"Foster, Alan Dean - Star Wars - Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

Essada took a lighter tack. "You did well to contact me directly, though not for the reasons you thought. Once those two are in Imperial hands, you will become Colonel-Supervisor Grammel."
"Governor!" Grammel lost his poise completely. "Sir, you are too generous. I don't know what to say...."
"Say nothing," Essada suggested. "It makes you more tolerable. Keep them alive, Grammel. Whether you go to hell or glory is dependent on how well you carry out these orders. Beyond keeping them alive and healthy you have my permission to restrain them as you please."
"Yes, sir. Sir, may I..."
But Governor Essada had already all but forgotten Grammel.
"One particular party should find this information of particular notice. It will be well for me, yes." Abruptly, he noticed that communications were still open.
"Alive, Grammel. Remember that."
"But, sir, can't you tell...?"
The screen went blank.
The Captain-Supervisor stood motionless before the dark rectangle for several long, thoughtful moments. Then he repositioned screen and control panel, turned to the cloaked figure which was crawling out from behind the concealing bulk of a free-formed chair across the room.
"We appear to have stumbled onto something far more important than either of us dreamed, Bot. 'Colonel-Supervisor'!" He gazed down at the crystal in his hand, all thoughts of its possible lethal nature shunted aside by the vision of the glittering future ahead of him. "We must take care."
The cloaked figure nodded energetically....

VI

"TAKE it easy," Luke complained, shrugging his arm free of the trooper who was escorting them down the long, narrow stone hallway. As they paced, Luke took the opportunity to study the damp, dripping walls. Some of them showed dark moss. Clearly, the omnipresent moisture of Mimban penetrated the old walls here.
"You'd think the Imperial government could have invested some credit in modern quarters," he murmured.
"Why," the subofficer ahead of them wanted to know, "when the primitives of this world left us such useful structures?"
"A temple, a place of worship, and it's been turned into offices and a prison," the Princess declared angrily.
"The Empire does what is necessary," the subofficer observed in a phlegmatic manner which would have gratified his superiors. "I am told this mining is an expensive venture. The Empire is smart enough to save where it is able," he concluded with pride.
"That probably extends to your pay and retirement benefits," the Princess ventured maliciously.
"That's enough talk from the prisoners," the disgruntled subofficer decided aloud, unhappy with the turn the conversation had taken. They rounded a sharp corner. A network of intersecting diagonal bars formed an unbreakable mesh at the end of the corridor.
"Here's your new home," the subofficer informed them. "Inside you can muse about what the Empire has in store for your future." As the subofficer passed a palm over the wall on his immediate right, an unbarred ellipsoid appeared in the center of the metal grill.
"Move," the trooper next to Luke ordered, prodding him with his rifle.
"I was told we were going to have company," Luke ventured, walking toward the empty space with great reluctance. This provoked considerable merriment among the assembled troopers.
"You'll find it soon enough," the subofficer chuckled, "or it'll find you."
Once both prisoners stood inside the cell, the sub-officer passed his hand over the photoplate again and the dematerialized bars reappeared with a solid clank.
"Company, he says," one of the retreating troopers echoed, as they walked back up the corridor. They continued laughing among themselves.
"For some reason I'm not amused," Luke muttered. Each of the angled bars was as big around as his forearm. He flicked one with a nail and it rang like a bell. "Solid, not tubular," he announced. "This cell was designed to hold more than ordinary people. I wonder what-"
The Princess gasped, pointed to a far corner and began backing toward the nearest wall. Two massive, hairy mounds lay clustered near the back of the cell, under the single window. The fur moved up and down, indicating it was surrounding something alive.
"Easy... easy," Luke instructed, backing close to her and putting both hands on her shoulders. She leaned into him. "We don't know who they are yet."
"We don't know what they are," the Princess whispered fearfully. "I think they're waking up."
One of the huge shapes stood, stretched, let out a grunt like a volcano clearing its throat. It turned and caught sight of them.
Luke's eyes bugged. He started toward the figure. The Princess put out a hand to hold him back, but he shook it off.
"Are you out of your mind, Luke? They'll tear you to pieces."
He continued walking slowly toward the waiting figure. It stood little taller than he did, but was built much more massively. Its hair-covered arms reached to the cell floor, the hands dragging on the stone. A long snout protruded from the center of the face, obscuring any mouth. Two huge black eyes stared expectantly at him.
"Luke, don't do this... come back here."
A querulous growl-rumble sounding like an angry underground spring came from the figure Luke was nearing. The Princess became quiet, pressed worriedly back against the cold stone wall as she slid toward the farthest corner.
Luke eyed the massive creature warily. They had to make friends fast, or he and Leia wouldn't have to worry about getting off Mimban except in fragments. He reached out, touched an arm in a certain way. His eyes never left the jet-black orbs staring into his own.
With startling speed, the creature took a backward hop, chittered something. It was several times Luke's weight. Dun light from the sealed illuminators in the cell ceiling shone on cable-like shoulder muscles above those double-length arms.
A pair of plate-sized hands reached out for Luke. He responded by uttering something in low tones. Shaking its head, its snout swinging, the creature hesitated, then rumbled again. Luke spoke louder gibberish at it.
Reaching out, the beast grabbed Luke with both hands and lifted him off the ground over its head, as if preparing to dash him against the stone floor. The Princess screamed. The creature brought Luke close to its body, closer... and planted a wet kiss on each of Luke's cheeks before setting him gently back on the floor.
The Princess stared in disbelief at Luke's affectionate assailant. "Why didn't it tear your head off. You..." she gazed at Luke admiringly, "you talked to it."
"Yes," Luke admitted modestly. "I used to study a lot about certain worlds, back on my uncle's farm on Tatooine. It was my only escape, and educational as well. This," and he indicated the creature resting a massive long arm on his head and shaking him in a friendly fashion, "is a Yuzzem."
"I've heard of them, but this is the first time I've seen one."
"They're temperamental," Luke told her, "so I thought it would be better to try and make the first greeting ourselves, using what little language I learned." He jabbered at the creature, which chittered back. "It might've killed me somewhere else, but all prisoners are allies, it seems."
The Yuzzem turned, staggered backward and bumped into the wall. It leaned over and began shaking its still somnolent companion. The second Yuzzem rolled over awake and swung angrily at the first. The massive hand missed, instead connecting with the wall hard enough to leave an impression in the rock. Rolling to a sitting position, it started chittering to its waker, holding its head with one hand.
"Why," Leia exclaimed as the realization struck her, "they're both drunk!" The second Yuzzem finally managed to get to its feet. It growled at her. "No offense," she quickly added.
"The one I talked to is called, as near as I can translate it, Hin. That's Kee leaning against the wall, wishing to be someplace else." He jabbered at Hin, listened to the reply.
"I think he said that they've been working for the Imperial government's operation here, got fed up about a week ago and started breaking things. They've been locked in here ever since."