"Jack McKinney - Kaduna Memories" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

KADUNA MEMORIES

Jack McKinney

With thanks to Hans Moravec, John Brunner, William Gibson, and numerous others, for opening up the
territory and making it safe for tourists

And to Robert Mandell and Chris Rowley, who poured the footings

CONTENTS
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Part One: Close Encounter

Chapter One
Next
Thaish had a foot inserted in his mouth when the transport's monitors had voiced their shrill warning alert.
Ship Nasst had shuddered, groaned, lurched, and found itself savagely returned to space-time, on a
collision course with the largest of a cluster of metal-rich rock fragments in broad orbit around a
middle-aged star.

The foot was Thaish's own, but the ship's wily ever-present monitors had captured nun in a lackadaisical
one-legged stance that was anything but appropriate for operations posture. His eyes were partially
membraned, his features slack; his expression reflected an inner mode of contemplative though remote
thought activity.

Later Thaish would recall the innocent stray impulse that had summoned his attention from the instrument
mat, but just now he could only wither under the analytical gaze of Inheritor Major Nasst and the five
remaining members of the transport's drive circle.

Thaish could hardly deny the Inheritor Major his right to glower. There was Thaish, after all, centered
larger than actual in the monitor group's projected viewsphere, obviously indulging in random thought.
With a foot in his mouth.

This most recent lapse brought the total to three for this jaunt alone, Thaish reminded himself while the
monitors sniggered to themselves behind the Inheritor's back. One more and Nasst would have him
deanimated for the duration of the jaunt. Only last shift Arbitrator Ranz from Realignment had hinted at
this very possibility. Perhaps we need to open up that thick skull of yours and search for the fault,
eh, node?

Node, Thaish thought, reanalyzing the Arbitrator's peculiar use of syntax and remembering his own vague
sense of discomfort. Ranz had not merely forgotten to say Node

Thaish; he had left the status designate deliberately unattended to convey threat. Such was the power of
words among the ably voiced.

"Even now you are negligent," Nasst bellowed suddenly, opaquing his eyes. "Whatever has gotten into
you, Node Thaish?"

Thaish tried to keep his ears from twitchingтАФthey were wont to have a mind of their own under
conditions of stress or duress. "I was attentive to your glower, Inheritor Major," he managed after a