"James Patrick Kelly - Dividing the Sustain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kelly James Patrick)

Might that be why you are taking such drastic steps?тАЭ

тАЬHave taken.тАЭ Been stepped away from Henk suddenly, and when the old man
lost his balance, Been danced him to a bulkhead and parked him against it. тАЬYou
want to see drastic steps?тАЭ he called out to the room. Dizzy watched, astonished, as
he continued to dance away from Henk. тАЬDra-astic steps, Jan-tastic steps,тАЭ he
crooned and caught a smirking Kinsella Frecktone up in his arms; he fit there like the
key to BeenтАЩs lock. Been wondered if Emsley might not have been wrong and he
had become fully gay overnight. тАЬCome with me, darling, and together weтАЩll take
enthusi-ass-stic steps to the stars.тАЭ Been swung him into a cross-body lead and
Kinsella actually fol-lowed along for a few beats.

Then a lot of people were laughing and Been was laughing too and someone
gave him something dangerous to drink and he took a sip that looked bigger than it
was and when no one was looking, he spilled the rest into a trash container just
before he fell in with the Zinks.

тАЬSo when are you going to post a hard estimate for planetfall?тАЭ Been could
never tell Matty from Vron Zink, especially when their datacords were melded
together. The brothers were wide, dark, grim men with breath bad enough to make
engineers flinch. They never got jokes, no matter how obvious the telling. Their niece
Ment was younger and blonder. She had come aboard the Nine Ball to learn the
family trade.

тАЬThe sustain has been very folded tight,тАЭ said the brothers, speaking in unison
as they always did when they were sharing mind.

Young Ment Zink wandered over, as if sensing that her uncles were talking
business. The segmented datacord began to uncoil from around her neck. тАЬWant me
to meld too?тАЭ she said to her uncles.

тАЬNot necessary,тАЭ they said. тАЬWe have enough processing capacity for this
conversation.тАЭ
 Ment wound her datacord back behind her hair in disappointment. тАЬHappy
birthday, Mr. Been Watanabe,тАЭ she said. тАЬThis is quite a coup. What do you know
about the captain that we donтАЩt?тАЭ

тАЬNever met the man.тАЭ

тАЬHeтАЩs asking that weтАЩll make planetfall when,тАЭ said the uncles.

тАЬIтАЩd say we have at least two scant folds to slip through,тАЭ said Ment.

тАЬTomorrow,тАЭ said the uncles. тАЬOr the after day.тАЭ

тАЬTomorrow?тАЭ said Been. тАЬYou mean ship subjective tomorrow?тАЭ

тАЬNo, standard tomorrow,тАЭ said Ment. тАЬIn the broad dimensions. They must
be thinking in real time.тАЭ