"Charles Stross - Singularity Sky" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stross Charles)

This time the Citizen Curator glared at him. тАЬSit,тАЭ he snapped.

Martin sat.

Outside the skylight, it was a clear, cold April afternoon; the clocks of St Michael had just finished
striking fourteen hundred, and in the Square of the Five Corners, the famous DuchessтАЩs Simulacrum was
jerking through its eternal pantomime. The boredom grated on Martin. He found it difficult to adapt to
the pace of events in the New Republic; it was doubly infuriating when he was faced with the eternal
bureaucracy. HeтАЩd been here for four months now, four stinking months on a job which should have
taken ten days. He was beginning to wonder if he would live to see Earth again before he died of old age.

In fact, he was so bored with waiting for his work clearance to materialize that this morningтАЩs summons
to an office somewhere behind the iron facade of the Basilisk came as a relief, something to break the
monotony. It didnтАЩt fill him with the stuttering panic that such an appointment would have kindled in the
heart of a subject of the New RepublicтАФwhat, after all, could the CuratorтАЩs Office do to him, an off-
world engineering contractor with a cast-iron Admiralty contract? The summons had come on a plate
borne by a uniformed courier, and not as a night-time raid. That fact alone suggested a degree of
restraint and, consequently, an approach to adopt, and Martin resolved to play the bemused alien visitor
card as hard as he could.

After another minute, the Citizen lowered his pen and looked at Martin. тАЬPlease state your name,тАЭ he
said softly.

Martin crossed his arms. тАЬIf you donтАЩt know it already, why am I here?тАЭ he asked.

тАЬPlease state your name for the record.тАЭ The CitizenтАЩs voice was low, clipped, and as controlled as a
machine. He spoke the local trade-linguaтАФa derivative of the nearly universal old English tongueтАФwith
a somewhat heavy, Germanic accent.

тАЬMartin Springfield.тАЭ

The Citizen made a note. тАЬNow please state your nationality.тАЭ

тАЬMy what?тАЭ

Martin must have looked nonplussed, for the Citizen raised a gray-flecked eyebrow. тАЬPlease state your


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 Singularity Sky

nationality. To what government do you owe allegiance?тАЭ

тАЬGovernment?тАЭ Martin rolled his eyes. тАЬI come from Earth. For legislation and insurance, I use
Pinkertons, with a backup strategic infringement policy from the New Model Air Force. As far as
employment goes, I am incorporated under charter as a personal corporation with bilateral contractual
obligations to various organizations, including your own Admiralty. For reasons of nostalgia, I am a
registered citizen of the PeopleтАЩs Republic of West Yorkshire, although I havenтАЩt been back there for
twenty years. But I wouldnтАЩt say I was answerable to any of those, except my contractual partnersтАФand
theyтАЩre equally answerable to me.тАЭ