"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 19 - The Quillian Sector" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

He said it without change of the smooth, even modulation,
devoid of all irritant factors which all cybers were trained to
adopt. And yet, Irae caught the irony beneath the apparently flat
statement.
 "You repeat the obvious, Cyber Yoka. I am fully aware of the
problem but we can eliminate a large area of low-order
probabilities. We have information as to where Dumarest was
last located, together with the names and routes of the vessels
which left at the critical time."

"Data?" Yoka stood, immobile, as he listened to the stream of
facts and figures, his mind assimilating, correlating, selecting
and discarding various possibilities until he reached a decision.
"You are correct. The probability that Dumarest will be
discovered within the Rift is as you say. The Quillian Sector. He
could be there now, but to locate him will not be easy."

"For a cyber?"

"For anyone but an expert hunter of men." Yoka added, "I
have one at hand."


Leo Bochner didn't look the part. While tall, he appeared slim,
almost womanish, his face unlined, his hands smooth, as was his
voice as he announced himself. He stood waiting with an easy
grace. Instinctively, he selected the one in authority, turning a
little to face Irae, recognizing that while younger than Yoka, he
held the command. A point Irae noted as he did the clothing;
good, yet not obtrusive; fine woven cloth cut to emphasize good
taste and not vulgar ostentation. Clothing which somehow added
to the effeminate impression he had gamed and which lessened
the threat of the man.

A mistake?

A less experienced man could have thought so and wondered
at Yoka's judgement, but Irae had long since learned to look
beneath the surface of apparent truth. Now, looking, he noted
the smooth pad of muscle beneath the skin of face, throat and
wrists. The iron beneath the smooth set of lips and jaw. The
carriage. The ingrained confidence in words and manner. The
eyes.

The eyes which, even as he watched, changed to give the lie to
the polished dress and manner; turning into those of a beast, a
wolf, a tiger, a hunter of prey.

Then, in a moment, they were again a part of the disguise,
calm, bland, faintly mocking.