"Foster, Alan Dean - Flinx - Bloodhype" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

"Yes sir," she replied in mock?military tones. "Major ... Orvy.Ф

YOU WILL Е!" Orvenalix sighed and relaxed in his seat. "Never mind. I can
see you haven't changed one micron."

"You're the second person today who's said that. Seriously, sir, what
exactly is the situation? I haven't seen you in over a year, but when you
were lecturing at the Academy you were nowhere near this tense. You can't
tell me a year's hitch on a backwater planet has gotten to you that much!"

"You leave out many ramifications of which you remain uninformed, Kitten.
However, before we go into my problems, consider this. You were ordered
here for an assignment which required that you remain mildly active and
controversial. Mildly. A moderately wealthy young lady, independent,
spoiled, and apt to stick her nose into anything hinting of new thrills.
Here to enjoy the delightful sun, fun, boating, fishing, and cheap
souvenirs of exotic Repler."

"You sound like a travel brochure, Major."

"In my public capacity such banalities are occasionally called for. My
nest?mother would be ashamed, but fortunately Eurmet is many parsecs away
.. .

"Instead of making a nice, smooth arrival, you forthwith take off, in full
sight of a busy shuttleport crowd, with the most notorious, spoiled young
human this backwater capital has to offer. He may not be in the same class
with his counterparts on Armela, Trix, or Perth, but around here he is
noticed. You next turn tip at the family estate?lodge in the most exclusive
section of the capital and turn over the keys of this young man's expensive
hovercaft to the chap's valet? his talkative valet. You order a public
transule and take leave of this bemused servitor, off?handedly mentioning
that his master may be found languishing by his lonesome on an island at
such and such coordinates. Whereupon you return to the city and breeze into
your hotel, blissfully certain, I suppose, that you have performed all this
while leaving the general population in total ignorance."

Kitten appeared genuinely contrite. "I apologize, sir. How would I know the
valet would spread it alt over town? I didn't even realize who he was until
the conversation had passed the point of no return. I'd planned to slip the
keys under the door with a note explaining that .

Site broke off. Orvenalix shook his head in disgust. "It all would have
been so much simpler? not to mention better for your cover? if you'd merely
gone along with the gentleman, performed the simple act of non-reproductive
copulation with him, and allowed him to escort you back to the hotel."

"It is stated categorically," said Kitten, "that the Egg which gorges
itself too early will deny its offspring."