"Jerry Pournelle - A Matter of Sovereignty" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pournelle Jerry)

A Matter of Sovereignty

Power is a strange thing. Sometimes those who have it canтАЩt legally use it. But that never stops
really determined menтАж

WADE CURTIS

"We're almost there, Mr. Adams."
Bill Adams woke to the thrum of propellers and the smell of fresh coffee. He stirred lazily and looked
up at blue eyes and a heart-shaped face framed in long blonde hair. The girl's soprano voice had a trace of
an English accent. She wore a white blouse and a conservative plaid miniskirt that showed off her tanned
legs perfectly. It was, Adams decided, one of the better ways to wake up.
"We're almost there, sir," she repeated. "I've brought coffee."
"Thanks, Courtney." Adams stretched elaborately. The aircraft cabin was small. It had a desk and
couch and overstuffed chairs, and except for the panel of lights and buttons above Adams's seat it might
have been the study at Santa Barbara. Far down below the Pacific flashed blue and calm as it had when he
dozed off. Now, though, it was dotted with tiny white rings of surf crashing endlessly on coral reefs.
"Sit with me and tell me what I'm looking at," Adams said.
"All right." Courtney balanced the tray clumsily with one hand as she reached to fold the table down
from the cabin wall. Adams hurriedly came fully awake to help her. She sat next to him on the couch and
smiled uncertainly.
Courtney wasn't sure who Bill Adams was. She'd seen his name on the Nuclear General Company
organization chart, but his title merely said "Assistant to the Chairman," and that might mean anything. Her
own title was "Assistant to the Director" of Ta'avu Station, and that didn't mean much at all. She was more
than a secretary, but she hadn't much influence over Station operations.
Adams, though, was in charge of the largest airplane in the world, and anyone who could commandeer
Cerebrus for personal transportation had real power, Courtney suspected that Adams was one of Mr.
Lewis's special assistants, the troubleshooters who were said to have no emotions and computers for
hearts, but his easy smile made that hard to believe. He was very likable as well as handsome.
Adams sipped coffee and looked out the thick rectangular window. There was more land in sight
ahead. They were approaching a series of coral atolls stretched out like jumbled beads on the blue water
below. Each was ringed with white, then lighter blues fading quickly into the deeper tones of the Pacific.
There was no way to estimate the size of the islands. They might be tiny coral reefs or the tops of the large
mountains. One thing was certain. There wasn't much land you could live on down there.
"That's good coffee, Courtney. Thanks."
"You're welcome. I should be thanking you. It would have been three weeks before I could get home if
you hadn't given me a lift." The view below was lovely, but Courtney had seen it many times. She was still
interested in the airplane. They were the only passengers in the loungeтАФthis smaller one and the big lounge
beyond. She knew that Adams had brought others, but they had stayed on the lower decks and she hadn't
met them. His own assistant, Mike King, was forward with the pilots.
Aft of the lounges were other offices, laboratories, and several staterooms. Below them was an
enormous cargo space. Cerebrus was enormous, larger than any other plane in the world, and she shared
its luxury accommodations with one man. It was quite an experience. Courtney made good money at
Ta'avu, but she wasn't accustomed to posh standards of living.
Adams peered forward to get a better look at the oncoming land, and Courtney remembered why he'd
asked her to sit with him. "The first group of atolls is undeveloped so far," she said. "You can just see
Ta'avu Station beyond. We'll be over it in a second."
Adams nodded and pushed back sandy hair with an impatient gesture. Except for the short nap, he'd
worked at something the entire time he'd been on the plane. He was always impatient, although he didn't
always show it. Courtney wondered what he did for relaxation. She noted that he wore no rings. "Before