"Andre Norton - Moon Singer 2 - Exiles of the Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

and the contagion attacked the troops. This was accepted by the surviving rebels as a vindication of their
beliefs. So the uprising spread, finding adherents who wanted nothing more than to upset the status quo.
As is only too common where there has been an untroubled rule, the authorities had not realized the
seriousness of what they termed a local outburst. There had been quite a few among the higher-placed
priests and nobles who had been loath to move at once, wanting to conciliate the rebels. In fact there had
been too much talk and not enough action at just the wrong moment.

Now there was a first-class civil war in progress. And, as far as we were able to learn, the government
was shaky. Which was the reason for this secret meeting here in the house of a local lordling. The Lydis
had come in with a cargo now of little or no value. And while a Free Trader may make an un-paying
voyage once, a second such can put the ship in debt to the League.

To be without a ship is death for my kind. We know no other lifeтАФplanetside existence is prison. And
even if we could scrape a berth on another Trader, that would mean starting from the bottom once again,
with little hope of ever climbing to freedom again. It would perhaps not be so hard on junior members of
the crew, such as myself, who was only assistant cargomaster. But we had had to fight for even our lowly
berths. As for Captain Foss, the other officersтАФit would mean total defeat.

Thus, though we had learned of the upsetting state of affairs within a half hour after landing, we did not
space again. As long as there was the least hope of turning the voyage to some account we remained
finned down, even though we were sure there was presently no market for pulmn. As a matter of routine,
Foss and Lidj had contacted the temple. But instead of our arranging an open meeting with a supply
priest, they had summoned us here.

So great was their need that they wasted no time in formal greeting but came directly to the point. For it
seemed that after all we did have something to sell тАФsafety. Not for the men who met us, nor even for
their superiors, but for the cream of the planet's treasure, which could be loaded on board the Lydis and
sent to protective custody elsewhere.

On Ptah the temple had established a well-based outpost, mainly because certain minerals were mined
there. And it had become a recognized custom for the hierarchy of the church to withdraw to Ptah at
times for periods of retreat, removed from the distractions of Thoth. It was to that sanctuary that they
proposed now to send the pick of the temple holdings, and the Lydis was to transport them.

When Captain Foss asked why they did not use their own ore-transport ships for the purpose (not that
he was averse to the chance to make this trip pay), they had a quick answer. First, the ore ships were
mainly robo-controlled, not prepared to carry a crew of more than one or two techs on board. They
could not risk sending the treasure in such, when tinkering with the controls might lose it forever.
Secondly, the Lydis, being a Free Trader, could be trusted. For such was the Traders' reputation that all
knew, once under contract, we held by our word. To void such a bond was unthinkable. The few, very
few, times it had happened, the League itself had meted out such punishment as we did not care to
remember.

Therefore, they said, if we took contract they knew that their cargo would be delivered. And not only
one such cargo, but they would have at least two, maybe more. If the rebels did not invest the city (as
they now threatened) too soon, the priests would continue to send off their hoard as long as they could.
But the cream of it all would be on the first trip. And they would payтАФwhich was the subject of the
present meeting.

Not that we were having any wrangling. But no man becomes a Trader without a very shrewd idea of