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

decades of experience trav-eling on slipships dividing the sustain, he had learned the
hard way that it never paid to provoke the crew.

тАЬNo, no trouble.тАЭ Uninvited, Been sat down on the float across the desk from
Emsley. It settled toward the deck briefly, before bearing up under his weight. тАЬThe
thing is that Friday is my birthday andтАжwellтАжIтАЩm afraid I underreported my age.
IтАЩm actually going to be a hundred and thirty-two. Born on April 11 2351. On
TitanтАФthatтАЩs a moon youтАЩve probably never heard of back in the First System.
Only eight and a half AU from Earth. Practically next door to the homeworld
although I never did make it there. Somebody said the captain hails from Earth, or is
that just a rumor? Be-cause that would practically make us neighbors. How come we
never see himтАФCaptain Quellan, I mean? HeтАЩs not virtual, is he?тАЭ

тАЬYou see him every day on the lightboards.тАЭ Both of EmsleyтАЩs heads gazed at
him sternly. тАЬThis is a colonial transport, Mr. Watanabe, not a cruise ship. The
captain keeps a lean crew and likes to make sure things are done right, which means
heтАЩs too busy to be socializing with passengers.тАЭ

тАЬMy friends call me Been.тАЭ He pushed at the deck and the float bobbed and
swung away from the counter. тАЬRight, I understand heтАЩs busy. So anyway, IтАЩm a
hundred and thirty-two and feel like I might be going a little stale so IтАЩm thinking itтАЩs
time for a recast.тАЭ

тАЬI take it you had some reason to claim that you were fifty years younger than
you actually are?тАЭ Emsley seemed more amused that annoyed at BeenтАЩs confession.
тАЬYouтАЩve deceived us, Mr. Watanabe.тАЭ

тАЬNot you so much as Henk Krall and Lars Benzonia.тАЭ On another ship bound
for a different planet, this might have been a serious matter. But the Nine Ball was
no luxury liner and Been suspected that he wasnтАЩt the only one on board who had
misrepresented himself. Zola, for example, seemed rather an unlikely Consensualist.

тАЬHmm,тАЭ said Emsley. тАЬI thought you people were against changing
per-sonalities.тАЭ

тАЬWeтАЩre not against it, weтАЩre just supposed to get consensus on it and thatтАЩs
hard. Can you keep a secret?тАЭ

Emsley pointed at the lightboard and the hatch to BioCore slid shut. тАЬTry
me.тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm not so sure I am a Consensualist anymore.тАЭ

тАЬMr. Watanabe, weтАЩre bound for a colony that is almost entirely
Con-sensual.тАЭ

тАЬBeen,тАЭ he said. тАЬI guess that will make me someone special, wonтАЩt it?
Actually, at first I was wondering if I shouldnтАЩt recast as a woman but then I thought
that it would be too much trouble in too short a time. I mean we are going to make
planetfall soon, arenтАЩt we? The captainтАЩs first estimate was that it would take just