"Paul J. McAuley - Winning Peace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Mcauley Paul J)

themselves.тАЭ

Here it was. Carver took a breath and said, тАЬNot if you claim me first.тАЭ

After a short pause, Useless Beauty said, тАЬSo that is why you needed me.тАЭ

тАЬAs we say in the Alliance, one good turn deserves another. I rescued you;
now itтАЩs your turn to rescue me.тАЭ

Throwing himself on the mercy of the !Cha was the biggest risk of the whole
enterprise. Carver had never felt so scared and alone as he did then, waiting out
another of Useless BeautyтАЩs silences while hot sunlight beat down through drifts of
smoke, and Mr. KanzaтАЩs scow grew closer some-where on the other side of the sky.

At last, the !Cha said, тАЬYou are very persistent.тАЭ

тАЬDoes that mean youтАЩll help me?тАЭ

тАЬI admit that I want to see what happens next.тАЭ

Carver supposed that he would have to take that as a тАЬyes.тАЭ Low hills
shim-mered in the middle distance. The ruins of a Boxbuilder city were scattered
across their sere slopes like so many strings of beads. He pointed at the ruins and
said, тАЬAs soon as IтАЩve gotten rid of this pressure suit, we start walking.тАЭ

The !ChaтАЩs four-legged cylinder moved with easy grace through the
sim-mering desert. Carver, wearing only his suit liner and boots, a pouch of water
slung over his shoulder, had to jog to keep up. The air was thin, and the fat sun beat
down mercilessly, but he reveled in the feeling of the sunтАЩs heat on his skin and dry
wind in his hair, in the glare of the harsh landscape. Every-thing seemed infinitely
precious, a chain of diamond-sharp moments. He had never before felt so alive as he
did then, with death so close at his heels.

As Carver and the !Cha climbed toward a ravine that snaked between
interlocking ridges, a double sonic boom cracked across the sky. The scow had
arrived. But Carver wasnтАЩt ready to give up yet, and there were plenty of places to
hide in the ruins. Chains of hollow cubes spun from polymer and rock dust climbed
the slopes on either side, piled on top of each other, running along ridges, bridging
narrow valleys: a formidable labyrinth with thousands of nooks and crannies that led
deep into the hills, where he and Useless Beauty could hide out until some sort of
rescue party arrived from the colony. For a little while, he began to believe that his
plan might work, but then he and the !Cha reached the end of a chain of cubes at the
top of a ridge, and found Rider Jackson waiting for them.

The young officer put his pistol on Carver and said, тАЬYou led us a pretty
good chase, but you forgot one thing.тАЭ

He was wearing a black Navy flight suit with a big zip down the front and
pockets patching the chest and legs; that know-everything-tell-nothing expression
blanked his face.