"Gordon Eklund - Serving in Time" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eklund Gordon)

"And them?" Jan pointed into the house. "What did they say?
The council?"

"They voted you should go. They're scared. You can't blame
them. They don't understand the world government."

"I didn't even know we had one," Jan said bitterly. "Till the
message came."

"Well, don't worry about it."

"But tonight's the night."

"So what? Are you going to let a council of old folks make your
decisions for you?"

"No."

"And you haven't changed your mind? You still don't intend
to go?"

"I don't."

"Well, it's your choice to make. Cassie doesn't want you to,
either. She made quite a plea before the council, not that any of
them listened with more than half an ear. They think she's too
young to have intelligent thoughts, which is backwards of the
truth as well as plain stupid."

"I just wish my mother and father were here," Jan said
fervently. "They'd have listened to them."

"I imagine they would have, yes. Your parents were the sort of
people, when they talked, people did indeed listen."

"Phineas, where are they?"

"I told you many times before, Jan, I don't know. That's the
truth. They had to leave the homestead shortly after you were
born. I know they intended to come back and, since they haven't,
I can only guess their reasons are good."

"Do you think they're dead?"

"I have no idea, Jan."

A sudden, confusing thought struck him: "Phineas, did the
same thing happen to them that's happening to me? Were they
drafted, too?"