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

Porsupah elected to chew the upholstery.



Malcolm Hammurabi was counting his money. The awkward fact drat he didn't
have it yet failed to interrupt fire pleasure he took in the mathematics.

It had been the kind of trip that ship?masters drink over: no muss, no
fuss, and plenty of profits. Even tire drive bad bees trouble?free. Who'd
have thought that those attenuated seals on Largess would be crazy for
imported alva? let alone Replerian alva. Granted, though, the stuff was
tasty enough. Even if Rodriguez wouldn't program the stuff for the galley.
MalТs share of the profits would be, well, healthy. Might even be enough to
refinish that verdammt upper right quarter of the Umbra's KK drive
projector screen. Not that it was an essential job ... not yet. But it
would boost her favorable energy conversion ratio by a good thirty percent.
That would convert to a savings of, oh, so and so much in ignition
radioactives. Not to mention reducing wear and increasing efficiency in the
engine systems.

He'd been told, often, that his habit of making a personal, solitary survey
of ship's cargo the night after it had been shuttled down was just a little
peculiar. The excuse be offered in return was that he wanted to be certain
of the cargo's proper alignment for redistribution, atc., etc., right up to
the moment of transfer.

In actuality, the fascination of standing alone with tons and tons of goods
from tire far roaches of the galaxy, piled high in rainbow?hued plastic and
metal containers, was one he had carried from childhood. Then he used to
wander through similar warehouses (which towered so much greater in his
childhood memories) and dream of the days he might visit planets with magic
names like Terra, Hivehom, Almaggee, Long Tunnel, Horseye and Entebbe.

He'd had little idea that one day he'd be transporting similar goods
himself. Too often the planets had proven dull and unattractive. But there
was enough spice in the life to make things interesting. (Besides, you
crazy hypocrite, you hated pro ball. Being the best goalie who ever
maintained parallax with a ball was hardly fit epitaph for a man.)

Anyhow, it was important that the luxury goods be easily accessible for
tomorrow, in case that old pirate Chatham and the others wanted an early
look.

A good percentage of the cases were emblazoned with the CK crest of arms,
customs stamps, impression of destination and planet of origin. A few were
consigned to small dealers on Rapier, some to members of the crew, and a
number were sealed in the crimson of the Commonwealth. There was even one
small aquamarine case of holy goods for the Church. Mostly biochemical and
oceanographic instrument parts, plus a few specimens of Largessian life.