"Kerrion Empire - 03 - Earth Dreams" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morris Janet E)

Penrose wanted to reach out, touch him. He said.
"That's as long a view as I've seen in the civilized stars,"
looking off down the curve of the sky-wall, his chin jut-
ting, "And this is more untenanted grass than I've ever
seen in one place."

"They'll live like monarchs, the first years. One hun-
dred forty thousand in a sphere which can hold nearly a
million. It's not all like this: this is where the Earth town
will be. I have to give everyone whom I am displacing the
opportunity to resettle and continue with their business;

the Earth-towners in the Stump have to be considered,
red-light district or no. . . ."

"Oh," said Penrose, ripping grass from the sward.

After a time, Chaeron shielded his eyes with his hand,
though there was no glare, and whispered, "Will you tell
me what the trouble is!"

"In what order?"

"In any order, before IЧ" Spitting a sibilance,
Chaeron sat up absolutely straight.

"Easy there, boss. It's what I didn't get: I didn't get my
ex-guildmaster, Baldy, and twenty wrongly-condemned
guildbrothers of mine; it was hard to explain to them that
I could only take qualified dream dancers, that manumis-
sion comes only to those we need, no matter how griev-
ously wronged are the remainder."

A trained Kerrion visage showed no emotion unin-
tended. Chaeron's grinЧfleeting, close-lipped and wiseЧ
bad a purpose. "You know that I would help them if I
could. Bringing those dream dancers here, to be frac-
tional citizens and work off monumental fines, is not ex-

28

JANET MORRIS

acdy freedom. They are Kerrion servitors for twenty
years, and maybe then they'll receive pardons. Would
that do for pilots, for old Baldy? I know your pilots want
him back. I'm trying. But I am no longer Dracoms con-
sul, and Kerrion space still holds dream dancing to be
illegal, and I cannot say for sure that I will be here long