"Procyon's Promise" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

УWhat am I supposed to see?Ф
УHave you ever looked closely at your clientele?Ф
He made a show of scanning the restaurant. УOkay, IТve looked.Ф
УYouТve got a good cross-section of humanity here. Both sexes, all shapes and
sizes, every color. Yet, in spite of our differences, we all have something in
common.Ф
УSure,Ф Roland said, nodding. УYouТre all richer than anyone has a right to be.
If you werenТt, you could never afford us.Ф
УTrue,Ф Chryse said. УI hadnТt thought of that. Hmmm, that makes things even
worse!Ф
УHow so?Ф
УCanТt you see it? All your clients are compulsive personalities.Ф
УArenТt you being a bit hard on yourself and the other guests?Ф
УIf anything, IТm not being hard enough. WeТre all on holiday, yet each of us is
so desperate for diversion that we play ourselves into exhaustion.Ф
УConsidering the cost,Ф Roland said, Уcan you blame anyone?Ф
УI suppose that explains a few cases. But take old Joshua Voichek over there,Ф
she said, gesturing toward a spry centenarian seated at a breakfast nook halfway
across the compartment. УAfter my father, heТs probably the richest man in the
system. He could spend a lifetime inThe Roost without making a dent in his
fortune. Yet, he wears himself out as quickly as the salesman who saves a dozen
years to come here.Ф
УYour theory, Madame Psychotherapist?Ф he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
УWeТre bored with life. The sense of adventure has gone out of us. There arenТt
any frontiers left. No one climbs Mount Everest anymore.Ф
Roland chuckled. УWhy should they? If you want to reach the Everest Summit
Hotel, you board an airtram in Nepal. They leave every half hour.Ф
УExactly! Where can you go in the solar system where you wonТt find someone
elseТs boot prints?Ф
Roland shrugged, but did not answer.
УKnow what I think? I think the human race is suffering from claustrophobia.
WeТve learned the awful truth that there are limits beyond which we cannot go,
so we invent places like this to help us forget.Ф
УIsnТt that quite a lot to blame on an overpriced whorehouse?Ф
She looked at him sharply, suddenly aware of the undercurrent of anger in his
voice. УA trained entertainment specialist isnТt a whore, Roland.Ф
He raised one eyebrow quizzically. УPerhaps you can explain the difference to me
sometime.Ф
УI didnТt mean to insult you. Put it down to overwork. Forgive me?Ф
УYou donТt need my forgiveness. You can have me fired anytime you feel like it.Ф
УI guess I deserved that,Ф 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. УLetТs change
the subject before we have an argument. I have been staring at that thing all
morning. What is it?Ф
He turned to follow her gaze. УJust an old worker dormitory usedduring The
RoostТs construction. ItТs abandoned now, of course.Ф
УI would think the owners would keep local space clear of all such hazards to
navigation. WouldnТt be very good publicity for a shipload of tourists to run