"Laumer, Keith - Retief's Peace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Laumer Keith)

"Something like your Holy Mystic Fortune Cookies," he replied. "Only somewhat longer-winded."
"Well, each being to its own brand o' ritual suicide," the local said with a philosophical shrug of his
massive shoulders. "But I gotta wonder if those Terries ever seen a Krll in the flesh . . . uh . . . Krll in the
durasteel, I mean. They ain't exactly whatcha call friendly, if'n ya know what I means."

"Maybe that's just because we don't really know them," Retief said. "'To know all is to forgive all,'

right?"
The B'ruklian snorted, a sound not unlike a peculiarly productive nasal blast into a large pocket
handkerchief. "That ain't what the Holy Mystic Fortune Cookies say."

"Really? What do they have to say about the Krll?"

"Nothing aboutthem babies. But . . . 'Know where your gnashberries are snickered,' that's one. An' 'A
garbling groftpot natters no nookkem.' That's another. I think that's my favorite."
"I like that," Retief said, nodding. "Mind if I use it sometime?"
"Hey, be my guest, pal. The Wisdom o' the Ancients is there fer all, y'know? Ain't got my copyright on

it."

"You know," Retief said after another long moment, "I really had no idea there were so many Terry
students at the university here."
"Well, hey! The University of the Shamballa Cluster isthe place o' higher learning and graduate study in

th' whole Shamballa Cluster. They gotta have a student body of five, mebee six thou, somethin' like that."

"The enrollment records for this year indicate a student population of four thousand, eight hundred and
seven," Retief said, thoughtful.
"Like I said. Five thou, near enough."
"Very true. But that number includes one thousand, seven hundred eighty-five students of Terry descent,

most from Terry-colonized worlds here in the Cluster. The rest are Yaha, Fustian, Atlu, Gaspierran, Yill,
Prutians . . . quite a menagerie, in fact."

"And us B'ruk! Don't fergit us B'ruk!"
"How could I? USC started off as a B'ruk educational establishment . . . what, almost a thousand years
ago standard, now, isn't it?"


"Durned straight. B'ruk Middle-High Elementary and Charm School, PS-18, established in 827 AB.
And now look at her! The whatchacallum premier cornerstone of higher education fer th' whole Armpit."


"I see you've been reading the university's public relations brochures."

"I'm on th' faculty, if that's whatcher mean."

"Really?"