"Jim Munroe - Angry Young Spaceman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Munroe Jim)

antigrav cells sewn into the lining. Rich.
Despite it, I considered chatting her up тАФ just to kill the boredom of
waiting in line тАФ but I couldnтАЩt think of anything to talk about beyond the
health dangers involved in having cells so close to her spinal fluid.
A few minutes later I was at the counter.
тАЬDestination?тАЭ
тАЬOctavia.тАЭ I waited for the slight, obscurely gratifying shock that I had
come to expect. Nothing. Not even a raise of the eyebrows тАФ only a flicker
of the light running over the surface of her eyeballs as she accessed the file
retinally.
 I wondered why her indifference to my destination was so deflating.
I had decided to go for a bunch of reasons, most relating to my dislike
of Earth. I chose the most remote planet I could figuring that itтАЩd be the
least like the self-proclaimed centre of the universe. But over the past few
months, people had responded to the news with shock and wonder:
тАЬReally? Golly, how brave of you!тАЭ and all that. I had made the decision
alone, but it had been bolstered by peopleтАЩs gratifying reaction.
тАЬMr. Sam Breen. You have a week stopover on Polix.тАЭ She blinked up
some more data. Her lashes were lovely, and the way she stared through
me to the data made her look dreamy.
тАЬHow did you know тАФтАЭ
тАЬThereтАЩs only one human traveller to that destination.тАЭ
тАЬSo I guess you donтАЩt see a lot of people going to Octavia,тАЭ I said,
fishing.
She shook her head. I smiled, secure again.
тАЬI started a week ago,тАЭ she said.
My smile broadened in appreciation of my pathetic neediness.
тАЬAre you travelling with zap guns, cultural products, registered
technology?тАЭ
тАЬYeah, my Speak-O-Matic,тАЭ I said, looking at my single suitcase.
Oh shit.
тАЬIтАЩll need to scan it, sir.тАЭ
I rewound my recent activities frantically. I had set it on the bar stool...
Shit shit shit.
тАЬSir?тАЭ
I lifted my suitcase onto the platform automatically.
тАЬIтАЩve left it in the bar,тАЭ I said. тАЬI...тАЭ
Her eyes widened. тАЬYou left a... you should go back.тАЭ She looked at me
sympathetically, but I felt no satisfaction in piercing her veil of boredom.
тАЬIтАЩll send this ahead, and if... when you get your item, I can register it.тАЭ
She tapped my bags with a wand and they became enveloped in black
plastic, then the platform dropped out of sight. I took the flight card from
her and walked away from the counter. There was no point in running, I
told myself, it was either there, or it wasnтАЩt.
I started running.
The frothy glass that glowed above the entrance to the bar grew bigger
and bigger as I dodged luggage-droids and nearly stepped on a family of
Plevs. How was I gonna teach English to kids when I couldnтАЩt even speak тАФ
The door of the bar slid closed behind me, and my eyes adjusted to the
dim light. Three humans were chatting quietly a few stools down from