"Greg Egan - Glory" - читать интересную книгу автора (Egan Greg)

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The Ghahari allowed Joan to fly her ship straight down to the surface. She wasnтАЩt sure if this was
because they were more trusting, or if they were afraid that the Tirans might try to interfere if she lingered
in orbit.

The landing site was a bare plain of chocolate-colored sand. The air shimmered in the heat, the
distortions intensified by the thickness of the atmosphere, making the horizon waver as if seen through
molten glass. Joan waited in the cockpit as three trucks approached; they all came to a halt some twenty
meters away. A voice over the radio instructed her to leave the ship; she complied, and after sheтАЩd stood
in the open for a minute, a lone Noudah left one of the trucks and walked toward her.

тАЬIтАЩm Pirit,тАЭ she said. тАЬWelcome to Ghahar.тАЭ Her gestures were courteous but restrained.

тАЬIтАЩm Joan. Thank you for your hospitality.тАЭ

тАЬYour impersonation of our biology is impeccable.тАЭ There was a trace of skepticism in PiritтАЩs tone; Joan
had pointed the Ghahari to her own portrait being broadcast from the decoy node, but she had to admit
that in the con-text her lack of exotic technology and traits would make it harder to accept the
implications of that transmission.

тАЬIn my culture, itтАЩs a matter of courtesy to imitate oneтАЩs hosts as closely as possible.тАЭ

Pirit hesitated, as if pondering whether to debate the merits of such a custom, but then rather than
quibbling over the niceties of interspecies eti-quette she chose to confront the real issue head-on. тАЬIf
youтАЩre a Tiran spy, or a defector, the sooner you admit that the better.тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs very sensible advice, but IтАЩm neither.тАЭ

The Noudah wore no clothing as such, but Pirit had a belt with a number of pouches. She took a
handheld scanner from one and ran it over JoanтАЩs body. JoanтАЩs briefing suggested that it was probably
only checking for metal, volatile explosives, and radiation; the technology to image her body or search for
pathogens would not be so portable. In any case, she was a healthy, unarmed Noudah down to the
molecular level.

Pirit escorted her to one of the trucks, and invited her to recline in a section at the back. Another Noudah
drove while Pirit watched over Joan. They soon arrived at a small complex of buildings a couple of
kilometers from where the ship had touched down. The walls, roofs, and floors of the buildings were all
made from the local sand, cemented with an adhesive that the Noudah secreted from their own bodies.

Inside, Joan was given a thorough medical examination, including three kinds of full-body scan. The
Noudah who examined her treated her with a kind of detached efficiency devoid of any pleasantries; she
wasnтАЩt sure if that was their standard bedside manner, or a kind of glazed shock at having been told of
her claimed origins.

Pirit took her to an adjoining room and offered her a couch. The Noudah anatomy did not allow for
sitting, but they liked to recline.

Pirit remained standing. тАЬHow did you come here?тАЭ she asked.