"Vonda N. McIntyre-Screwtop" - читать интересную книгу автора (McIntyre Vonda N)

accept you." Despite everything, she was proud of the mark.
"What's a spaceport rat?"
That Miria was unfamiliar with the rats did not surprise Kylis. Few Redsun people had heard of them.
On almost every other world Kylis ever visited, the rats were, if not exactly esteemed, at least admired.
Some places she had been actively worshipped. Even where she was officially unwelcome, the popular
regard was high enough to prevent the kind of entrapment Redsun had started.
 "I used to be one. It's what everybody calls people who sneak on board starships and live in them and
in space-ports. We travel all over."
"That sounds... interesting," Miria said. "But didn't it bother you to steal like that?"
A year before, Kylis would have laughed at the question, even knowing, as she did, that Miria was
quite sincere. But recently Kylis had begun to wonder: Might something be more important than
outwitting spaceport security guards? While she was wondering she came to Redsun, so she never had a
chance to find out.
"I started when I was ten," Kylis said to Miria. "So I didn't think of it like that."
"You sneaked onto a starship when you were only ten?"
"Yes."
"All by yourself?"
"Until the others start to recognize you, no one will help you much. It's possible. And I thought it was
my only chance to get away from where I was."
"You must have been in a terrible place."
"It's hard to remember if it was really as bad as I think. I can remember my parents, but never smiling,
only yelling at each other and hitting me."
Miria shook her head. "That's terrible, to be driven away by your own people-- to have nowhere to
grow up... Did you ever go back?"
"I don't think so."
"What?" "I can't remember much about where I was born. I always thought I'd recognize the
spaceport, but there might have been more than one, so maybe I have been back and maybe I haven't.
The thing is, I can't remember what they called the planet. Maybe I never knew."
"I cannot imagine it-- not to know who you are or where you come from or even who your parents
were."
"I know that," Kylis said.
"You could find out about the world. Fingerprints or ship records or regression-- "
"I guess I could. If I ever wanted to. Sometime I might even do it, if I ever get out of here."
"I'm sorry we stopped you. Really. It's just that we feel that everyone who can should contribute a fair
share."
Kylis still found it hard to believe that after being sent to Screwtop Miria would include herself in
Redsun's collective conscience, but she had said "we." Kylis only thought of authorities as "they."
She shrugged. "Spaceport rats know they can get caught. It doesn't happen too often and usually you
hear that you should avoid the place."
"I wish you had."
"We take the chance." She touched the silver tattoo again. "You don't get one of these until you've
proved you can be trusted. So when places use informers against us, we usually know who they are."
"But on Redsun you were betrayed?"
"I never expected them to use a child," Kylis said bitterly.
"A child!"
"This little kid sneaked on my ship. He did a decent job of it, and he reminded me of me. He was only
ten or eleven, and he was all beat up. I guess we aren't so suspicious of kids because most of us started
at the same age." Kylis glanced at Miria and saw that she was staring at her, horrified.
"They used a child? And injured him, just to catch you?"
"Does that really surprise you?"