"Joe Haldeman - A Tangled Web" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haldeman Joe)

Hartford vessels that leave this planet are nearly empty. It is no great material loss to
Hartford to take along nonpaying guests, so long as they do not displace regular passengers.
And Hartford will ultimately benefit from an increase in tourism to !ka'al, so they were quite
willing to make this agreement with my tribe.
тАФThe market value of this could be quite high, Uncle said.
As much as five or six hundred shares, I said, тАФdepending on how distant each trip is.
тАФVery well. And what is your other inducement?
тАФI won't say. (I had to grin.) тАФIt is a gift.
The Council chittered and tweeted in approval. Some even exposed their arms
momentarily in a semi-obscene gesture of fellowship. "What kind of game are you playing?"
Peter Rabbit said.
"They like surprises and riddles." I made a polite sound requesting attention and said, тАФ
There is one thing I will tell you about this gift: It Belongs to all three mercantile classes. It
is of no value, of finite value, and infinite value, all at once, and to all people.
тАФWhen considered as being of finite value, Uncle said, тАФhow much is it worth in terms
of Hartford stock?
тАФExactly one hundred shares.
He rustled pleasantly at that and went to confer with the others.
"You're pretty clever, Dick," Rabbit said. "What, they don't get to find out what the last
thing is unless they accept?"
"That's right. It's done all the time; I was rather surprised that you didn't do it."
He shook his head. "I've only negotiated with !tang off-planet. They've always been pretty
conventional."
I didn't ask him about all the fishing he had supposedly done here. Uncle came back and
stood in front of us.
тАФThere is unanimity. The land will go to the Navarro's tribe. Now what is the secret
inducement, please? How can it be every class at once, to all people?
I paused to parse out the description in !tangish. тАФUncle, do you know of the Earth
corporation, or tribe, Immortality Unlimited?
тАФNo.
Lafitte made a strange noise. I went on. тАФThis Immortality Unlimited provides a useful
service to humans who are apprehensive about death. They offer the possibility of revival. A
person who avails himself of this service is frozen solid as soon as possible after death. The
tribe promises to keep the body frozen until such time as science discovers a way to revive
it.
тАФThe service is expensive. You pay the tribe one full share of Hartford stock. They
invest it, and take for themselves one tenth of the income, which is their profit. A small
amount is used to keep the body frozen. If and when revival is possible, the person is
thawed, and cured of whatever was killing him, and he will be comparatively wealthy.
 тАФThis has never been done with nonhumans before, but there is nothing forbidding it.
Therefore I purchased a hundred "spaces" for !tang; I leave it to you to decide which
hundred will benefit.
тАФYou see, this is of no material value to any living person, because you must die to take
advantage of it. However, it is also of finite worth, since each space costs one share of
Hartford. It is also of infinite worth, because it offers life beyond death.
The entire Council applauded, a sound like a horde of locusts descending. Peter Rabbit
made the noise for attention, and then he made it again, impolitely loud.
тАФThis is all very interesting, and I do congratulate the Navarro for his cleverness.
However, the bidding is not over.
There was a low, nervous whirring. "Better apologize first, Rabbit," I whispered.