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

Merinda laughed. She collapsed lovingly on top of him тАФ nearly sending him back under water
a third time тАФ and then rolled with him back up onto the beach. тАЬOh, Kat, when I heard you were
coming, I hoped you might remember this place тАФ this one place that is more dear to me than any in all
the creations.тАЭ
тАЬThere are many more beautiful and terrible places in the stars than this one,тАЭ Queekat shook
his hair at her, spraying water into her squealing face.
тАЬNot to me, you brute,тАЭ she replied when at last she could. тАЬWe met here, you and I. This is our
place, our private little universe so far from the worries of our professions or directors or . . .тАЭ
тАЬOr the EтАЩtoris,тАЭ Queekat continued for her. тАЬSay, how is the old cliff-goat anyway?тАЭ
Merinda screwed her face into a belligerent look that was betrayed by the brightness of her eyes
locked on his. She reached over with her cupped hand and splashed a small sheet of water in his general
direction.
тАЬHey,тАЭ he protested with little protest.
тАЬOur EтАЩtoris Librae is fine, I believe and, as I am sure that you as ambassador and investigator
for the Omnet are well aware, is not planetside presently.тАЭ
тАЬOh, really?тАЭ
Merinda almost became serious. тАЬOh, Kat, donтАЩt mistake me for stupid. You know as well as I
that your visit would have sent her into a fit of preparations and ceremonies. You were her brightest and
fairest of the fair to ever leave this rock. Imagine, a lowly information sifter from the DтАЩRakan Empire
actually rising to the post of Inquisitor of the Omnet. Kat, if sheтАЩd known you were coming there would
be so much ceremony that IтАЩd never get to see you.тАЭ
тАЬYeah, EтАЩtoris Wishtan is awfully proud of her magnificent DтАЩRakan Empire.тАЭ Queekat sat up
slowly, drawing his knees up and hugging them as he looked up toward the first stars appearing directly
overhead through the mists. тАЬI use to think so, too тАФ until I left here. DтАЩRakan Empire is a find
sounding name until you put it up against the galaxy. Then тАФ well, then it tends to get pretty small,
Rini.тАЭ
Merinda rested her head again her hands in the sand. Queekat had called her by the familiar of
her name and she knew, somehow just knew, that he still felt for her as he had those months before.
тАЬWhatтАЩs it like, Kat тАФ out there, I mean. WhatтАЩs it like for an Inquisitor.тАЭ
Queekat smiled and shook his head. тАЬItтАЩs different than we thought, Rini. More complicated.
More subtle. Good guys and bad guys get lost in the details. Black and white begins to look gray from

┬й Copyright 1997 by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman / All Rights Reserved. Page 9
a distance тАФ as gray as these robes.тАЭ
тАЬBut thatтАЩs your job, isnтАЩt it?тАЭ Merinda asked, not quite understanding what he was telling her.
тАЬSeparating the black and the white in the details? YouтАЩre the Vestis inquisitors who take all this infor-
mation that we churn through in the Atis Librae and pinpoint where the truth is.тАЭ
Queekat snorted, тАЬRight. You sift through the mud and when something really horrible turns
up, we Vestis get to clean it up.тАЭ
Ah,тАЭ she said, cocking her head to one side mischievously, тАЬis my handsome paladin of the
universe feeling a bit peckish today?тАЭ
тАЬPeckish?!тАЭ Queekan leaped so quickly to his feet that Merinda froze, frightened at the change
that overcame him. He stood over her now, a sullen rage barely restrained within him. тАЬYouтАЩve no idea
whatтАЩs really going on out there, do you, Merinda? What it is we have do deal with? There are fifty-
seven minor stellar empires in this sector alone, fifteen of which arenтАЩt even aware that there is other
life in the universe and seven of which are preparing to go to war right now. Damn it, Merinda, two of
those are arming themselves for a war over interstellar exportation of indigenous cheeses. Here we are,
trying to recover the wisdom and knowledge lost when the Kendis Imperium fell тАФ three thousand
years ago, mind you тАФ and weтАЩre preoccupied when over six trillion lifeforms threatened over moldy
milk products!тАЭ