"Andrew J. Offutt - Spaceways 17 - The Carnadyne Horde" - читать интересную книгу автора (Offutt Andrew J)

'protection' money and strutting abput in their little uniforms interfering
with commerce, sticking their noses in-" "Thank you, Prastiba-seety," Eks said
to the Sam. "I think your view is quite obviously shared by the other members
of the Council. That's why we're here." He stifled a yawn and continued. "This
meeting is intended to be a strategy session on how best to use our resources.
Resources such as time, Myrzha Prastiba." Eks gazed around the chamber at the
faces turned toward him. Human, mostly-that spacefaring race that called
itself Galactic and seemed to be proving worthy of the name- plus a few Jarps
and an actual Crozer, robed. The Crozers looked Galactic in all aspects, yet
they differed on a genetic level that prevented cross-breeding. That made them
something other than human. So did that unpleasant pineal eye. A Jarp spoke
up. The translation helmet it wore converted the whistles of its thin, long
tongue into Erts, the language of the spaceways. It gestured with its slender
orange arms and shook its heart-shaped head so that rich, burgundy-hued hair
rippled and shimmered in the lights. Eks ignored the words it spoke through
its translahelm. He was thinking about a woman. A woman just a few months back
and half a Galaxy away. "You don't expect," she had said, "that we'll be able
to get away with him and the loot?" She strode along one of the tunnels near
the surface of spacer Coronet and glanced from Marekallian to the Akil. The
downy-furred alien stared back at her with eyes the color of gold dust. He
stood shorter than either she-Verley of Sekhar-or the man she
addressed. 17 Eks ran a tanned set of fingers across his jet black hair down
to where it ended in a queue. "Oh," he said with a nonchalant air, "I think
I'll be able to." He put an arm around the white-gold furred shoulders of the
Akil. The gentle-looking creature continued walking but stared up at him
inquiringly with eyes larger than a Jarp's. It (he-the Akil was quite
obviously male) could have evolved to its humanoid status from the lemurs of
Home-world-Urth. His long fingers reached up to grasp the Gal-actic's wrist.
That grip was strong, belying the delicacy of his build. Eks and Verley had
seen the frail alien jump four meters up a wall with little more than a
running start. From ankle-deep water. Only moments after being awakened from
its cryosphere in a treasure vault on a distant Protected planet called
Arepien.* The Mindrunner, who had looted the vault as "payment" for making the
surface-dwellers aware of Galactic civilization, now had to deal with a more
formidable opponent. The captain of Coronet. "Leave our host to me," he said,
eyeing the lovely woman from Sekhar and patting the Akil's arm. He disengaged
from the Akil upon reaching the con-cabin and signaled their
presence. "Enter," a deep basso voice boomed. The con-cabin hatch slid open to
admit the trio. At the con stood a man of 180 sems height. He wore
linden-green equhyde tights and an imposing long-tailed coat of piratical
scarlet. When he turned, a double row of brass-imitating prass buttons
reflected glints of light from the flashing and flickering telits. The captain
of spacer Coronet faced his "passengers." *In Jonuta Rising! 18 Marek spoke
up first. "I see you got the kunda vine sap off your clothes. Or do you stock
identical outfits?" Captain Kislar Jonuta of Qalara smiled. "We are in orbit
around Jasbir, Mindrunner. This is where I expect to pick up some, uh, cargo.
And let you off." "With Phoenix, slaver." Eks grinned with feral enjoyment.
"Your thirty-five per cent of my recovery doesn't include sentient
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