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

chance of generating on cargo runs."

"One good run. That's all we really need."

"Do you really believe that, or are you trying to believe that?"

I ignored her question. "Then we'll fix Lady up and she'll keep taking care of us. That's what Captain
Weskind always says. Take care of the ship and the ship will take care of you."

"Captain Weskind." Halley shook her head. "As far as I've been able to determine, she hasn't left her
cabin since I came aboard."

"She's busy."

"Does she really know what shape the ship is in?"

I hesitated and I could tell Halley Keracides noticed. "She's been briefed. I brief her daily."

"I see." I couldn't tell from her tone of voice just what Halley Keracides saw. "Does she know her entire
crew could die at any moment?"

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is, and you know it. Those engines are running on borrowed time, Kilcannon. This whole ship is.
Sooner or later the engines will fail and you'll never come out of jump."

I pretended nonchalance and shrugged. "I hear Haven's pretty this time of year."

"Haven?" She obviously knew about Haven, the sailor's paradise, which wasn't something you could say
about a lot of managers. "Is that where you believe ships go when they don't come out of jump?"

"They've got to go somewhere."

"No, they don't. Not according to the physics. And even if they did, they couldn't go to Haven because
there's no such place."

I made another shrug even though I could tell they were annoying her. "It's a big universe."

"Not that big. One single place where every sailor would be happy? No such place could be real." Halley
slammed her palm down onto the arm of her chair. "Dammit, Kilcannon, I can't believe this. Why won't
the Captain talk to me? I've never seen her and none of the crew will talk to me about her."

"I told you. She's busy. You know a ship Captain's responsibilities."

"I know they allow a few minutes a day to leave her cabin and talk to people her ship has rescued." She
fixed me with a demanding look. "The truth, Kilcannon. In the saints' names, what's wrong with Captain
Weskind?"

"She's..." I looked away but something made me tell the truth for the first time in a long time. "Multipolar
degenerative cognitive disorder."