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

"We don't have any choice."
"Gonna be no fun, Kilcannon. Not hangin' on the outside while the engines are goin' and me wrestling
with that duct."

I nodded. "I swear, Dingo, I'd go if I could."

"If something happens to me before I finish the job you'll have to go. And good luck trying to finish it
yourself. You're not half the outer hull rider that I am. Not half the sailor, neither, though you'll never
admit it. Tell you what, Kilcannon, when we hit the next port you pay for the beers. And no bitchin' from
you on account I'll be drinkin' the good stuff. Deal?"

"Deal."

"And if worst comes to worst, you put in a good word with the saints for me."

"I'll do that."

I watched the lock mechanism cycle, not knowing what else I could do, while Dingo exited the lock and
headed aft along the outer hull. At some point I realized Halley Keracides had come up to stand nearby.
"I understand the primary waste heat vent blew," she stated softly.

"Yeah."

"I've never heard of that happening."

I gave her an icy stare. "Not on a Vestral ship, I'm sure. But if you go long enough between engine
overhauls it can happen."

"Saints, Kilcannon, it takes more than a missed overhaul to lose a primary waste heat vent."

She was right, which made me wonder again just what kind of ├втВм╦Ьmanager' Halley Keracides really was.
"The part was reworked. We got it quite a while back."

Her voice stayed soft. "That's one hell of a way to keep a ship running, Kilcannon."

"It's the only way I've got."

Instead of answering she just stared at the airlock controls along with me. In my mind, I traced the path
Dingo would be taking, out the airlock and crawling up over the last row of cargo containers strapped
around Lady like a huge belt. The containers that came carrying our cargo tended to be old and poorly
maintained, so handholds were often loose or missing entirely. After getting over that obstacle, he'd have
to work his way back down onto Lady's hull to where the vents lay not far from the stern. Even in dock
the trip could be a pain in the neck. Out here it'd be, as Dingo had said, no fun at all.

Given that, I wasn't surprised it took another couple of minutes before Dingo called in. "Hey, on the Lady
. You there, Kilcannon?"

"I'm here. How's it look?"

"Like hell's own mess."