"Vattas 4 - Command Decision - Moon, Elizabeth_13" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moon Elizabeth)

tapping the key to collapse the rest of the directory.

What he really wanted to know, he had noted in passing: ISC headquarters still had the same public
access number. Not that Genson Ratanvi had any reason to call there.

After a mediocre meal at the hotelТs cafщ, Rafe headed out into the city. It was autumn in this location,
just after midday, local time. He drew a deep breath, anticipating and then enjoying the familiar fragrance,
childhood-deep in his memory. His favorite time of year, with apples ripe on the trees and the autumn
mushrooms mingling their scent with that of fallen leaves, even here in the cityТs commercial district.
Probably every world had its characteristic scents, but he spent nearly all his time on ships and stations.
He felt a strange mix of nostalgia and fear: this was home, and home could be deadly.

The Number 161 tram still ran from the spaceport hotel district out to the northern suburbs; Rafe rode it
to the last stop, seeing little change from the last time heТd been here except that the long-delayed
northern extension of the freight monorail was finally in place. He got off in the bustling little market, now
full of school-children buying treats after school, and womenЧmostly employees, he knewЧbuying fresh
produce and meat for dinner.

He headed for LuceТs, sat down at an outside table, and ordered a slice of honeycake and tea with lime.
The lime came partly pared, a curl of peel holding it to the rim of the glass. He stared at it a moment.
Where was Ky by now? Off on that idiot attempt to build a fleet out of a bunch of untrained privateers?
His shoulders twitched. Dead. She must be dead by now; he was not going to think about her.

Except that she had shipboard ansibles and intended to use them. That, he had to think about, and
carefully, before he told his father. ISC must not decide she was an enemy. He owed her that much, just
in case she was still alive.

His portable security system informed him thatЧaside from the general surveillance designed to notice
and focus on suspicious activityЧhe was not observed. Humans were inattentive witnesses anyway, and
no one really cared about a middle-aged, slightly paunchy man quietly eating honeycake and drinking tea.
Nor would they care if he appeared to be talking to himself; almost everyone had an implant, and most of
those had skullphones.





He activated his own skullphone and called his fatherТs private number. His father might be in a meeting,
might not answer at once, butЧ

УThis number is no longer available. Please check the number you are calling and try again.Ф

Rafe sat very still, then made himself breathe normally. It had been years; the number was in his implant
files, but perhaps he had flicked the wrong one. That could happen. He entered it again.

УThis number is no longerЕФ

He closed the connection and took a bite of honeycake. His fatherТs number was no longer available?
Had he changed it for some reason? That could be awkward; RafeТs business persona had no reason
and no influence to get access to ISCТs chief executive. Surely his father hadnТtЕdied. Someone would