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

Poppa?" he asked. "Poppa's ill, very ill," Tas informed him. "He's been that way for the
past year. All he can talk about is wanting to see his precious Pias again."

Pias became very concerned at the news, so concerned that he paid little attention to
the jealousy exuding from his brother's voice. Yvette noticed it, however, and filed the
fact away for future reference. Pias had not told her about any sibling rivalry between
himself and his brother, and she wondered exactly what sort of family she was marrying
into.

"I must get to him at once," Pias said. "Is there a copter ready?"

"Yes, out this way."

Tas started out a gateway and Pias followed him. As Yvette started after the brothers, a
customs guard stopped her. She was a little startled, and Pias had to turn back and tell
the guard, "She's with me." Only then was Yvette allowed to accompany the two men to
the waiting copter.

"Don't worry, darling," Pias told her. "I won't let them separate us." Tas, upon seeing
that interchange, grew even colder toward Yvette than he'd been before.

Outside, although it was midday, Yvette was hit by the impression of late afternoon.
Newforest's sun was a dim red star, and the illumination it provided was weak at best.
There was a slight chill in the air reminiscent of late autumn, though Yvette was not
sure what season it actually was. The red sun gave everything a sunset hue.

As the copter lifted into the air, she got her first clear view of Garridan and had to
struggle to hide her surprise. Garridan was little more than a town, scattered in a
rambling way over only a couple of dozen square kilometers. There didn't seem to be
any buildings over four stories tall, with the vast majority being simple one-story affairs.
For the capital city of an entire planet, it was remarkably primitive; Yvette had to remind
herself of Pias's description of Newforest as a planet where the people still clung to
their simpler lifestyle. They'd been out of the mainstream of civilized life for centuries,
and only within the last generation had they been brought back into contact with the
Empire. The entire planet retained the casual, backwater flavor of an outlying province.

The impression that struck her next was of the color. The brown of Newforest's soil
mingled with the brilliant red of the native vegetation. Greens and blues were almost
nonexistent except on some of the buildings, and even then, the red sunlight gave a
funny cast to their hues. Newforest, though a gentle place, seemed to be a planet that
bathed regularly in blood.

Looking down at her own clothes, Yvette frowned. The turquoise outfit she'd chosen so
carefully looked like a washed-out shade of purple in this light, making her seem
positively drab in comparison with the other women she'd seen at the spaceport. In
addition, local custom seemed to dictate skirts for women rather than slacks, making
her feel out of fashion.

By contrast, the lighting made Pias look even more resplendent. The brown of his
jumpsuit and hat verged on black, the orange of his shirt and cape flared into red: He