"Kristine Kathryn Rusch - The Room of Lost Souls" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

We use the Business. It has never been so fullтАФat least not as long
as I owned it. My father has the captainтАЩs cabin, which assuages my
conscience. IтАЩve cut him off from all command and all control, which has to
be difficult for him. So I reward him with the best quarters on the ship.

Riya has the third best cabin. Mine is second best, and with its
dedicated hardwired computer, I donтАЩt want anyone near it.

The dive team has the rest of the main deck and Karl has the only
room on the upper deck. It has the best views, and is impressive, should
anyone visit him. I want him to look powerful and in charge, even before he
is.
 SomeтАФincluding my fatherтАФbelieve that I placed Karl in charge of
the mission at the station because Karl and I are lovers. The dive team
knows differentlyтАФitтАЩs no secret in the diving community how angry Karl
was with me after the events with the Dignity VesselтАФbut theyтАЩre under
orders not to correct that misperception.

Karl helped me vet the dive team. Two women whoтАЩd been on some
of his previous dives, an old-timer who has more experience than me and
Karl combined, three superb and fearless pilots, three young men hired
more for their strength than their diving ability, and another old colleague, a
woman who had accompanied me on my earliest professional dives.

I have decided to treat this as a real dive, which means that we are
focusing on the station, not just the Room. From everything that Karl and I
have found, it seems people who have gone to the station have gone for
the RoomтАФor only spent time in the Room.

No one has given the habitats more than a cursory examination, not
even the scholars. In fact, the scholars have mostly relied on the
discoveries of others, being too afraid to examine things themselves.

On the first day out, I brief the dive team about our mission. We meet
in the lounge. The BusinessтАЩs lounge is not for recreation. I put all of my
playback and analysis equipment here. I also use it to analyze upcoming
dives. There are comfortable chairs as well as two sofas, but theyтАЩre
arranged in an uncomfortable patternтАФa semi-circle facing the various
screens and portholes.

Nine members of the dive team are here, as well as myself and Karl. I
have banned Riya and my father from attending any meetings about the
upcoming dives. The missing member of the team is the pilot who is
currently flying the ship.

The team spreads around the lounge, trying to look casual, but I
recognize the emotions here. Everyone is excited. The work is what they
live forтАФitтАЩs what I used to live forтАФand when theyтАЩre approaching
something new, itтАЩs thrilling, not frightening.