"Michael McCollum - Gibraltar earth" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

piercing blue eyes. He would almost be handsome except for the dark bags under each eye and the
turned down corners of his mouth. In addition, it looked as though he had not depilated today. тАЬI hope
you donтАЩt think me too forward, Mr. Rykand, тАЬbut you look as though you havenтАЩt slept in a long time.тАЭ

тАЬCould you sleep if it had been your sister?тАЭ

тАЬNo, I suppose not. If you like, I will have our staff doctor prescribe something when we are through
here. We can even provide you with quarters in this building. We keep them for visiting VIPs.тАЭ

тАЬPlease, I just want to know what happened to my sister.тАЭ

She paused, seemed to come to a decision, and then said, тАЬVery well. Are you aware of your sisterтАЩs job
out in the deep black?тАЭ

тАЬShe was a scout pilot.тАЭ

тАЬQuite correct. As I understand it, the systemMagellan was exploring this trip is quite dirty compared to
most. It had a lot of meteorites and space dust in it. The astrophysicists tell us that this is normal for a
new system. Personally, I majored in economics, so I do not really understand these technical things. Do
you?тАЭ

Mark nodded. One of the courses he had taken in pursuit of his minor had gone extensively into the
evolution of star systems.

тАЬAnyway, your sisterтАЩs scout craft was transporting several of the shipтАЩs planetologists to a moon when it
ran into a piece of orbital debris. The ship was vaporized instantly. That is why we canтАЩt return Miss
RykandтАЩs body to you.тАЭ

тАЬThere were others killed?тАЭ

тАЬA total of eight, according to the report byMagellan тАЩs captain. I am afraid that is all we know about the
incident until the ship docks and sends down its full logs.тАЭ

тАЬPerhaps I can talk with the captain to get more information,тАЭ Mark said.

Amalthea Palan sighed and cocked her head in an odd gesture. тАЬI am afraid that is impossible. The ship is
still out beyond the orbit of Mars and two-way communications are not yet practical. Speed-of-light
delay, you know.тАЭ

тАЬWhen will it arrive?тАЭ

тАЬWithin a week.тАЭ

тАЬPerhaps I can visit the captain then, both to hear what happened to Jani and to pick up her personal
effects.тАЭ

тАЬWeтАЩll deliver her effects to you. You certainly wonтАЩt have to go to the expense of going all the way to
orbit to retrieve them.тАЭ

тАЬI am rich. I donтАЩt mind the expense.тАЭ