"Recording Angel" - читать интересную книгу автора (Mcauley Paul J)

"By any of the usual methods, of course -- or you could multiply yourself so
that every one of these snakes had their own archivist. Or you could use
machines. But I forget, your calling requires that you use only appropriate
technology. That's why I'm here, because you won't have heard the news."
Dreen had an abrupt style, but he was neither as brutal nor as ruthless as his
brusqueness suggested. Like Mr Naryan, who understood Dreen's manner completely,
he was there to serve, not to rule.
Mr Naryan confessed that he had heard nothing unusual, and Dreen said eagerly,
"There's a woman arrived here. A star-farer. Her ship landed at Ys last year, as
I remember telling you."
"I remember seeing a ship land at Ys, but I was a young man then, Dreen. I had
not taken orders."
"Yes, yes," Dreen said impatiently, "picket boats and the occasional merchant's
argosy still use the docks. But this is different. She claims to be from the
deep past. The very deep past, before the Preservers."
"I can see that her story would be interesting if it were true."
Dreen beat a rhythm on his skinny thighs with the flat of his hands. "Yes, yes!
A human woman, returned after millions of years of travelling outside the
Galaxy. But there's more! She is only one of a whole crew, and she's jumped
ship. Caused some fuss. It seems the others want her back."
"She is a slave, then?"
"It seems she may be bound to them as you are bound to your order."
"Then you could return her. Surely you know where she is?"
Dreen popped a sweetmeat in his mouth and chewed with gusto. His flat-topped
teeth were all exactly the same size. He wiped his wide lipless mouth with the
back of his hand and said, "Of course I know where she is -- that's not the
point. The point is that no one knows if she's lying, or her shipmates are lying
-- they're a nervy lot, I'm told. Not surprising, culture shock and all that.
They've been travelling a long time. Five million years, if their story's to be
believed. Of course, they weren't alive for most of that time. But still."
Mr Naryan said, "What do you believe?"
"Does it matter? This city matters. Think what trouble she could cause!"
"If her story is true."
"Yes, yes. That's the point. Talk to her, eh? Find out the truth. Isn't that
what your order's about? Well, I must get on."
Mr Naryan did not bother to correct Dreen's misapprehension. He observed, "The
crowd has grown somewhat."
Dreen smiled broadly and rose straight into the air, his toes pointing down, his
arms crossed with his palms flat on his shoulders. The remote rose with him. Mr
Naryan had to shout to make himself heard over the cries and cheers of the
crowd.
"What shall I do?"
Dreen checked his ascent and shouted back, "You might tell her that I'm here to
help!"
"Of course!"
But Dreen was rising again, and did not hear Mr Naryan. As he rose he picked up
speed, dwindling rapidly as he shot across the jumbled rooftops of the city
towards his eyrie. The remote drew a silver line behind him; a cloud of lesser
machines scattered across the sky as they strained to keep up.
The next day, when as usual Mr Naryan stopped to buy the peanuts he would