"Resnick, Mike - Oracle 3 - Prophet" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

"Even more so when the native life-forms have their own name for their world," said Lomax with a smile. "You get the hang of it after awhile."
"I like the notion of the inhabitants choosing their own name for their world," said Neil. "Now that I'm going out to the Frontier, I want to pick my own name."
"You've got one."
"I don't like it. I want something colorful, like Gravedancer or Catastrophe Baker or Cemetery Smith."
"That's your right, I suppose." Lomax converted to autopilot, unstrapped himself, and stood up, stretching his arms.
"You suppose?" asked Neil, following him back to the cargo area, which he had converted into a small lounge, with a pair of comfortable chairs secured to the deck.
Lomax sat down and lit a thin cigar. "If you're any good at anything, usually you'll find someone has picked your name for you, and you're pretty much stuck with it whether you like it or not."
"I could wait a long time," said the young man ruefully as he sat down opposite Lomax. "The only thing I'm really good at is wishing I was somewhere else."
"That's a start."
"It is?"
"Ever hear of Faraway Jones?" asked Lomax.
"No. Who is he?"
"An old man who's probably been to six, seven hundred worlds."
"Is he an explorer?"
"No."
"A cartographer?"
Lomax shook his head. "People say that when he was as young as you are, he fell in love with a girl on Binder X. Nobody knows what happened, but evidently he did something to make her leave him, and he's been hunting for her ever since." Lomax paused. "He must have been searching for her for, oh, close on to seventy years now."
"Do you think she's still alive?" asked Neil dubiously.
"Probably not. Seventy years is a long time for anyone to survive on the Inner Frontier."
"Then why does he keep looking?"
Lomax shrugged. "You'd have to ask him."
"Will I ever see him?"
"Hit enough worlds out there and you'll run into him sooner or later."
"Who else will I see?" asked the young man eagerly.
"I don't know. Who do you want to see?"
"Everyone. All the colorful characters I've heard about and read about." He smiled at Lomax. "They all seem so much bigger than life."
Lomax returned the smile. "I know how you feel. When I was your age, I wanted to go out to the Frontier and see all my heroes, too." He paused. "After awhile, you learn that they all bleed and they all die."
"What about the Prophet?"
"Who's he?"
"I don't know. Just someone I heard about on the video."
"This year's outlaw hero," snorted Lomax. "Take my word for it, kid: some bounty hunter will bring him down, just like they brought down Santiago and all the rest of 'em."
"Still, I want to see them all for myself." Neil paused. "You're the only famous person I've ever met."
Lomax smiled ruefully. "Let me tell you, fame isn't everything it's cracked up to be -- especially out on the Frontier."
"You say that because you see famous people all the time," protested the young man. "But no one else special has ever come to Greycloud."
"There's nothing very special about pointing a weapon and killing people," said Lomax.
"Sure there is," argued Neil. "How many men can do it?"
"Too damned many."
"Still, I want to go out there and see them for myself."
"You may be disappointed," said Lomax.
"I doubt it."
"What do you think -- that there are a couple of thousand worlds out there populated only by killers and folk heroes? Kid, the Inner Frontier is filled with miners and farmers and merchants and doctors and everything else you need to run a planet."
"I know that," said Neil irritably. "But they're not the ones who interest me."
"Something tells me that you'll find all the colorful characters you're looking for." Lomax paused. "Kids like you usually do."
"Maybe I can even become one myself," said Neil, trying to hide his eagerness.
"If you live long enough," said Lomax. "Now let's start taking care of business."
"What business do we have before we reach Olympus?"
"Well to begin with," said Lomax, "they've probably issued a kidnapping warrant for me. I want you to radio Olympus and tell them you've come with me of your own volition."
"They won't believe me."
"Perhaps not, but I want it on the record."
Neil nodded. "All right."