"Great Slow Kings, The" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zelazny Roger)

A tension-filled pause ensued.

"I had assumed," murmured Drax, "that you would conduct the expedition.
Being the more mature monarch, yours should be a more adequate decision as
to whether or not a particular species is worthy of our enlightened rule."

"Yes, but your youth tends to make you more active than I. The journey
should be more expeditiously conducted by you." He emphasized the word
"expeditiously."

"We could both go, in separate ships," offered Drax. "That would be
truly expeditious--"

Their heated debating was cut short by a metallic cough-equivalent.

"Masters," suggested Zindrome, "the half-life of radioactive materials
being as ephemeral as it is, I regret to report that only one spaceship is
now in operational condition."

"That settles it, Dran. _You_ go. It will require a steadier _rrand_ to
manage an underpowered ship."

"And leave you to foment civil strife and usurp unfranchised powers?
No, you go!"

"I suppose we could _both_ go," sighed Drax.

"Fine! Leave the kingdom leaderless! _That_ is the kind of muddleheaded
thinking which brought about our present political embarrassment."

"Masters," said Zindrome, "if _someone_ doesn't go soon the ship will
be useless."

They both studied their servant, approving the rapid chain of logic
forged by his simple statement.

"Very well," they smiled in unison, "_you_ go."

Zindrome bowed quite obsequiously and departed from the great Throne
Hall of Glan.

"Perhaps we should authorize Zindrome to construct facsimiles of
himself," stated Dran, tentatively. "If we had more subjects we could
accomplish more."

"Are you forgetting our most recent agreement?" asked Drax. "A
superfluity of robots tended to stimulate factionalism last time--and
certain people grew ambitious..." He let his voice trail off over the years,
for emphasis.