"George R. R. Martin -- Second Helpings" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin George R R)

gift for colorful language and memorable terminology, First Councillor.тАЭ
тАЬAll this,тАЭ Blaxon said doggedly, тАЬis pretty radical, Tuf. We have a right to expect radical improvement,
IтАЩd say.тАЭ
A few loyalists began cheering him on.
тАЬBut this,тАЭ the First Councillor concluded, тАЬthis projection says, ah, maybe IтАЩm reading it wrong.тАЭ
тАЬFirst Councillor,тАЭ said Haviland Tuf, тАЬand people of SтАЩuthlam, you are reading it correctly. If you adopt
every one of my suggestions, you will indeed postpone your day of catastrophic reckoning. Postpone, sir,
not forestall. You will have mass famine in eighteen years, as per your current projection, or in one
hundred nine, as this projection indicates, but you will most certainly have mass famine.тАЭ He raised a
finger. тАЬThe only true and permanent solution is to be found not aboard my Ark, but in the minds and
loins of each individual SтАЩuthlamese citizen. You must practice restraint and implement immediate birth
control. You must stop your indiscriminate procreation at once!тАЭ
тАЬOh, no,тАЭ groaned Tolly Mune. But she had seen it coming, and she was on her feet, moving toward him
and shouting for a security cordon, well before all hell broke loose.


тАЬRescuing you is getting to be a puling habit,тАЭ Tolly Mune said, much later, when they had returned to the
safety of TufтАЩs shuttle Phoenix, in its berth way out along spur six. Two whole squads of security, armed
with nerveguns and tanglers, stood outside the ship, keeping the growing and unruly crowd at bay. тАЬYou
have any beer?тАЭ she asked. тАЬI could use one. Puling hell.тАЭ It had been a harrowing run back to the ship,
even with guards flanking them to either side. Tuf ran with a strange awkward lope, but he had surprising
speed, she had to admit. тАЬHow are you doing, anyway?тАЭ she asked him.
тАЬA thorough scrubbing has removed most of the spittle from my person,тАЭ Haviland Tuf said, folding
himself into his seat with dignity. тАЬYou will find beer in the refrigerated compartment under the
gaming-board. Make free with it, if you will.тАЭ Dax began to scale TufтАЩs leg, digging tiny claws into the
fabric of the pale blue jumpsuit into which he had changed. Tuf reached down with a large hand and
helped him up. тАЬIn the future,тАЭ he said to the cat, тАЬyou shall accompany me at all times, so that I will have
ample warning of the onset of such demonstrations.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩd have had ample goddamned warning this time,тАЭ said Tolly Mune, pulling out a beer, тАЬif youтАЩd told
me that you intended to condemn our beliefs, our church, and our whole puling way of life. Did you
expect theyтАЩd give you a medal?тАЭ
тАЬA rousing hand of applause would have been sufficient.тАЭ
тАЬI warned you a long time ago, Tuf. On SтАЩuthlam, itтАЩs not popular to be anti-life.тАЭ
тАЬI decline to be thus labeled,тАЭ said Tuf. тАЬI stand squarely in favor of life. Indeed, daily I create life in my
cloning vats. I have a decided personal aversion to death, I find entropy distasteful, and if invited to the
heat death of the universe, I would most certainly make other plans.тАЭ He raised a finger. тАЬNonetheless,
Portmaster Mune, I said what had to be said. Unlimited procreation as taught by your Church of Life
Evolving and practiced by the majority of SтАЩuthlamese, yourself and your fellow zeros excluded, is
irresponsible and foolish, producing as it does a geometric population increase that will most assuredly
pull down your proud civilization.тАЭ
тАЬHaviland Tuf, prophet of doom,тАЭ the Portmaster said with a sigh. тАЬThey liked you better as a rogue
ecologist and a lover.тАЭ
тАЬEverywhere I visit, I find heroes to be an endangered species. Perhaps I am more aesthetically pleasing
when mouthing reassuring falsehoods through a filter of facial hair in melodramatic vidshows reeking of
false optimism and post-coital complacency. This is a symptom of a great SтАЩuthlamese affliction, your
blind preference for things as you would have them rather than as they are. It is time that your world
looked upon naked truth, be it my hairless face or the near certainty of famine in your future.тАЭ
Tolly Mune swallowed some beer and stared at him. тАЬTuf,тАЭ she said, тАЬyou remember what I said five
years ago?тАЭ
тАЬAs I recall, you said a great many things.тАЭ