"Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman - StarShield Book 1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weis Margaret)

had become the source of interstellar news and information for their entire empire. The synthetic mind
functioning in the Citadel was fourteen years old тАФ not long in terms of other synthetic minds in the
galaxy but certainly the oldest in the DтАЩRakan empire. The Omnet had promised to maintain the build-
ing in such a way that it would maintain its history and architecture тАФ a promise which was dutifully
kept.
The Omnet was only to happy to oblige. Yarka had become not just the center of the DтАЩRakan
Empire тАФ an admittedly backwater empire ranking in the top thousands in terms of its interstellar
significance тАФ but also was a place of beauty and recreation unsurpassed for over a hundred parsecs in
any direction. There were those who said that itтАЩs beauty rivaled even that of the Ruaqua Dynasty
Forbidden Worlds or the Towers of Light in Avathon. One could look out from the Citadel gate down
the wide expanse of Avenue of Thought and take in the shining illuminated glory of the Palace. The
breeze would always be warm and gentle. The smell of flowers was always welcoming. The city was
always a place of inviting peace.
The world was, at last, at rest.
*****
тАЬIтАЩm sorry,тАЭ Queekat said for perhaps the hundredth time.
The carefully laid flagstones of the broad avenue were occasionally punctuated small but bril-
liantly executed garden groupings under soft lights. Overhead, the brilliantly clear night revealed the
beautiful hues of the Cestiline Nebula. The shops lining the avenue were all open, inviting light spilling
from their portals into the dim avenue.
Merinda only nodded, arms folded across her chest and her head bowed down. Her jaw still hurt
from the blow but the pain was minor compared to the massive rend in her soul. He had never touched
her like that тАФ she would have thought it impossible that he could have touched her that way. Now she
was heart sore, cut and bleeding in her soul. She had allowed him into that place within herself that she
had armored so long and so well. He had betrayed that trust. Now she could think of no price high
enough that he could pay for that hurt and yet wanted desperately to find some way to forgive him the
debt. So the war raged between pain and love within her, silent to the outside world and a wall of stone
to Queekat.
тАЬLook,тАЭ he said as they strolled listlessly down the avenue, тАЬyou really should know better than
to get involved with an officer of the inquisition. WeтАЩre carefully trained to get the job done first and to
think about it later тАФ if weтАЩre allowed to think about it at all.тАЭ
Merinda nodded again, for perhaps the hundredth time. She heard a somewhat condescending
tone in his words, whether he intended them that way or not. She simple chose to ignore them rather
than suffer itтАЩs pain. He was saying something to her тАФ something that had no bearing on the argument
raging within herself тАФ so she silently let it pass.
The perpetually warm, gentle breeze pressed the soft scent of the flowerbeds about the two of
them as they walked.
тАЬSorry about the airtrams.тАЭ Queekat seemed ready to apologize for the universe in general.
тАЬThe operator said theyтАЩve gone balky this week. I could have talked the synth mind controlling the
trams into operating but the operator didnтАЩt trust me to reprogram his cars тАФ the idiot!тАЭ
They passed an Omnet public panel. The crystal screen glowed in shifting colors onto the
nearly deserted boulevard, the deep tones of the local female announcer droning around them as they
passed.
тАЬ. . . the Imperial family spokesman, wished well to the ruling council and continued to express
their support for the peace initiatives forwarded last week by Justin Knai, Secretary of Defense for the
ruling council. Meanwhile, the capital city of Yartha enjoys its quite respite from the usual touring
crowds amid reports of programming anomalies among the synth minds of the city. Evis Knard, Secre-

┬й Copyright 1997 by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman / All Rights Reserved. Page 27
tary of Communication, released a statement to the effect that the difficulties were not software based