"H. Beam Piper - The Space Viking" - читать интересную книгу автора (Piper H Beam)

had recruited a mercenary company and was seeking military employment. It was
suspected that he was in correspondence with his uncle's worst enemy, Duke



file:///F|/rah/H.%20Beam%20Piper/Beam,%20Piper%20H%20-%20Space%20Viking.txt (3 of 130) [2/4/03 10:07:03 PM]
 file:///F|/rah/H.%20Beam%20Piper/Beam,%20Piper%20H%20-%20Space%20Viking.txt

Omfray of Glaspyth.

And he was obsessively in love with Elaine Karvall, a passion which seemed to
nourish itself on its own hopelessness. Maybe it would be a good idea to take
that space-trip right away. There ought to be a ship leaving Bigglersport for
one of the other Sword-Worlds, before long.

They paused at the bead of the escalators; the garden below was thronged with
guests, the bright shawls of the ladies and the coats of the men making
shifting color-patterns among the flowerbeds and on the lawns and under the
trees. Serving robots, flame-yellow and black in the Karvall colors, floated
about playing soft music and offering refreshments. There was a continuous
spiral of changing costume color around the circular robo-table. Voices
babbled happily like a mountain river.

As they stood looking down, another aircar circled low,

8

green and gold, lettered PANPLANET NEWS SERVICE. Sesar Karvall swore in
irritation.

"Didn't there use to be something they called privacy?" he asked.


"It's a big story Sesar."

It was; more than the marriage of two people who
happened to be in love with each other. It was the marriage of the farming and
ranching barony of Traskon and the Karvall steel mills. More, it was public
announcement that the wealth and fighting men of both baronies were now
aligned behind Duke Angus of Wardshaven. So it was a general holiday. Every
industry had closed down at noon today, and would be closed until
morning-after-next, and there would be dancing in every park and feasting in
every tavern. To Sword-Worlders, any excuse for a holiday was better than
none.

"They're our people, Sesar; they have a right to have a good time with us. I
know everybody at Traskon is watching this by screen."

He raised his hand and waved to the news-car, and when it swung its pickup
around, he waved again. Then they went down the long escalator.