"E. E. Doc Smith - D' Alembert 5 -Appointment at Bloodstar" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

read every bookreel he could find about life in the outside universe. He fantasized
untold volumes of epics with himself as the hero. But he had no hope that they would
ever be fulfilled.

Then a tragedy struck, so terrible that even now, years later, talking about it was
painful. Miri, his fiancee, had been killed by a space pirate, in so bloodthirsty a fashion
that Pias's soul had cried out for revenge. With his father's blessing, he left his home
world and set out across the Galaxy to track down the killer, and, in the process of
successfully doing so, his fate had become inextricably entwined with Yvette's. In
satisfying his old revenge, he had gained both a new fiancтАЪe and a new cause to
champion-the security of the Empire itself.

After an uneventful voyage, their ship landed at Garridan Spaceport, and Yvette and
Pias debarked. To both of them, the feeling of Newforest's higher gravity -two and a half
times that of Earth-was a welcome sensation. Both had been spending too much time
of late on lighter gravity worlds; the renewed intensity here had a steadying effect.
Walking with heavy steps, they descended the passenger ramp and arrived at the
customs checkpoint.

Yvette, feeling very nervous at the prospect of meeting her future in-laws, had chosen
her outfit most carefully: a formal turquoise tunic-jacket and a white silk shirt, with
matching turquoise slacks and boots. She was bareheaded and wore no jewelry,
hoping to give the impression of calm sensibility. Beside her, Pias wore the standard
fashion he'd adopted in his travels: a sleeveless chocolate brown jumpsuit with a deep
U neckline over a pale orange ruffled shirt. He wore a yellow scarf about his neck and a


file:///F|/rah/E.E.%20Doc.%20Smith/Smith%20-%2...Vol%205%20-%20Appointment%20at%20Bloodstar.txt (13 of 81) [2/3/03 12:44:03 AM]
 file:///F|/rah/E.E.%20Doc.%20Smith/Smith%20-%20d'Alembert%20Vol%205%20-%20Appointment%20at%20Bloodstar.txt

waist-length brocade cape in swirls of brown, gold, and orange. On his head was a
broad-brimmed brown hat with an orange rose tucked into the band.

Pias had not messaged ahead to let his family know he was coming; but a sharp-eyed
customs official had spotted his name on the incoming passenger roster and alerted
both the family and the news media. As Pias and Yvette walked through the doors, a
cheer went up and they suddenly found themselves surrounded by well-wishers.

Yvette watched her fiancтАЪ almost vanish beneath a swarm of people that materialized
from out of nowhere. Women ranging in age from ten to thirty, all in brightly colored
blouses and skirts, were doing their utmost to throw their arms around Pias and
smother him with kisses, babbling in the native language that Yvette did not
understand. Pias was not struggling noticeably to get away from their grasp.

"I didn't realize you were this popular with the ladies," Yvette said, letting a trace of
good-natured jealousy creep into her voice.

Pias finally made a halfhearted attempt to drag himself out from under the pile of
femininity. "They're all sisters and cousins."