"Jay Lake - The Fly and Die Ticket" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lake Jay)

types call the r-drive transition.
It is a statistical certainty that Rajamurtha-equipped ships will eventually undergo leptogenic
transformations which effectively end their service life, and incidentally render them rather strange,
physically unstable, and in certain cases extremely dangerous. The short-life record is held by the Willem
de Wurts, which was cooked on its first r-drive transition leaving the yards at Corona-VI. The long-life
record is held by the Vostokian freighter Cantal 355b, with over two centuries in continuous service.

It is an equal statistical certainty that supraluminal crew who do not resign their posts in a timely manner in
order to collect their exorbitant pensions in peace and safety at the bottom of some boring gravity well
will eventually undergo leptogenic transformations which effectively end their service life, and incidentally
render them rather strange, physically unstable, and in certain cases extremely dangerous. This is called
getting your Fly and Die ticket.

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тАЬIтАЩm sorry, Manny,тАЭ said RuDoLph. They were a trifrontal, with three separate skill loads and sets of
emotional and logical responses sitting on top of a single subconscious Weltanschauung. They were
pretty, morphologically male with hair the color of polished mahogany and skin pale as an oxygen pond
lily. They served as Second Officer on MarloweтАЩs EpigoneтАУuntil very recently my own ship as well.
Most importantly, they were also on the other side of a one-inch energy-reinforced plexi barrier
separating me from the rest of the universe. They continued: тАЬI mean, everybody knows whatтАЩs
happened. ThatтАЩs how it is.тАЭ

It was Ru talking to me right now. Their side of the barrier was a grubby cubicle with faded graffiti on the
walls and a strange stain just above the hatch which IтАЩd already memorized. My side of the barrier was
an antiseptic chamber three meters square which contained me, a flowmetal table with a reasonably
comfortable chair, twenty-four degree climate control, a decent menu selection, and the end of my
world.

тАЬIt wasnтАЩt supposed to be me.тАЭ My gut twisted with the stupidity of it all. IтАЩd heard this damned speech a
dozen times in my career, from other supra crew IтАЩd known sitting on the wrong side of a virtually
identical barrierтАУit was required by law. There had been two lovers, three mortal enemies, and a captain
among them. Now I was making the same idiot speech IтАЩd heard over and over. тАЬGet me out of here.тАЭ I
slapped the barrier, which stung my hand as if it were a big, flat scorpion. тАЬYou can have all of it,
everything I got. Just get me out, please.тАЬ

Ru hung their head. тАЬI canтАЩt.тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm sorry,тАЭ I said. тАЬI shouldnтАЩt do this to you. Damn it, though. I could have quit any time I wanted.тАЭ
Everybody says theyтАЩre going to stop while the moneyтАЩs good, before their time runs out.

RuDoLphтАЩs voice shifted, the Lph persona sliding forward. тАЬRivas and Dinagabbie both surrendered their
papers after you got red-chitted. CaptainтАЩs pissed.тАЭ

I laughed, which sounded forced even to me. тАЬSheтАЩs pissed. She can come sit in here if she wants and
see how pissed she gets. Tell her IтАЩll trade problems.тАЭ

RuDoLph laughed, all three personas at once, which made them sound like a tenor waterfall. тАЬYou
signed your assets away yet?тАЭ