"Sara Reinke - Tethers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reinke Sara)

Already, the on-board computer, STELA, was picking up the other crewтАЩs
transport vehicle, moving in a nearly parallel path, coming toward the Daedalus
. The two ships had been sending each other routine hailing messages from the
moment they approached within range of one another, and now a small red
light flashed, distracting Kat. Someone on the other ship, the Icarus , wanted to
say howdy.
Kat had a pretty good idea who it may be, and smiled to herself.
She pulled her terminal closer to her and typed: COMM OPEN.352-210-0.
STELA thought about this for a millisecond and said: ENTER COMMAND
ACCESS FOR COMM OPEN.
Kat typed: SIMONSAYS KAT.
тАЬOpen sesame, STELA,тАЭ she murmured, watching the monitor in front of her
tile into a small frame. A womanтАЩs face materialized in the window, like some
kind of Las Vegas show magic trick. Kat recognized the black woman in the
image and her smile widened. тАЬHey, Trina.тАЭ
тАЬHey, yourself,тАЭ Trina said. тАЬHappy Easter.тАЭ
тАЬYeah.тАЭ Kat rolled her eyes, spinning her index finger in a small circle. тАЬBig
hurrah.тАЭ
тАЬDidnтАЩt the Easter Bunny bring you anything special?тАЭ
тАЬI managed to sneak a couple of chocolate eggs for Jerica,тАЭ Kat said. тАЬSheтАЩs
not buying the whole bit about the Easter Bunny finding her way up here, but
she was glad to have them.тАЭ
тАЬI bet,тАЭ Trina said. тАЬIs she up?тАЭ
Kat shook her head. тАЬSheтАЩs not sleepy, but I try to at least get her in her
room around bedtime. IтАЩm afraid to get her too out of whack with her Earth
routine just yet. Even a couple hoursтАЩ sleep and IтАЩm glad.тАЭ
тАЬYou writing anything yet?тАЭ
Kat laughed. тАЬNot yet, no.тАЭ
Trina arched her brow. тАЬYou said you were going to use this trip to start on
that novel youтАЩve been wanting toтАФтАЭ
тАЬWeтАЩre less than two weeks out of cryostasis, Trina,тАЭ Kat said. тАЬAnd four days
past the stellar platform. IтАЩve barely had time to stretch my legs, much less
think about writing.тАЭ Trina looked disapproving, which only made Kat laugh
again. тАЬIтАЩve got five years to write the novel. I think IтАЩll eventually find some free
time for it.тАЭ
Trina sighed, looking weary. тАЬIтАЩm half-tempted to turn this barge around
and meet you back down at the colony, to tell you the truth. I donтАЩt know if I
want to go back to Earth.тАЭ
тАЬHow come?тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt you check out the news transmissions? That group LegionтАЩs been
bombing government buildings again.тАЭ
Kat knew the name. There werenтАЩt many people who didnтАЩt. Over the last
ten years, Legion had grown from a small, grass-roots campaign for government
reform in the United States into a full-fledged militia, complete with armed
troops and military-grade weaponry. They had tried to get the government to
turn the entire state of Texas over to them several years earlier, as an
independent country, a тАЬtrue democracy,тАЭ as Kat had read in the newspapers.
Whatever the hell that means.
Legion had lost that battle, but the war hadnтАЩt been over for them,
apparently. What they hadnтАЩt been able to accomplish through legislation, they