"Bruce Holland Rogers - Big Far Now" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rogers Bruce Holland)

governance meeting?"
I put up my hands. "Because there hasn't been any governance meeting, Jo."
It was like I had pulled the plug on her. Her eyes went blank, and she said, "No meeting?"
 "No."
"So it's not decided?"
I shrugged. "Everyone got a little excited. I guess we forgot about the formality."
"Formality!" Her eyes flushed again. "You wait here, David Balas. I'm going to want a word with
you."
"Where are you going?" I said.
"To Meeker. He's going to call that meeting for tomorrow if he knows what's good for him. Don't even
breathe until I get back, David. Don't even breathe."
If I did breathe, it was to offer thanks that I had never seen her quite so furious before.
***


When Joanna came back to my hut, she was still agitated, but not as angry. I offered her a drink.
"Thanks," she said. She held it up to the light. "What is it?"
"Rum," I said.
She sniffed it. "Ethyl alcohol?"
I nodded.
She arched her brow. "I would never have suspected you of drug addiction."
"I'm not addicted," I said. "I just have a little now and then, at special moments."
"Still," she said, "you took a big risk bringing a controlled substance on a colonial voyage."
"It's not a death-penalty drug. I'd spend a few nights in the brig if they caught me with it." I took a sip.
It warmed my belly. I had been drinking since shortly after Joanna had stormed out, so my belly was
pretty nicely warmed. I laughed at the thought.
"What?" Joanna said.
"Nothing." I patted the bottle. "Before we shipped out, I thought I might need this."
"So you are addicted."
"No. I don't mean it that way. I mean, I thought we might have been going someplace as bad as Earth,
or worse. In that case I'd want to get good and drunk."
"What could be worse than Earth?" Joanna took a sip. "It does taste good."
"I think so."
"So are you drinking because Veloz disappoints you?"
I shook my head. "I love it here," I said. "I don't want to go back."
"So why are you drinking?"
"I've been sitting here thinking about your tirade of an hour ago." I took a swallow of rum. "I figure
you've got something to say about Mount Meeker, something you know that means it isn't what we think
it is, or that means we can't mine it."
"Not can't," she said. "Mustn't."
"Whatever," I said, tossing back the rest of the rum. "From what I've heard from Suhl and her people,
mining is our best hope for making this colony pay off its charter."
"Best," said Joanna, "but not only."
"You've got a better idea?" I said.
She shook her head.
"So break the news to me, Joanna. Why can't we mine Mount Meeker?"
"I can't," she said. "It would take time and convincing, and I have to go back into the forest to try to
do a different kind of convincing tonight."
"What are you talking about?"
"You'll see tomorrow. But before then, I have a favor to ask you. Something more than a favor,