"Severna Park - The Three Unknowns" - читать интересную книгу автора (Park Severna)

Captain Rowanoake was there, drinking coffee. His body, which had endured years of weightless travel
and then centrifugally induced gravities, had compensated for these abuses by dwindling early into an old
man's frame. It still housed a middle-aged mind and lingering hormonal compulsions. Rowanoake threw
his shoulders back and sat up straight when Althea walked into the small dining area. She couldn't
imagine why he was here. His quarters were vast compared to everyone else's. Surely he had coffee of
his own.

"Good morning, Professor Mendez," he said.

"Good morning, Captain." She got herself a teabag from the bin and hot water from the udder-like
contraption designed for spacecraft, and sat down, not too close to him, not too far.

"We've come about," said Rowanoake. "You should have a terrific view of Mars from your cabin."

"Terrific," said Althea.

"And we've had a communication from your student, Dr. Hoshi Noh."

Althea didn't look up from her teabag. "My former student."

"I was on the bridge when her message came in," he said. "She seems very excited that you're coming."
The captain sipped his coffee and eyed her over the rim of the plastic cup. She waited for him to tell her
what a stunning young woman Hoshi was, and how impressive her reputation. Everyone did. Instead he
said, "I've heard there's been an interesting new find at the Candor site."

Althea made the corner of her mouth scornful. The alleged finds at the site were supposed to be secret,
but there weren't that many people on Mars, and rumors probably made the rounds there like gossip in
any small town. "You don't look like a man who believes everything he hears."

He gave her a conspiratorial smile. "What do you know about the human remains?"

Althea picked up the hot cup. The real secret, and more genuine, news was from Neznaiyu, the
Earth-like planet orbiting Alpha Centauri. Robot drones sent out half a century ago were sending back
pictures of ruins. Buildings. Foundations. She'd seen the footage just before she'd left on this wild-goose
chase. Real alien ruins. Not this bullshit Hoshi had come up with. She stood and gave Rowanoake what
she hoped was an insider's wink. "Don't be too disappointed when it turns out to be nothing."

Rowanoake hadn't taken his eyes off her. "I hope you'll keep me informed, Professor Mendez."

"Sure," she said and went back to her cabin to see what Hoshi had to say.




┬╖┬╖┬╖┬╖┬╖


Hoshi looked older on the video clip, and Althea froze the image, just to have a nice long look at what a
year in exile on Mars could do to the blindly ambitious. Wind and cold had left Hoshi with wrinkles.