"Mack Reynolds - Stowaway" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

STOWAWAY
by Mack Reynolds
(Published in the June 1953 issue of Unvierse Science Fiction,

no record of copyright or copyright renewal.)

It would be grueling enough to be the only woman on board a spaceship fending off
forty-five horny spacemen -- but how much worse would it be if you couldn't pass a panty
check?
LIEUTENANT Johnny Norsen, his lanky body sprawled uncomfortably in an acceleratio
chair, was playing Spartan rules with the darts, and paused only momentarily before each s
Spartan rules were pretty Spartan, but in spite of the handicaps he hit the bull's eye six time
out of six and grunted-in disgust.
He complained, to no one in particular, "This was a swell game when we first brought i
aboard. Now everybody is as good as- it's possible to get. We might as well flush it
overboard."
No one in particular happened to be Dick Roland, ship's navigator. He looked up from t
onion skin, paper bound history he was reading. "Ummm," he said vaguely. "Maybe we cou
toughen up the rules."
"How?" Norsen grumbled. "They're as tough already as it's possible to get them. We'd h
to close both eyes, or something." He shifted in his chair, yawned and recrossed his legs.
"What in the kert are you reading?"
"Decline and Fall of the United States. Ancient history. What do you think of it?" The
navigator was young, rather handsome in an easy-going sort of way, but almost colorless in
lack of aggressiveness.
Johnny Norsen yawned again. "I don't like history, so I've only read the book four or five
times." He looked up at the earth time chrono on the wall. "Let's crack today's video-news.
Dick Roland followed his eyes. "We've still got five minutes to go,". he protested mildly
The other was irritated. "Five minutes, ten minutes, what's the difference? Today is toda
It's not as though we were cracking next week's news. Besides, I think Doc Thondon's craz
than a makron. What difference does it make when we show a news wire?"
He knew the answer to his own question as well as anyone else in the New Taos, but it
something to talk about.
Dick Roland said, "I think it's a good idea. Keeps us interested in things. Every day we c
look forward to getting the news. Sure, it's a full year old, but that doesn't make any differen
to us. We haven't heard it yet. Doc Thorndon says it's one way of keeping space cafard from
hitting the crew -- something new every day, something to look forward to."
Norsen screwed up his angular face. "Where'd Doc get the idea, anyway? We never did
before."
Dick closed his history and tossed it to the wardroom table. He'd read it half a dozen tim
already, himself. He said, "You know Doc. Always reading those old books. From what he
says, back in ancient times they used to pull the same idea - weather station men who were
stuck up in the Arctic and snowed in for maybe six months at a crack. They'd have a file of
newspapers on hand, and each day they'd take one off the top. The news was exactly one ye
old, but it didn't make any difference to them. They hadn't read it before and so it was as fre
as though it'd just happened. When their supplies came in, in the Spring, they'd get another
batch of papers."
Lieutenant Norsen looked up at the chrono again. "Well, it's time now. Let's crack today
want to see if there's anything on Jackie Black. It's about time for him to pull one of his job
again. That little makron is sure giving the S.S.B.I. a run for their credits."