"John DeChancie - Skyway 3 - Paradox Alley" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dechancie John)

"Good point," John said.

14

John DeChancie

PARADOXALLEY

15

"I just wanted to take time and think things over," I said to
Roland. "And I wanted everyone to have a say in what we
should do."

"Sorry, Jake. I just don't see the point in haggling over
this."

"Maybe there is none, but we've been running in a panic
for a long time now. For once I want the luxury of ruminating
over our next move."

Roland laughed and sat back in the shotgun seat. "Take all
the time you want. We have most of eternity."

"Exactly," I said. "Ragna? Would you and Oni like to put
your two cents in?"

Not counting George and Winnie, who were what exopo-
logists would label "borderline-sapient quasi-hominids"тАФ
looked like apes to me, funny ones, with long floppy ears and
big wet eyesтАФRagna and Oni were the only alien members of
our party. They had joined us in the rig during our rest stop,
abandoning their cramped vehicle, and had since taken pains
to be as unobtrusive as possible, keeping to themselves and
generally trying not to be an added burden, which they
weren't. I liked them a lot.

Ragna blinked, translucent nictitating membranes sliding
up to cover the eyeballs before the lids came down. He put his
hands up to adjust his blue headband, which was a linguistic
translating interface. "The reference to outmoded monetary
units is understood denotatively, but not colloquially. How-
ever, I am getting the gist of your nub. Yes, we are having a
contribution to be making, which is this..." He glanced at
Oni, who nodded consent. "We, being the nonhuman minority
of this band of intrepid explorersтАФnote ironyтАФare hardly in
a position to be saying anything yea or nay, since, by the same
token, we have not been invited along, but more or less have
crashed this party, if you are following my rhetoric. Be that as