"Andrew J. Offutt - Spaceways 09 - In Quest of Qalara" - читать интересную книгу автора (Offutt Andrew J)

against five and only a few cuts and bruises! What were they,
children?" "Negative, Captain. The, uh, station security got there before they
had time to do a better job on us." Jonuta snorted, but grinned inwardly. One
thing about Sak-the man was honest even when it hurt! "Umm. Just sittin' in
the bar, sippin' a few and making remarks about Bleak?" "Pos," Sakyo nodding,
almost swallowing the word and showing great interest in the sensor readouts.
He added, "Cap'n." "Anything serious, Sak?" The Terasak shook his head. "Neg,
Captain. Nothing serious at all. We're sorry, Captain." "But you've kept the
black eye rather than cover it up. Can you see all right? Ready to take the
con?'' Sakyo abandoned the self-denigrating posture that was part of the
ancient culture of his people-Terasaki having been settled by two ships full
of people from a Homeworld district called Nippon, centuries ago-and adopted a
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military pose. "Firm, Captain! Ready to take the con, Captain!" Jonuta nodded
and headed for the hatchway. There he paused to look back. "Damn your ass,
Sak, a fight in a saloon! That was flainin' stupid!" "This pitiful person
absolutely knows it, Captain sir." Suddenly Sak turned to look at him, and
both assumed postures were gone. "Captain . . ." he said, in a normal
voice. Jonuta remained where he was with one eyebrow lifted. It was reply
enough: Let's hear it. "Uh-Shig and I are both horny up to here, and
especially since there's plenty of sexual activity onboard." All that came in
a rush, Sakyo relieving himself of the words in the way of a nervous youngster
saying his first public "piece." And before Jonuta could answer the shorter
man 33 went on: "That's neither gripe nor excuse, Captain. But Shig and I are
worried, too." "Worried." Implied criticism was taken, and Jonuta was captain.
He had to be noncommittal, but could not walk away. Meanwhile Sakyo was having
trouble meeting his captain's eyes. "Pos, Captain. You and Kenowa are ... you
go 'way back. She was with you before Shig and me-uh, before Shig and I were.
You two make us feel good and so Coronet has always felt good. Lovers and
friends, I mean. Then we took the HRal onboard and you-they've come between
you and Kenowa. And the ship is different. Feels different I mean.
Captain." Jonuta was Jonuta, and he was captain. He had to put a good face on
it, a captain's face. At last he said, "Spacefarer Sakyo, you're so far out of
line you're talking sideways. You have the con." And the captain
redshifted. He thought about it as he went along the ship's corridor called
"tunnel." This one was tan with the hint of yellow. He considered what the
other man had said, and not with anger. "The poor bastard's right on every
count," he muttered, and he was not a man given to muttering to himself.
There's nothing military about Coronet, but it's Kenowa and I who are out of
line. We aren't being fair to Shig and Sak. We gave him that black eye- I did,
not some fight-happy spacefarers in a bar! Damn til It's just that I've done
it again. I've fallen into infatuation-again. So has Dem, and either Kenowa
has or she's compensating very well for my . . . abandoning her, for
HReenee. On the other hand, that's the way it is. I've done it many times
before, just not on the ship. Fortunately. Thought I was iron disciplined,
didn't you, ole loverboy Jone! But this is the way it is. I'm hot for HReenee
right 34 now, and now at all interested in bedding down with Kenny. It's