"Arcady And Boris Strugatsky. Prisoners of Power" - читать интересную книгу автора

against radiation rests in his hands. Too late (or regrets. But it might be
a good idea to get close to him. But how? He doesn't need anything. He's so
damn important that we're all totally dependent on him; we all address our
prayers to him. I'd like to get a man like that by the throat! If only there
was something important he wanted. All he needs is some lousy convict, Oh,
yes, very valuable! Sure, interesting mentograms. But I wonder - that
convict is from the mountains, and lately Chancellor has been referring to
the mountains frequently. Maybe I should look into this. But Chancellor is
Chancellor. Massaraksh, I'm too damn tired, can't do another stitch of work
today."
He spoke into the intercom: "Kokh, what do you have on the convict
Sim?" He suddenly remembered: "I think you compiled a dossier."
"Yes, your honor. I had the honor of bringing the case to your
attention."
"Bring it here. And more water, too."
No sooner had he switched off the intercom than his assistant glided
unobtrusively through the doorway. A thick folder appeared before him; a
glass tinkled softly; water gurgled; and a filled glass stood alongside the
folder.
"'Abstract of the Mac Sim Case (Maxim Kammerer). Prepared by Assistant
Kokh.' Pretty thick. Not a bad abstract." He opened the folder and removed
the first sheaf of papers.
Captain Tolot's testimony. Defendant Gaal's testimony. A rough sketch
of the border region beyond the Blue Snake River. "He was wearing no other
clothing. His speech appeared to be coherent but was absolutely
incomprehensible. An unsuccessful attempt was made to communicate with him
in Khonti."He was wearing no other clothing. His speech appeared to be
coherent but was absolutely incomprehensible. An unsuccessful attempt was
made to communicate with him in Khonti. Oh, those stupid border captains!
Imagine, a Khonti spy on the southern border! The prisoner's drawings were
very artistic.The prisoner's drawings were very artistic. Well, there're
plenty of amazing things beyond the Blue Snake. Unfortunately. The facts
surrounding this fellow's appearance don't seem especially unusual, judging
from what we know about that region. Although, of course... well, we'll
see."
The prosecutor put aside the first sheaf, selected two dried berries,
and looked at the next page. "The conclusions of a special commission from
the Textile and Garment Institute. We, the undersigned... using all known
methods of analysis, tested the object of clothing delivered to us by the
Department of Justice. "The conclusions of a special commission from the
Textile and Garment Institute. We, the undersigned... using all known
methods of analysis, tested the object of clothing delivered to us by the
Department of Justice. - What nonsense! - and arrived at the following
conclusion: (1) The specified object is a pair of trousers, one quarter of
standard length, that could be worn by either men or women; (2) The style
does not conform to any known standard pattern and cannot, therefore,
properly be called a style, as the trousers were not sewn or made by any
known method; (3) The trousers are made of a resilient silvery cloth that
cannot properly be called cloth, as microscopic analysis failed to reveal
its structure. The material is fire-resistant, wrinkle-resistant, and