"Timothy Zahn - Dragonback 03 - Dragon And Slave" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

Dragon and SlaveDRAGON AND SLAVE
Timothy Zahn

The Third Dragonback Adventure

For Pam and Barry: For their faith and trust in the midst of their own battles

CHAPTER 1
With a slight change in engine pitch, and a small ripple of vibration through
the deck, the Essenay came off the ECHO stardrive.
They had arrived at the planet Brum-a-dum.
Stretched out on his belly on the dayroom floor, Draycos hunched himself up
onto
his front paws and looked around. Over by the wall, fourteen-year-old Jack
Morgan was seated at the narrow table, his elbows on the edge, his chin
propped
up in his hands. He was peering down at the table's surface, moving his lips
silently. Concentrating on his studies, the boy had apparently missed the
fact
that the Essenay had returned to normal space.
Draycos turned his attention toward the camera/speaker/microphone setup that
allowed the ship's computer to monitor the room's activities. In the dark
lens
of the camera he caught a distorted glimpse of his own long, triangular head
and
the spiny crest starting between his glowing green eyes and extending down
his
long back. Like a dragon the size of a small tiger, Jack had said at their
first
meeting.
The description had intrigued Draycos, and he'd spent several hours over the
past two months researching the topic of dragons in the Essenay's library.
Some
of the stories he'd found had been rather flattering. Others had definitely
not
been. "Well?" he called toward the camera.
"Well what?" Uncle Virge's voice came back, sounding grumpy.
"I thought perhaps you would like to announce our arrival," Draycos said
mildly.
Jack looked up from the table. "We're here?" he asked. "Uncle Virge?"
"Yes, we're here," the computerized voice confirmed reluctantly. "Don't get
excitedтАФI'm still scanning the area. That could take a while."
Jack threw a knowing look at Draycos. "Come on, Uncle Virge, quit stalling,"
the
boy said. "We already know where the Chookoock family estate is. Just plot us
a
landing course and take us down."
"It's not that simple, Jack lad," Uncle Virge protested. "There are airway
lanes
to be located, arrival procedures to be observed, Brummgan customs documents