"Norton, Andre - Solar Queen 04 - Postmarked The Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

make Limbulo hunt himself. And--and"--he pointed with the ident disk to Ali, his hand shaking as he did
it--"you're Ali Kamil, and we found you trapped in a maze on Limbo. And you, you're Frank Mura. You
piped us into that maze." There, he must have proved it. No one but Dane Thorson would know all that.
They must believe him now.

But then who--what--lay on his bunk, wearing his tunic--because it was his. There was the mend he had
done by thoro-weave three days ago. He was Dane Thorson--

"I am Dane Thorson--" Not only were his hands shaking now; his whole body quivered. And he was
going to be sick again. He couldn't help it. Maybe--maybe this was all some kind of crazy dream!

"Steady! Get him, Kamil." Tau was with him. Then he was in the fresher once more, vomiting.

"Can you hold him?" He heard Tau's voice faintly as if it came from a distance. "I'll have to get a shot.
He's been--"

"Poisoned, I think," Dane heard himself say. But whether he spoke aloud, he could not tell. At the same
moment the lights went out.
For the third time he roused, but this time lazily. It was not Sinbad's weight on his chest and the cat's
rasping tongue that drew him back to consciousness. Rather it was a feeling of peace, as if he had thrown
off some burden. And for a long moment he was content until memory began its irritating prick-prick of
summons to full awareness.

There was something--something about a report to the captain. Dane's thoughts uncoiled sluggishly. He
opened his eyes, turned his head a little, and things dropped into focus. He was in sick bay. Though he had
never lain here before, the cabin was familiar. He stirred, and the medic came into Dane's line of vision.

"With us again, eh? Let's see--" He went to work with quick competence to run a check on Dane's still
inert body. "Fair enough, though by rights you should be dead."

Dead? He had been dead--Dane frowned. There had been a body in his bunk.

"The man in my bunk?" He made that a question, though he did not finish it.

"Dead. And I think you are fit enough now--" Tau went to the wall com. "Sick bay calling Captain."

Captain--report to the captain! Dane tried to get up, but Tau had already pressed the button bringing part
of the surface up under him as a support. A little dizziness returned but then was gone.

"That man--how--"

"Acceleration with a heart condition. He had no business trying to get off-planet," Tau told him.

"His--his face--"

Tau took something from a nearby shelf. He faced Dane, holding out a plasta mask. Save that it had no
eyes, only holes, it was like looking in a mirror. And a back stretch covered with blond hair like Dane's
turned it into a full head covering.

"Who was he?" The mask possessed a macabre fascination. Dane looked away from it quickly. It was