"Jerry Pournelle - Extreme Prejudice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pournelle Jerry)

Probably joined up with Hansen Enterprises,тАЭ I told them. тАЬAnd they say TollandтАЩs going to hang in
there. The press supports himтАФdonтАЩt you get any news here at all?тАЭ
 тАЬVery little? Judy said. тАЭWe like it that way. No TV, and we donтАЩt read the Stateside papers. Is it
true that MacKenzie found Equity Trust people in the White House itself?тАЬ
тАЬIt looks that way.тАЭ I didnтАЩt really want to talk about it, although I suppose half the people in the
country were having the same conversation at just that moment. Usually Agency people have about as
much interest in politics as they do in Donald Duck, but some of us really thought Tolland and his
PeopleтАЩs Alliance would put some new pride into.the United States. HeтАЩd started off well, and certainly
MacKenzieтАЩs investigations had cleaned up a lot of dirt accumulated in Washington for thirty years. WeтАЩd
helped in that. And then MacKenzie got too close to the White House, and he was out, and Tolland sat
there alone in the Oval Office. тАЬThe consensus is that President Tolland was as surprised as anyone. At
least the press thinks so.тАЭ
Hank laughed unpleasantly. He clearly didnтАЩt believe it. Maybe he was trying to justify something, like
running out.
тАЬIтАЩd rather talk about Dansworth,тАЭ I told them. тАЬHank, you never did tell me what you do here.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm a generalist. Sea-farming methods, mostly. Some clumsy engineering. DivingтАФacademic
trainingтАЩs not worth a hoot compared to just getting down there and fooling around. WeтАЩve still got a lot
learn.тАЭ
тАЬDo you dive too?тАЭ I asked Judy.
тАЬOh, sure. I have to. IтАЩm the schoolteacher. A lot of the classes are out on the reefs.тАЭ
тАЬIsnтАЩt that dangerous for the kids?тАЭ
тАЬA little. Traffic accidents are bad for children too. And we donтАЩt have gangs and muggings or smog
or enriched white flour.тАЭ
тАЬYeah.тАЭ Paradise. There was something else about Dansworth. Everybody was doing something he
was interested in. I wondered when IтАЩd last met anybody like that. There are a lot of go-getters with the
big international corporations, but theyтАЩre in Short supply back home.
And yet. ItтАЩs my country. We built Dansworth. The arcology projects in the Midwest havenтАЩt
worked so well, but weтАЩll lick that too. WeтАЩre finding ourselves again.
Dinner was fish, of course. All kinds of fish. There was one thing that tasted like steak, and I asked
about it. тАЬWhale?тАЭ
They all shuddered. тАЬNo, itтАЩs beef. Dr. Peterson sent steaks over in your honor,тАЭ Judy said. Her
throat seemed tight. Hank didnтАЩt look too good either, and I thought the kid was going to throw up. It
was very quiet in the room.
тАЬOK, whatтАЩs wrong?тАЭ I asked. тАЬObviously I put my foot in it.тАЭ
тАЬYou wouldnтАЩt really eat a whale would you?тАЭ Hose-nose asked. His eyes were as big as saucers, I
mean reallyтАЬ
тАЬI never have, as far as I know,тАЭ I answered. тАЬButтАФd thought they were raising whales for food out
here.тАЭ
тАЬNo. ThatтАЩs over,тАЭ Hank said. тАЬGideonтАФdid you meet Jolly? Dr. PetersonтАЩs talking dolphin?тАЭ
тАЬSure.тАЭ
тАЬWould you eat him?тАЭ-
тАЬGood Lord, no.тАЭ
тАЬWhales may be at least as smart as dolphins. Killer whales certainly areтАФof course theyтАЩre a kind
of dolphin anyway. But even тАЭif the bigger whales arenтАЩt as intelligent as we are, theyтАЩre more like apes
or gorillas thanтАЩcattle. TheyтАЩre aware. Would you eat monkeys?тАЬ
тАЬI see what youтАЩre getting at.тАЭ I saw it, but I didnтАЩt have the emotions they did. It really disturbed
them.
тАЬThe reason we can let the children swim without worrying about them is that the dolphins watch out
for them,тАЭ Judy said. тАЬWe wouldnтАЩt be able to operate this place without them.тАЭ
тАЬBut whales eat dolphins,тАЭ I protested. тАЬDonтАЩt they?тАЭ