. We poked through the edge of a paved footpath. тАЬCтАЩmon,
Darla,тАЭ I said. тАШTake your pack. LetтАЩs look like tourists.тАЭ
 The woman in the office was a short, dark-haired woman who spoke incomprehensible English, but
her Intersystem was as bad as mine. The accent was Spanish, the eyes Oriental, and I took her for a
recently arrived Filipina.
тАЬTwenty UTC, please. You have ID?тАЭ
тАЬYes.тАЭ I showed her my Alonzo Q. Snerd persona, the duly authorized plasticard of which I keep for
the times when I feel like Alonzo Q. Snerd. тАЬThis is my lifecompanion,тАЭ I said, indicating Darla.
тАЬMistah-Missa Snerd? Happy you be here. You got bags?тАЭ
тАЬYes, thank you. By the way, we want that particular cabin,тАЭ I told her, pointing to the layout on the
wall. тАЬWe took a walk back there. We hope itтАЩs available.тАЭ
тАЬNumber Seventeen. Nice! No one there now. FRONT!тАЭ
The bellhop came in from a back room. It was a squat but powerfully thewed, very hairy, anthropoid
creature, a native. The species is regarded as borderline-sentient by most authorities. It had two large
wide-set eyes that were owl-like, a wet, dark-lipped mouth splitting a short snout, and floppy long ears.
Its feet were splay-toed, hairless, pink, and looked prehensile. Its three fingered hands had what looked
like opposable thumbs on either side. The creature had no tail. тАЬThis Cheetah. She take you.тАЭ
Cheetah grabbed our bags, took the key from the woman, and scurried off through a vine covered
archway that led into a tunnel. We followed her.
At the end of the tunnel was an elevator door. It looked conventional, but the shaft, as it turned out,
was nonexistent. Instead, we found an open-air car faked up to look like logs and sticks. It more than
likely had a metal frame. We got on and it rose into the trees. From the upper platform we debarked into
a maze of sturdy rope bridges with plank walkways leading from tree to tree, cabin to cabin. Ours was
bigger than it had appeared from the footpath, but still quite cozy, resting in the crook of three huge
structural boughs. Inside, the decor was consistent with the rest of the place, early-RKO Pictures; floors,
walls, furniture, and everything else were made of the native equivalents of wicker, rattan, and bamboo.
I slumped in the peacock Empire chair and sighed. The Eridani creature darted about, opening shutters,
flicking on lights, turning down beds, and plumping pillows, all very briskly, and with far more dexterity
than a Terran ape could muster. It was surprising, in away. More surprisingly, the creature turned to me
and spoke.
тАЬHuh?тАЭ was all I could reply.
тАЬThat all, sir? That all?тАЭ
тАЬUhhh...Darla?тАЭ
Darla smiled at the creature. тАЬIs there a gift shop or store here? I need some tissue paper.тАЭ
тАЬI go get some! You need, I get!тАЭ
Darla offered her a credit note. Cheetah refused.
тАЬNo, no! Fwee! Soap, towel, keenex, fwee. No money!тАЭ
Cheetah left and closed the door quietly.
тАЬCall me Bwana,тАЭ I said, not feeling particularly witty.
тАЬSheтАЩs cute. IтАЩve seen them before, at carnivals and things. TheyтАЩre really very intelligent.тАЭ
тАЬHmmm. And honest. She could have snagged that tenner.тАЭ
Darla laughed, scoffing. тАЬDo you actually think she needs money?тАЭ
тАЬWhy is she working here?тАЭ
That stumped her.
I got out SamтАЩs key and buzzed him. тАЬSam, weтАЩve set up housekeeping.тАЭ
тАЬHow is it?тАЭ