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

Before he could frame a reply, the outer door slid open and the newsfeed peeps came swarming in, a
good two dozen of them, yammering and exclaiming and shouting out rude questions. In the center of
each forehead, a third eye whirred and blinked.
тАЬThis way, Tuffer. Smile.тАЭ
тАЬDo you have any cats with you?тАЭ
тАЬWill you be taking out a marriage contract, Portmaster?тАЭ
тАЬWhereтАЩs the Ark?тАЭ
тАЬLetтАЩs have an embrace, hey!тАЭ
тАЬWhen did you turn brown, trader?тАЭ
тАЬWhereтАЩs the mustache?тАЭ
тАЬAny opinion of Tuf and Mune, Citizen Tuf?тАЭ
тАЬHowтАЩs Havoc these days?тАЭ
Strapped immobile into his chair, Haviland Tuf glanced up, down, and all around with a series of quick,
precise head motions. He blinked and said nothing. The torrent of questions continued until Portmaster
Tolly Mune came swimming effortlessly through the pack, pushing peeps aside with either hand, and
settled down next to Tuf. She slid her arm through his and kissed him lightly on the cheek. тАЬPuling hell,тАЭ
she said, тАЬhold your goddamned bladders, he just got here.тАЭ She raised a hand. тАЬNo questions, sorry.
WeтАЩre invoking privacy. ItтАЩs been five years, after all. Give us some time to get reacquainted.тАЭ
тАЬAre you going off to the Ark together?тАЭ one of the more aggressive reporters asked. She was floating a
half-meter in front of TufтАЩs face, her third eye whirring.
тАЬOf course,тАЭ said Tolly Mune. тАЬWhere else?тАЭ


It was not until the Ferocious Veldt Roarer was well out of the web, en route back to the Ark, that
Haviland Tuf deigned to walk back to the cabin he had assigned to Tolly Mune. He was freshly
showered, cleansed, and scrubbed, all traces of disguise removed. His long hairless face was as white
and unreadable as blank paper. He wore a plain gray coverall that did little to conceal his formidable
paunch, and a green duck-billed cap adorned with the golden theta of the Ecological Engineers covered
his bald pate. Dax rode upon one broad shoulder.
Tolly Mune had been reclining and sipping on a bulb of St. Christopher Malt, but she grinned when he
entered. тАЬThis is damn good stuff,тАЭ she said. тАЬWell now, whoтАЩs that? Not Havoc.тАЭ
тАЬHavoc is safely back aboard the Ark, with her mate and her kittens, though in truth they can scarcely be
said to be kittens any longer. The feline population of my ship has grown somewhat since my last call at
SтАЩuthlam, albeit not as precipitously as the human population of SтАЩuthlam is wont to grow.тАЭ He lowered
himself stiffly into a seat. тАЬThis is Dax. While every cat is of course special, Dax might accurately be said
to be extraordinary. All cats have a touch of psi; this is well known. Due to an unusual set of
circumstances I encountered upon the world known as Namor, I initiated a program to enhance and
expand upon this innate feline ability. Dax is the end result, madam. We share a certain rapport, and Dax
is gifted with a psi ability that is far from rudimentary.тАЭ
тАЬIn short,тАЭ said Tolly Mune, тАЬyou cloned yourself a mindreading cat.тАЭ
тАЬYour perspicacity remains acute, Portmaster,тАЭ Tuf replied. He folded his hands. тАЬWe have much to
discuss. Perhaps you will be so kind as to explain why you have requested that I bring the Ark back to
SтАЩuthlam, why you have insisted on accompanying me, and most crucially why you have embroiled me in
this strange though colorful deception, and even gone so far as to make free with my person?тАЭ
Tolly Mune signed. тАЬTuf, you remember how things stood when we parted five years ago?тАЭ
тАЬMy memory is unimpaired,тАЭ said Haviland Tuf.
тАЬGood. Then you might recall that you left me in a real puling mess.тАЭ
тАЬYou anticipated immediate removal from your post as Portmaster, trial on charges of high treason, and a
sentence to a penal farm on the Larder,тАЭ said Tuf. тАЬNonetheless, you declined my effort to provide you
with free transport to another system of your choice, preferring instead to return to face imprisonment