"Nicola Griffith - Ammonite" - читать интересную книгу автора (Griffith Nicola)

do his job, managingтАФadmittedly, according to the rumors, with the unlikely help of
a MirrorтАФto bring the plight of the indigenous population to the people of Earth,
sidestepping SEC corruption and forcing the Councils to bow to public opinion and
set in motion the famous Jink and Oriyest v. Company case.
It was at that time that two discoveries were made: JeepтАЩs natives were one
hundred percent female, and there was a virus loose.
The two were connected, of course. The incidence of infection of Company
personnel was one hundred percent. Eighty percent of CompanyтАЩs female personnel
recovered; all of the men, including Courtivron, died. The planet was closed: no one
on, very few off. The virus had killed the two physicians before they could unravel
the worldтАЩs reproductive secretтАФsomething else Marghe hoped to get information
on.
She scrolled through the main directory. One of the names she had been looking
for, Eagan, caught her eye. She punched up EaganтАЩs directory. It had nine
subdirectories. She called up the first: more than forty separate files. She sighed.
Three days were not going to be enough to review over a yearтАЩs worth of reports
from Janet Eagan and Winnie Kimura, the surviving members of CourtivronтАЩs SEC
team. Her assistants.

Marghe blinked and realized she had been sleeping. D Section was thick with
silence. She wanted to cough, or clear her throat, just to hear something, to make
herself feel less alone. She swung off the bed and padded over to the terminal. She
was too tired to work, so she commed Sara Hiam.
тАЬQuiet getting to you?тАЭ
Marghe looked around at the creamy white walls, the carefully cheerful pastels of
overhead lockers, the metal bed legs, the plain flooring. тАЬEverythingтАЩs getting to me.
Tell me how things are going on your end.тАЭ
тАЬSigrid and Nyo are still debating whether the solar microwave satellite is out of
synch because of a decaying orbit or faulty switching. They do agree that they can
fix it. Again.тАЭ
Port Central drew all its power from the microwave relay. There were several
generators planetside in case the relay failed, but machinery was one thing and having
the personnel to operate it another. Port Central was down to one-third of its original
staff complement.
тАЬAny other news?тАЭ
тАЬThe gig might be a day late. We relayed to Port Central the news that there are
some big weather systems heading their way. We suggested that they might want to
delay. Also, theyтАЩre bringing someone up.тАЭ
тАЬWho?тАЭ
тАЬYou wonтАЩt like it. Janet Eagan.тАЭ
тАЬBut I need her down there! CanтАЩtтАФтАЭ Marghe shut up. Technically, she had the
authority to order Eagan to remain on Jeep, but an unwilling assistant could be worse
than none at all. тАЬDo you know why?тАЭ
тАЬWinnie is missing.тАЭ
тАЬMissing?тАЭ
тАЬDead, Janet thinksтАФтАЭ
Dead. Sweet god.
тАЬтАФand Janet, quote, has more than done her duty and refuses to stay a day more
when sheтАЩs pretty damn sure she wonтАЩt find out anything useful and where the locals
are as liable to kill her as answer her questions, unquote. IтАЩm sorry.тАЭ