"Andre Norton - Jern Murdock 02 - Uncharted Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

intelligent to stay where we were with Patrol snoops about,I could well
understand. But where we would go next--"To the Diving Lokworm," Eet replied
as if the answer was plain and he wasamused that I had not guessed it for
myself.For a moment I was totally adrift. The name he mentioned meant
nothing,though it suggested one of those dives which filled the murky shadows
of thewrong side of the port, the last place in the world where any sane man
wouldventure with the Guild already sniffing for him.But at present I was
more intent on getting out of this building withoutbeing spotted by a
Patrol tail. I rolled up my last clean undertunic andcounted out three
credit disks. In a transit lodging one's daily charges areconspicuous each
morning on a small wall plate. And no one can beat theinstant force field
which locks the room if one does not erase these chargeswhen the scanner
below says he is departing. The room might be insured forprivacy in other
ways, but there are precautions the owners are legallyallowed to install.
I dropped the credits into the slot under the chargeplate and that winked
out. Thus reassured I could get out. I must now figurehow. When I turned it
was to see that Eet was again a pookha. For a moment Ihesitated, not quite
sure which of the furry creatures was my companionuntil he moved out to
be picked up. With Eet in the crook of one arm and mybag in my other hand, I
went out into the corridor after a quick look toldme it was empty. When I
turned toward the down grav shaft Eet spoke:"Left and back!"I obeyed. His
directions took me where I did not know the territory,bringing me to
another grav shaft, that which served the robos who took careof the rooms.
There might be scanners here, even though I had paid my bill.This was an exit
intended only for machines and one of them rumbled alongtoward us now. It
was a room-service feeder, a box on wheels, its topstudded with call
buttons for a choice of meal. I had to squeeze backagainst the wall to
let it by, since this back corridor had never been meantfor the human and
alien patrons of the caravansary."On it!" Eet ordered. I had no idea what he
intended, but I had been broughtout of tight corners enough in the past to
know that he generally did havesome saving plan in mind. So I swung Eet, my
bag, and myself to the tabletop of the feeder, trying to take care that I
did not trigger any of thebuttons. My weight apparently was nothing to the
machine. It did not pausein its steady roll down the remainder of the
corridor. But I was tense andstiff, striving to preserve my balance on this
box where there was nothingto grip for safety. When it moved without pause
off the floor and onto theempty air of the grav shaft I could have cried out.
But the grav supportedits weight and it descended as evenly under me as
if it had been a liftplatform bringing luggage and passengers out of a
liner at the port. Asweeper joined us at the next level, but
apparently the machines wereequipped with avoid rays, as they did not
bump, but kept from scrapingagainst each other. Above and below us, in the
dusk of the shaft, I couldsee other robo-servers descending, as if this was
the time when they werethrough their morning work. We came down floor by
floor, I counting them aswe passed, a little more relieved with each one we
left behind, knowing thatwe were that much nearer our goal. But when we
reached ground level we facedonly blank surface, and my support continued to
descend.The end was some distance below the surface, at least equal. I
believed, tothree floors above. And the feeder, with us still aboard,
rolled out inpitch dark, where the sounds of clanging movement kept me