"Chad Oliver - Blood's a Rover" - читать интересную книгу автора (Oliver Chad)

the Snake Dance of the Hopi, long ago back on Earth. The Snake Dance had been a rain-making
ceremonial, and invariably when the very early anthropologists had attended the dance they had got
drenched on the way home. It was only coincidence and good timing, of course, but it was difficult to tell
yourself that when the rain began to pour.
тАЬHere she comes,тАЭ said Andy Irvin.


There was a splitting whistle and then a soft hum as a small patrol ship settled down toward the field
on her anti-gravs. She hung there in the dawn like a little silver fish seen through the glassite walls of a
great aquarium, and Conan Lang could sense what he could not seeтАФthe massive bulk of the sleek star
cruiser waiting out in space.
The patrol ship came down out of the sky and hovered a few feet off the ground. A man swung down
out of the outlift and waved. Conan Lang recognized him as Julio Medina, who had been lifted out of
another sector of Sirius Ten to come in and replace him with Andy. The ricefruit was green and fresh in
the field and it hurt Conan to leave his job unfinished. There wasnтАЩt a great deal to do now until the
check, of course, and Julio was a very competent and experienced man, but there was still so much that
could go wrong, so much that you could never anticipateтАФ
And he didnтАЩt want anything to happen to the kid.
тАЬSo long, Cone,тАЭ Andy said, his voice very quiet. тАЬAndтАФthanks. I wonтАЩt forget what you did.тАЭ
Conan Lang leaned on AndyтАЩs arm and moved toward the ship. тАЬIтАЩll be back, Andy,тАЭ he said, trying
to keep the weight off his feet. тАЬHold the fortтАФI know itтАЩll be in good hands.тАЭ
Conan Lang shook hands with Julio and then Julio and Andy helped him into the outlift. He had time
for a brief wave and a final glimpse of the green field under the fiery sun, and then he was inside the patrol
ship. They had somehow rigged up a bunk for him in the cramped quarters, and he collapsed into it
gratefully.
тАЬHome, James,тАЭ he whispered, trying not to think about what would happen if they could not save his
legs.
Conan Lang closed his eyes and lay very still, feeling the ship pulse and surge as it carried him out into
the dark sea from which he had come.



IV.
The doctors saved his legs, but years were to pass before Conan Lang again set foot upon Earth.
Space was vast and star cruisers comparatively few. In addition, star ships were fabulously expensive to
operateтАФit was out of the question for a ship on a mission to make the long run from Sirius to Sol for the
sake of one man. Conan Lang became the prize patient of the ship medics and he stayed with the star
cruiser as it operated in the Sirius area.
A star cruiser on operations was never dull and there were books to read and reports to write.
Conan Lang curbed his impatience and made the best of the situation. The local treatments applied by
Andy had been effective enough so that the ship medics were able to regenerate his burned tissue, and it
was only a question of time before he would be strong again.
The star cruiser worked efficiently and effectively in support of Administration units in the Sirius area,
sliding through the blackness of space like some leviathan of the deep, and Conan Lang rested and made
himself as useful as he could. He often went up into the control room and stood watching the visiplate that
looked out upon the great emptiness of space. Some where, on a far shore of that mighty sea, was a tiny
planet called Earth. There, the air was cool and fresh under the pines and the beauty of the world, once
you got away from it and could see it in perspective, was fantastic. There were Rob and Kit, friendship
and tears and laughter.
There was home.