"E. E. Doc Smith - Subspace 2 - Subspace Encounter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

" Both smiled and bowed. "I'm very glad to, Marrjyl," and, "I am, too, Rodnar-so glad!"
they said; and as they clasped hands firmly, Rodnar went on, "No, Baylor, we've never
met before. And Marrjyl, when I said I was mighty glad to meet you, I wasn't just being
polite. I've heard a lot about you-all good.тАЭ

She smiled again. "Thanks, Rodnar, but not half as much as I've heard about you, I'm
sure.тАЭ

"Maybe you know, then, Rod," the fat man said, "that she isn't a real pro, either. Like
you, she's a spare-time games man, in it partly for the junex, but mostly for augmentation
of status. She's a Designer First just in from Orm-this is her first stab at the big time and
the big chance and the big money-but, as you can see, she's good. Okay, peel your
jerseys and turn around."

The word "peel" was strictly appropriate, especially in the girl's case. Her upper garment
was almost as tight as the skin of an orange.

Her jersey came off to reveal that her firm, boldly outstanding breasts were startlingly
white, showing that she was not in the habit of exposing them to the public eye. Yet she
neither showed nor felt any twinge of embarrassment at baring them here. Also, her
breasts were not scarred, showing that she wore breast-shields in combat-which was
logical enough. Female gladiators, if they lived long enough to become mothers, were
such excellent breeding stock that their mammary glands were held inviolate.

-8-
Naked to their waists, the two turned their backs to the promoter, showing fourteen-digit
numbers tattooed in black across their backs from shoulder to shoulder. The fat man
aimed a mechano-optical instrument-that looked like a cross between a typewriter and a
Questar 'scope-first at Rodnar's back, then at Marrjyl's; and the machine, after
chattering busily for a few seconds, disgorged four eighteen-inch lengths of tape. Baylor
thumb-printed all four of these slips, then handed two of them to the man and two to the
girl; each thumb printed both and handed one back.

"That for that," the fat man said. "Thanks. And here are your checks-a thousand each-for
signing the contracts." Marrjyl nodded. "Thanks a lot," she said, and Rodnar added,
"Thanks, Fay, this'll do me fine." He then quirked an eyebrow at the girl. She nodded,
and the two harnessed up and took off.

As they were jetting along through the air, side by side, Rodnar said in thought, "When I
said I was glad to meet you, Marrjyl-or why not make it Marr.тАЭ

"Yes, do, Rod. If this thing works out at all, we'll be working together too long and too
closely for formality" "My thought exactly-so, to proceed, I wasn't just flapping my
tongue. I didn't want to let on to Fatso Sonfayand, of course, but my personal treasury's
lower than the proverbial snake's hip in a swamp. Everything we could raise on Slaar and
Spath both. Knu has assets, of course, but they're mostly frozen. And anyway I couldn't
let him carry the whole load. And buying your way through channels takes junex, lot's of
'em. We got as far as His Magnificence's second secretary....

"You did? Already? That's better than almost anyone expected."