"Bruce McAllister- Kin" - читать интересную книгу автора (Mcallister Bruce)

shadow separated itself from the greater shadow cast by the
craft, and he nearly screamed.


8
 Kin
by Bruce McAllister


The figure was tall and at first he thought it was a
costume, a joke played by a colleague, nothing worse.
But as the figure stepped into the fading light, he saw
what it was and nearly screamed again. He had seen such
creatures in newscasts, of course, and even at a distance at
the shuttleport or at major tourist landmarks in the city, but
never like this. So close.
When it spoke, the voice was low and mechanicalтАФthe
work of an Ipoor mesh.
"You are," the alien said, "James Ortega-Mambay ...
Seventh District Supervisor ... BuPopCon?"
Ortega-Mambay considered denying it, but did not. He
knew the reputation of the Antalou as well as anyone did. He
knew the uses to which his own race, not to mention the
other four races mankind had met among the stars, had put
them. The Antalou did not strike him as creatures one lied to
without risk.
"Yes.... I am. I am Ortega-Mambay."
"My own name," the Antalou said, "does not matter,
Ortega-Mambay. You know what I am.... What matters ... is
that you have decreed ... the pregnancy of Linda Tuckey-
Yatsen illegal.... You have ordered the unborn female sibling
... of the boy Kim Tuckey-Yatsen ... aborted. Is this true?"
The alien waited.
"It may be," the man said, fumbling. "I certainly do not
have all of our cases memorized. We do not process them by
family nameтАФ"
He stopped as he saw the absurdity of it. It was
outrageous.
9
 Kin
by Bruce McAllister


"I really do not see what business this is of yours," he
began. "This is a Terran city, and an overpopulated oneтАФin
an overpopulated nation on a overpopulated planet that
cannot afford to pay to move its burden offworld. We are
faced with a problem and one we are quite happy solving by
ourselves. None of this can possibly be any of your affair,
Visitor. Do you have standing with your delegation in this