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

bedecked as he was in road grime, impact microcraters, a botched original emulsicoat that was coming
off in flakes around his stabilizer foils, and a few dents here and there. His left-front roller sported
crystallization patches all over, its variable-traction capacity just about shot. IтАЩd been collecting spot-
inspection tags on it for a good while, had a charming nosegay of them by now, courtesy of the Colonial
Militia, with the promise of more lovelies yet to come. They do brighten up a glovebox.
We went into the restaurant, and sure enough, there was a god-awful long wait. Darla and I didnтАЩt
have much to say while we waited; too many people about. I was almost ready to leave when the robo-
hostess came for us and showed us to a booth by the window, my favorite spot in any beanery.
Things were looking up until I spotted Wilkes with a few of his тАЬassistantsтАЭ in a far comer. They had
an alien with them, a ReticulanтАФa Snatchganger, if I knew my Reticulans. Rikkitikkis like humans
especially. We have such sensitive nerve endings, you know, and scream most satisfactorily. If he had
been alone (I knew it was a male, because his pheromones reached across the room, hitting my nose as a
faint whiff of turpentine and almonds), he wouldnтАЩt have lasted two minutes here or anywhere on any
human world. They are free to travel the Skyway, as is any race. But they are not welcome off-road in
the Terran Maze, nor are they loved in many other regions of the galaxy.
But he was with Corey Wilkes, undoubtedly on business, which afforded him some immunity.
Nobody was looking at them but me and Darla. Wilkes caught sight of me, smiled, and waved as if we
were at a church picnic. I gave him my best toothflash and stuck my nose in the menu. тАЬWhat are you
having, Darla? ItтАЩs on me.тАЭ
тАЬLet me buy you dinner once. IтАЩve been working lately.тАЭ
тАЬThis is breakfast.тАЭ After a moment, I took the opportunity to ask, тАЬWhat have you been doing?тАЭ
тАЬFor the last month, waitressing to keep body and soul together. Before that, singing, as usual.
Saloons, nightclubs. I had a really good group behind me, lots of gigs, but they threw me over for a new
chanteuse. Kept my arrangements and left me with the motel tab on Xi Boo III.тАЭ тАЬNice.тАЭ The waiter
came and we ordered.
There were a few other aliens in the place. A Beta Hydran was slurping something viscous in the
next booth with a human companion. Most restaurants on Skyway cater to alien trade, and that includes
alien road facilities with regard to human customers. But the air of resentment against the Reticulan was
palpable.
I looked around for familiar faces. Besides Wilkes, I spied Red Shaunnessey over in the corner with
his partner, Pavel Korolenko. Shaunnessey winked at me. Red was vice-president of TATOO once, but
came over to us when he had had enough of Wilkes. Some Guild members still distrusted him, but he
had been a big help in the early days of the GuildтАЩs struggle. The fight wasnтАЩt over yet. We were still
trying to wean drivers away from Wilkes when it was easierтАФand saferтАФfor them to keep their mouths
glued to TATOOтАЩS bloated tit. I also saw Gil Tomasso and Su-Gin Chang, but they werenтАЩt looking in
my direction. They were well off their usual route. A special run. Looking around again, I thought I saw
a familiar face at a table near Wilkes and company, a tall, thin, patrician gentleman with a mane of white
hair, but I couldnтАЩt place him. I had the feeling I knew his face from the news feeds. Probably a middle-
to-upper-level Authority bureaucrat on an inspection junket.
By the time the food came, the edge had come off my appetite. If I had had any sense, I would have
walked out at the first sight of Wilkes, and no one would have blamed me. But thereтАЩs a primal
territoriality in us all. Why should I leave? Why not him? Red got up and came over. I introduced him
to Darla, and I thought I caught a speck of recognition in his eyes. He declined a cup of sourbean, a
native brew that tastes nothing like coffee and faintly like a mixture of cinnamon and iodine. He lit one
of his nasty-looking cigars. тАШTrouble, Jake,тАЭ he said. тАШTrouble all over the starslab.тАЭ
I picked at my eggs Eridani. тАЬThis I know. Anything new?тАЭ
тАЬMarty DiFlippo.тАЭ
тАЬWhat about her?тАЭ
тАЬJust came over the skyband. She hit the tollbooths on BamardтАЩs II.тАЭ That hurt. I had known Marty
wellтАФa good woman, good driver. She could pilot a rig better than most, always on schedule, always