"Continuing Time - 98 - Lord November" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moran Daniel Keys)

The night faces searched with no success. Who or whatever had followed Tyrel was
not to be found.
Tyrel consulted the Source. High on the plateau which also holds the
centuries-old ruins of Mexico City, sits the College of United Earth
Intelligence. Tyrel went to the SourceТs Place during late afternoon of the day
he was rescued; he took time only to shower and to feed himself.
The SourceТs Place was a small, empty auditorium. The doorfield was of modern
make; it did not break apart at TyrelТs approach, but merely shimmered and
softened slightly. Tyrel stepped through the field, and it dragged at him
slightly, kept the hot air outside from entering with him.
Inside, in Mexico CityТs high summer, it was cooled to a temperature most
humans, and Tyrel, found pleasant. Tyrel was tapped, but his tap was designed
for NovemberТs net, not Sol SystemТs Source; the SourceТs Place lacked the
equipment to decode the signal from TyrelТs tap, and so, in consulting the
Source, here in the SourceТs Place, it was required that Tyrel speak aloud.
The Source spoke Anglic with a Terran accent, in a neutral voice that might have
been male or female. (On the rare occasions Tyrel had seen the Source assume a
body, the body it chose was human, but genderless.)
Today the Source wore no body; it generated a holo as Tyrel entered the Place.
The holo was of an attractive young man of TyrelТs apparent age; Tyrel wondered
if the choice of gender and age were politeness on the SourceТs part. УSer
November.Ф
УSource.Ф
Unlike most humans, the Source wasted no time. УForty-six commercial spacecraft,
swept thoroughly by InSystem Security, orbited Earth during the entire period
that you lay upon your rock. Another one hundred and four craft orbited Earth
during some part of the last seven days. One hundred and eight are of Earth
registry; the remainder are variously registered by the KТAillae Protectorate,
the Zaradin Church, the House of November, the House of Domain, the Slissi
Mutual Trade Protective Society, and the SpaceFarerТs Collective. One ship of a
human society that calls itself the Wu Li, applying to become an Earth
protectorate, has been in geosynchronous orbit for the last twenty-one days.
Finally, the Pristhill Caravan has been orbiting Earth at L-5 for the last
forty-four days.Ф
Tyrel was startled. УYou let a Caravan that close to Earth?Ф
The Source said, УThe Face of Night did. I recommended against it; but the
Pristhill fought with humanity during the war with the Sleem. They are one of
only three Caravans that did. The Director consulted the Shivas, and the
decision was made.Ф
УOne hundred and fifty spacecraft,Ф said Tyrel, Уand one Platformer Caravan. And
any one of them might have been in communication with the being that followed me
into the Great North Forest.Ф He shook his head. УI donТt like it.Ф
УNor would I,Ф the Source observed, Уin your skin.Ф
УIТll want everything you have available. The InSystem Security reports; shipТs
logs where availableЧФ
The Source said dryly, УThey are all available. We would hardly let a craft exit
either of Sol SystemТs Gates if it would not let me scan its log.Ф
Tyrel nodded. УEdit for me, then.Ф
УI would in any regard,Ф said the Source. УYou do not process data quickly
enough to assess the available data in any useful period of time.Ф