"Sharon Green - Diana Santee 2 - Gateway To Xanadu" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Sharon)

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Diana Santee 2: Gateway to Xanadu

By Sharon Green



CHAPTER 1

By the time the gentle chime sounded that was obviously supposed to wake me, I was already up and
dressed. I didn't have much in the room that needed putting together, and that was mostly done, too.
Which was definitely a good thing, since I didn't know how to turn that gently chiming- alarm off. It
must have been set by Val before he left, and waking up to find him already gone had surprised me. As
excited as I felt about going home, I wouldn't have believed it possible for someone to leave that room
without waking me. If I'd slept alone the night before, I probably wouldn't even have slept.

I stuffed my spare ship's suit into the small monolon bag, smoothed the bag closed, then turned to look
over the blue-green, brown and white room one last time. I didn't really expect to see anything I'd
accidently left behind, and I didn't; I hadn't shared the room long enough with Val. The last look around
was a good-bye to most of the strangeness I'd run into there in the Absari base around Tildor, a volume
of space no one in my Federation knew anything about. I'd bumped into the Absari Watchers of the
backward planet, Tildor, had helped out with a chore on the planet, and now was heading back to my
Federation with a "Hi, there, neighbor!" letter of self-introduction from the Absari upper echelon. If
everyone on the Federation Council didn't faint dead away at being contacted by a previously unknown,
star-faring humanoid race, their expressions would be worth seeing. At least two-thirds of the Council
considered the possibility of meeting equals an amusing fictional notion, something to have fun with
while watching it on tri-v, but nothing to take seriously. I couldn't wait until they got a look at Val.

Sudden inspiration hit me at thought of Val, so I went back to the low, wide couch-bed we'd shared the
night before, sat down on it, then stood up again. The chiming cut off immediately, bringing me a
satisfied grin. Absari ways weren't Federation ways no matter now much the Absari looked like us, but a
little common sense sometimes helped bridge the gap between alien cultures. That was something I'd
have to remember during the next standard year, the time period Val would be partnering with me as an
agent for the Federation. A little common sense-and a lot of delicate, judicious handling-and his talent
could be put to use for the benefit of Federation.

Or, at least, one of his talents. I sat back down on the couch-bed and stretched out across it, folding my
arms above my head and grinning. Val's ability to change his features and appearance to match anyone
he cared to was a result of his original Absari blood; I'd have to ask him if his bed talent came from the
same source. I'd miss it when his year was up and he went back home, but I'd be able to look around for
an adequate replacement once I came back to the Absari Confederacy to work my own year for them. If
that particular talent really was in the blood, `I'd have one hell of a wild time during that


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