"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 27 - Earth is Heaven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

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Earth is Heaven by E. C.
Tubb

Chapter One

With a jerk he was awake, sweating from dreams of blood and
death and remembered pain. The walls of the cabin seemed to
swirl in the faint glow of artificial dawn, then it was over and
Dumarest sat on the edge.of his bunk, sucking air into his lungs,
conscious of the sweat dewing face and naked torso. The product
of nightmare born of fatigue induced by too many watches
maintained too long.

And yet?

He leaned back to rest his shoulders against the bulkhead,
aware of the metal, the bunk on which he sat, the ship in which
they were contained. It enclosed him like a thing alive, the pulse
of the engine transmitted by hull and stanchions emitting a
whispering susurration which hung like a fading ghost echo in
the air. Beneath his questing fingers he felt the reassuring tingle
which told of the Erhaft field in being. The ship, wrapped in its
cocoon, was still hurtling between the stars. It made a sealed
world of warmth and security against the hostile environment of
the void.

Yet something was wrong.

Dumarest sensed it as he looked around the cabin; the
familiar tension which warned of impending danger. A prickling
of the skin and an unease which he had learned never to ignore.
He rose, reaching for his clothing, donning pants, boots and
tunic to stand tall in neutral grey. From beneath his pillow he
lifted his knife, steel flashing as he thrust the nine inches of
curved and pointed steel into his right boot. Here, in his cabin
on his own ship, he should be safe, but old habits died hard.

Ysanne reared upright as he opened her door, arms lifting,
lips parted in a smile.

"Earl! How nice of you to come. How did you guess I'd been
hoping you'd join me?" Her smiled changed into a frown as she