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

have bug-eyesтАФyou would swear that they wore glasses shaped like a set of zoom camera lenses, and
youтАЩd be right, except that they canтАЩt take them offтАФbut Rikkis do appear insectoid at first glance, being
exoskeletal.
Who knows? Maybe all Reticulans arenтАЩt bad. To be fair, it doesnтАЩt help that their appearance
happens to resonate with images of chitinous horror that scrabble around in the basement of our racial
unconscious. The question, however, was: Why was Wilkes presenting me, if indeed he was, with this...
being? To threaten me? Did he actually think IтАЩd be scared? Give in? Why now, after all this time?
тАЬNow, now,тАЭ Wilkes said gently. тАЬWe donтАЩt want an interplanetary incident. IтАЩm sure TwrrrllтАЩs
question was all in innocence. Did you recognize her, Twrrril?тАЭ
тАЬPrrrecisely. I did not mean to imply an interest in the female perrrson. If I have brrroken some...
taboo, is this correct? If I have violated some taboo by inquirrring, I am verrry sorrry.тАЭ Did everyone
know the waif but me?
The alien knew exactly what he was doing.
тАЬOkay, okay,тАЭ I said testily. тАЬAbout this mergerтАФтАЬ
тАЬThere, you see? Paranoia. Jake. Paranoia. It kills us all in the end. We think ourselves into an early
grave. Worry, tearтАФthe etiological root of all disease.тАЭ Two beats, then again. тАЬAbout this merger.тАЭ
тАЬWhat would it hurt to consider it? Think it over. Stubborn as you are, youтАЩve finally got to admit to
yourself that the Guild is on borrowed time. More and more drivers are coming back over to us.тАЭ
 A lie. Everyone with a notion to break and run had done so long before. But he was right in the sense
that there were damn few of us left.
тАЬTheyтАЩve added up the pros and cons, come to final tally,тАЭ Wilkes went on. тАЬTATOOтАЩS better for
them all around. A dozen new signatories to the Revised Basic Contract this month, with more to come.
Oh, sure, the terms of the GuildтАЩs Basic are a little better, in some areas. IтАЩll grant you that. But it
doesnтАЩt mean very much when you can count the GuildтАЩs signatories on six fingers.тАЭ
тАЬFive,тАЭ I corrected him. тАЬCombined Hydran Industries reneged and went over to you last week.тАЭ
Wilkes rested his case with a casual motion of the hand. тАЬNeed I say more?тАЭ I certainly had no need
to say more. I was watching the faces of the three stooges, looking for clues. The one who had come for
me looked antsy, darting eyes around the room. From that I got the hint that something could be up. It
still seemed unlikely.
Wilkes had been waiting for me to respond, gave it up and said, тАЬOh, come on, Jake. The Guild is
nothing more than a shell, if it was ever anything more. CanтАЩt you see? ItтАЩs served its purpose. YouтАЩve
shown me the reservoir of discontent among the membership, and weтАЩre responding, believe me. Have
you read the Revised Basic? I mean, have you really sat down and gone over it, clause by clause?тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt have much time for light reading, IтАЩm afraid.тАЭ
A point scored, an acknowledgment via an upward curl of one end of his mouth. тАЬYou really
should,тАЭ he said quietly.
тАЬWhatтАЩs in it for me?тАЭ I asked, sailing with the wind just for the hell of it. It genuinely surprised
him. тАЬWell,тАЭ he said with an expansive shrug, тАЬuh... Interlocal Business Agent? For life? Name the
salary.тАЭ It was a hasty improvisation, and he waited for my reaction. тАЬHell, Jake, I donтАЩt know What do
you want?тАЭ
тАЬFor you to bloody well leave us alone. ItтАЩs that simple.тАЭ
I erased that with a swipe of my hand. тАЬPardon me, itтАЩs not that simple anymore. YouтАЩre going to
answer for Marty DiFlippo, Wilkes. If I have to scrape myself off the side of a cylinder and come back
to do it, I will. But I will make you answer for her. And for the others.тАЭ Conversations lulled at nearby
tables.
тАЬOkay, Jake. Okay.тАЭ His voice was colorless, small. I backstepped twice, but stopped. тАЬOne more
thing. If the Guild is doomed anyway, why are you so hot to mate with us?тАЭ I wanted an answer. тАЬWhy,
Corey?тАЭ
тАЬBecause it annoys me.тАЭ I suspect it was his first ingenuous remark of the whole exchange.
Amused by the novelty, he continued, тАЬYour recent attempts at retaliation annoy me, too.тАЭ