"Jeff Verona - Field Day" - читать интересную книгу автора (Verona Jeff)

Tevi touched her fingers to the copper badge above her left breast. She
smiled. "Mi havas git." She shook her head. "I am sorry. Yes, I do."
Another
smile. "I am nervous, Doug."
"YouтАЩll do fine." Gravity ended abruptly, and the ship trembled as the
docking
ring locked into place. "Just keep your ears open, all right? Let me handle
the introductions."
Like many of the older habitats, Sovereignty was simply a truncated can,
four
kilometers long and one kilometer in diameter, whose spin generated about
one-eighth gravity along the inner surface. Its mimetic alloy skin gleamed
like quicksilver on the sunward side, then became dead, heat-radiating
black
on the shadow side. The terminator crept spinward, rippling like a snakeтАЩs
scales. We docked in the center of one end of the can and rode an open-cage
car "down" into gravity. My stomach flip-flopped the entire way, and to
fight
back vertigo I studied the interior in quick glimpses. Flashes of living
green
 indicated farms and atmosphere factories. Blocky shapes marked buildings,
and
dots scurrying between them resolved into people as we descended. The bulk
of
a fusion plant covered the other inner lid of the habitat. Waste energy
from
the reactor, directed down a central spindle, illuminated everything.
Tevi sat across from my, eyes closed, lips moving silently. Chanting her
mantra in Esperanto, no doubt. As the car settled onto the inner surface of
the habitat my stomach finally relaxed, and I drew a deep breath. Tevi
opened
her eyes as I fumbled with the latch and swung the car door outward.
"YouтАЩre with Educational Compliance?" The speaker was a stump of a man with
close-cropped dark hair and black button eyes. He wore coveralls in a
mottled
green-and-tan pattern.
"ThatтАЩs right. IтАЩm Doug Hammond." I offered my hand; the man just stared,
and
I pulled it back. "And this is, ah, Tevi."
The eyes narrowed. "Tevi who?"
"Tevi daughter of Maya daughter of Ruth daughter of Sheri." Tevi touched
her
forehead and heart as she spoke.
Button-eyes grunted. "IтАЩm Patrick Henry Yardmore. Follow me."
WeтАЩd only taken a few steps when a voice to our left called "Patrick!
Patrick
Henry!" We turned to see a tall, fair-haired man bearing down on us.
Our stumpy guide snapped to attention. "Mister Lee, sir. These are the
Educational Compliance officers, sir. I wasтАФ"
"Taking them to see me." The tall man smiled. "Yes, I know. Thank you,