"Michael McCollum - Maker 2 - Procyion Promise" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

тАЬWeтАЩre bored with life. The sense of adventure has gone out of us. There arenтАЩt any frontiers left. No one
climbs Mount Everest anymore.тАЭ

Roland chuckled. тАЬWhy should they? If you want to reach the Everest Summit Hotel, you board an
airtram in Nepal. They leave every half hour.тАЭ

тАЬExactly! Where can you go in the solar system where you wonтАЩt find someone elseтАЩs boot prints?тАЭ

Roland shrugged, but did not answer.
тАЬKnow what I think? I think the human race is suffering from claustrophobia. WeтАЩve learned the awful
truth that there are limits beyond which we cannot go, so we invent places like this to help us forget.тАЭ

тАЬIsnтАЩt that quite a lot to blame on an overpriced whorehouse?тАЭ

She looked at him sharply, suddenly aware of the undercurrent of anger in his voice. тАЬA trained
entertainment specialist isnтАЩt a whore, Roland.тАЭ

He raised one eyebrow quizzically. тАЬPerhaps you can explain the difference to me sometime.тАЭ

тАЬI didnтАЩt mean to insult you. Put it down to overwork. Forgive me?тАЭ

тАЬYou donтАЩt need my forgiveness. You can have me fired anytime you feel like it.тАЭ

тАЬI guess I deserved that,тАЭ she said. She let her gaze slip from his angry face and move to the viewscreen
at the end of the small restaurant. The view was from a remote camera somewhere out on the hull. It
showed a jumble of I-beams, pressure spheres, and hull plates framed by the black of space. тАЬLetтАЩs
change the subject before we have an argument. I have been staring at that thing all morning. What is it?тАЭ

He turned to follow her gaze. тАЬJust an old worker dormitory usedduring The RoostтАЩs construction. ItтАЩs
abandoned now, of course.тАЭ

тАЬI would think the owners would keep local space clear of all such hazards to navigation. WouldnтАЩt be
very good publicity for a shipload of tourists to run into that heap on approach.тАЭ

He shook his head. тАЬIt isnтАЩt as ramshackle as it appears. Look closely. See the thruster cluster jutting out
near the airlock? There are twenty more scattered over the hull. That hulk and a half dozen others are
slaved to theRoostтАЩs central computer.тАЭ

тАЬSounds like a lot of trouble to go to for a junkyard,тАЭ Chryse said.

тАЬItтАЩs part of the service. The hulks make good destinations for clients with a yen to explore the mysteries
of space.тАЭ

тАЬThe what?тАЭ

He laughed, his pique suddenly forgotten. тАЬHavenтАЩt you ever skin dived on a sunken ship?тАЭ

She shook her head.

тАЬHow about going up to Zeta Deck then? They have a near perfect simulation of theEsmeralda there.