"William Tuning - Terro-Human - Fuzzy 04 - Fuzzy Bones" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tuning William)

spot, it still wouldn't cause these readings-! think.

George leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. Two possibilities seemed
to him equally likely to account for the odd data recorded in the survey
printout of north Beta: malfunction of the scanner or recorder, or sloppy
procedure on the part of Paine's Marines. George thought it would be better
all around if he could kiss off Paine's Marines. George Lunt was uneasy about
commanding men over whom he did not have direct control. He hadn't been a
major long enough to have a clear handle on delegating duty and staff work to
others.

The third alternative was too preposterous-that there really was a big
concentration of titanium compounds on north Beta. Why, you could practically
take all the titanium in the entire crust of Zarathustra and put it in your
hip pocket. And here this damned readout was telling him there was a big slug
of it up there, in several different forms.

Well, he'd ask Jack Holloway about it. Jack knew a good deal about geology-had
to to be a successful sunstone prospector. Gerd van Riebeek could tell him
more, too. Gerd was a zoologist-used to work for the Chartered Zarathustra
Company-so he knew a lot about paleontology from working with fossils and rock
layers.

George Lunt yawned and stretched. While his arms were extended, he snapped
open the shade on his office window once more, then pushed back the chair and
got to his feet.
Chapter 6

Major Lunt wasn't the only person, at that hour, to be slaving over puzzling
entries on hard-copy printouts and trying to interpret their meaning and
importance.

Three time-zones to the east, in Mallorysport, it was mid-morning. Hugo
Ingermann-attorney-at-law-sat alone in his office, absently massaging his
smooth, round, pink cheeks, and studied the printout pages before him on the
large desk. The commercial manifests-cargo and passenger-of the City of Asgard
had been broadcast to the port on Darius and the capital at Mallorysport as
soon as the ship dropped into normal space. Cargo and passengers were known to
those who planned to receive them-persons who expected goods or passengers,
the customs inspectors, brokers for commercial shipments, lading and freight
contractors, and other interested parties. Preparations could then be speedily
made to receive that which occupied the decks and holds of the vessel before
it actually docked.

Very efficient.

Hugo Ingermann was in the category of "other interested parties." As the
moving and guiding force behind all activities illegal or even slightly shady
in Mallorysport, Ingermann was interested in everything and everybody that
might be on an incoming hypership from Terra.