"John G. Hemry - Lady Be Good" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hemry John G)

"Other kinds are necessities. I haven't forgotten that." I rubbed my lower face with one hand, looking
away from her again. "I believe I'm still an honest person, Ms. Keracides. And I know the Lady is still an
honest ship. Captain Weskind wouldn't have it any other way."

"I'll have to take your word for that, since I've yet to meet her."

"I'll try to set up a meeting."

"Thank you." She was silent for a long time, and when I finally looked back at my entry I saw she'd gone.
****
Two days shy of jump I felt the shock of something, then the Lady shuddered and bucked. I was halfway
to the bridge before the motion damped out. One scan of the instruments told me where the problem
was. "Engineering? Are you okay down there?"

"Yeah."

"What the hell was that?"

Chen came on. "The primary waste heat vent has blown."

I dug my knuckles into my head, trying to think. The engines couldn't run long with the primary vent out.
If we didn't get it fixed soon the engines would overheat. Then we either let them blow or shut them
down, in which case the radiation shields would drop and the high-energy particles being hurled out by
Carnavon would fry us in short order. Unlike the Canopus, the Lady didn't have a radiation-shielded
citadel where we could hide for a while. "How long to fix?"

"You tell me. That's an external job. What shape is your external repair ├втВм╦Ьbot in?"

I almost laughed at the question. "External repair ├втВм╦Ьbots are for company ships. Ships like the Lady
can't afford that stuff."

Chen took a moment to answer. "You'll need to send a sailor out. It's hazardous, but there's no
alternative"

"Yeah."

"He or she has to know the equipment and how to replace the vent and be qualified for external repairs
underway. I'm afraid my own sailors don't know your layout well enough."

"I wasn't going to volunteer them." Maybe my reply had come out harsh. Chen didn't talk again for a
while. "There's a couple of people on Lady who can do it." Yeah. Two of us.

Fifteen minutes later, Dingo checked the last seals on his suit and gave me a lop-sided grin. "Gonna make
me earn my pay this time out, eh?"

I tried to smile back. "You know how to do this, Dingo. Better than anyone else on the ship. I talked to
the Captain and we agreed you were the only one who could do it."

"Yeah. Sure. You're gonna keep them engines goin' while I'm out there, ain't ya?"