"Andre Norton - Solar Queen 01 - Sargasso of Space" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

Sargasso of Space
by Andre Norton

Scanning by Iczelion, proofing and layout by Nadie
Contents

* CHAPTER ONEтАФTHE SOLAR QUEEN
* CHAPTER TWOтАФWORLDS FOR SALE
* CHAPTER THREEтАФCHARTERED GAMBLE
* CHAPTER FOURтАФLIMBO LANDING
* CHAPTER FIVEтАФFIRST SCOUT
* CHAPTER SIXтАФSINISTER VALLEY
* CHAPTER SEVENтАФSHIP OUT OF SPACE
* CHAPTER EIGHTтАФFOG BOUND
* CHAPTER NINEтАФBLIND HUNT
* CHAPTER TENтАФTHE WRECK
* CHAPTER ELEVENтАФSARGASSO WORLD
* CHAPTER TWELVEтАФSHIP BESIEGED
* CHAPTER THIRTEENтАФATTACK AND STALEMATE
* CHAPTER FOURTEENтАФTRUMPET OF JERICHO
* CHAPTER FIFTEENтАФPRISONERтАЩS MAZE
* CHAPTER SIXTEENтАФTHE HEART OF LIMBO
* CHAPTER SEVENTEENтАФTHE HEART CEASES TO BEAT
* CHAPTER EIGHTEENтАФUP SHIP AND OUT



CHAPTER ONE:
THE SOLAR QUEEN

THE LANKY, VERY young man in the ill-fitting TraderтАЩs tunic tried to stretch the cramp out of his long
legs. YouтАЩd think, Dane Thorson considered the point with a certain amount of irritation, the man who
designed these under-surface transcontinental cars would take into mind that there would be tall
passengersтАФnot just midgetsтАФusing them. Not for the first time he wished that he could have used air
transport. But he had only to finger the money belt, too flat about his middle, to remember who and what
he wasтАФa recruit new to the Service, without a ship or backer.

There was his muster pay from Training Pool, and a thin pad of crumpled credit slips which remained from
the sale of all those belongings which could not follow him into space. And he had his minimum kitтАФthat
was the total sum of his possessionsтАФexcept for that slender wafer of metal, notched and incised with a
code beyond his reading, which would be his passport to what he determined was going to be a brighter
future.

Not that he should question the luck he had had so far, Dane told himself firmly. After all, it wasnтАЩt every
boy from a Federation Home who could get an appointment to the Pool and emerge ten years later an
apprentice Cargo Master ready for ship assignment off world. Even recalling the stiff examinations of the
past few weeks could set him to squirming now. Basic mechanics, astrogation grounding, and then the
more severe testing in his own specializationтАФcargo handling, stowage, trade procedure, Galactic markets,
Extra-terrestrial psychology, and all the other items he had had to try and cram into his skull until he
sometimes thought that he had nothing but bits and patches which he would never be able to sort into