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

with a smile. She had been one of the handful of charter members the Starriggers Guild could claim. I
looked out the window for a moment. I had a flashing fantasy of getting lost in the riotous vegetation out
there, rooting somewhere in the moist jungle earth. No more joy or sorrow, just light and water and
peace. I looked back at Red. тАЬWhat are the cops saying? Any witnesses?тАЭ There is no other evidence
available when the cylinders swallow a person. In fact, the question was stupid, as there is no other way
to prove mat it happened at all. Every year, travelers set off on Skyway and are never seen again,
hundreds of them.
тАЬThere was a rig behind her when it happened,тАЭ Red told me. тАЬSaid her left rear roller went out of
sync on her just as she hit the commit marker. She couldnтАЩt straighten up in time, and... that was that.тАЭ
тАЬWho reported it?тАЭ
тАЬDidnтАЩt get his name. A TATOO driver, for sure, but not one of WilkesтАЩ torpedoes. Just an average
guy. Probably had nothing to do with it.тАЭ Red took a long pull of his cigar. тАЬIt could have been an
accident.тАЭ
тАЬHell of an inconvenient time for a sync loss,тАЭ I said, putting down my fork. There was no chance of
my eating. Darla, however, was digging in, seemingly oblivious to our conversation. тАЬOr very
convenient, depending on your point of view.тАЭ I considered a possibility, then said, тАЬWeтАЩve never had
witnesses before. Disappearances, no clues. HowтАЩs this? A small, smokeless charge set on the traction-
sync delegateтАФthe box is easily accessible, if youтАЩve ever lookedтАФdetonated by remote control or by a
gravitational-stress-sensitive fuse.тАЭ
тАЬSounds plausible,тАЭ Red said. тАЬIтАЩd go for the fuse idea, though IтАЩve never heard of one like that.
The driver was treated for flash bums and gammashine exposure.тАЭ
тАЬSo? Verisimilitude.тАЭ
тАЬYeah. I see what you mean about the delegate switcher. IтАЩd never have thought of doing it that way.
Seems to me, if you wanted to send a rig out of control on cue, youтАЩd booby-trap the pulse transformer,
or something even more basic.тАЭ
тАЬSure, but the hardwareтАЩs harder to get to. Besides, all youтАЩd be doing would be to send the rollers to
their frictional base states, and they become like superslippery bald tires. Pretty hairy when youтАЩre
taking a sharp curve, but on a straightaway itтАЩs really no problem. But knocking out the delegate
switcher on a portal approach could be fatal. The rollers would go independent for a fraction of a second
as they each go through their friction curves from base state to maximum traction until the backups cut
in. IтАЩve heard of it happening. The rig goes into a dangerous fishtail, which in normal circumstances can
be corrected by a good driver. But on a portal approach...тАЭ Red nodded. тАЬI see.тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs why the driver thought it was the left rear. The rig probably swung its ass-end to the right.
But in fact, it was all the front drive rollers coming to the peak of their grab-factor curves before the
back ones did. The wind probably determined the direction of the spin, or some other factor.тАЭ Red
shrugged deferentially. тАЬYou make a good case, Jake. But weтАЩll never know.тАЭ тАЬI know. IтАЩve been with
Marty, seen her navigate a portal approach with three bad rollers in an eighty-klick-per-hour crosswind.
There wasnтАЩt much that she couldnтАЩt handle, except what I suggested.тАЭ Red nodded.
Now that I had won my case> I wished someone would argue me out of it. But both Red and I knew
I was right. Accidents among Guild drivers were increasing, as was vandalism. Nobody was getting
beaten up; that wasnтАЩt WilkesтАЩ style.
тАЬYou got to remember, Jake,тАЭ Red said to break the depressed mood, тАЬweтАЩre still behind you. I donтАЩt
know of anybody who wants to pack it in and go back to Wilkes. But if anything were to happen to
you... well, merle.тАЭ He spat out a flake of precious earth-grown tobacco. (Those stogies of his must have
cost fifty UTCs apiece.) тАЬThe Guild would be finished, thatтАЩs all there is to it. At least it would be as a
workable alternative for the average independent starrigger.тАЭ He leaned back and shot out an acrid
plume of smoke. тАЬTell me, Jake. Why are you still on the road? With your salary as president, why, you
couldтАФтАЬ тАЬSalary? IтАЩve heard of the notion. I think IтАЩve cashed two paychecks so far. The thirdтАЩs still in
the glovebox, where it goes bouncy, bouncy, bouncy.тАЭ
Red was surprised. тАЬReally? I didnтАЩt know.тАЭ тАЬBesides, thereтАЩs Sam. I couldnтАЩt very well sell my own