[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
been sick only three days.
Walking like this when she was unused to the gravity was not helping at all. It had
not helped much then, either. She walked slowly back to her mod.
It was easy to override the door controls. She sat with her legs sticking out onto
the grass and her back warmed by the air streaming from inside. A woman stepped
from a mod further down the row and raised a hand in casual greeting. Her hair was
still wet from a shower and she wore what looked like a homemade skirt. Marghe
waved back, glad they were too far away to speak. The woman walked past the mod
with the handmade brick doorway and followed the path around a curve and out of
Marghe s sight.
She reached down and pulled up a blade of grass. It was a flattened, hollow tube.
Cautiously, she put the broken end in her mouth. It did not taste like grass, but she
chewed on it anyway.
Banner s dossier had not been at all what she had expected. This was no
by-the-book career officer. Most startling had been the revelation that it had been the
young Danner, on Jeep on her first tour of duty as a lieutenant, who was the
mysterious Mirror of rumor the one who had helped Courtivron circumvent SEC
and Company corruption and bring the Jink and Oriyest v. Company case to court.
Who are you, Danner? Can I trust you?
She wondered how much Danner knew about the Kurst, and what advice Sara
Hiam might give in this situation.
She sat outside until it was dark. The heaving cloud blurred two moons to a soft
silver glow; the third moon was too small to be visible through the overcast. The
night was cool and silent no insects. Two searchlights speared the grass outside
the perimeter, and the unlit grass looked black. She wondered what the indigenous
population thought of Port Central, and when she would get to see her first native.
Her muscles ached, from the walking, from the gravity. She went inside where it
was warm and went to bed.
She dreamed that a native spoke to her, but she could not understand, and she
stood by helplessly while the native rotted and died of some disease. She buried the
pathetic thing, then found a Mirror kneeling by the grave. She knew it was Danner,
but when the Mirror flipped up her visor, underneath there was no face.
Danner agreed to see her before lunch the next day. Marghe dressed slowly and
checked her pockets twice for the FN-17 before she left the mod.
The cloud cover was heavy and multilayered, shades of slate blue and silver, pearl
and charcoal, like a sketch washed with watercolor. The air was cool and spicy. She
wondered how long it would take her to adjust to the smell, learn to filter it out of her
awareness, just as the filters scrubbed it from the air in her mod. A long time, she
hoped.
Again, Danner served dap in handmade china. Marghe sipped at the hot tea. On
Earth I was promised full support from Company personnel in the field. However, I
now understand that you re seriously understaffed and underequipped. What can
you offer me?
Danner leaned back in her chair. Why don t you tell me your plans.
If there are clues to be found about the origins of these people, their common
background, I need to find them. It might help with tracing the origins of this virus. It
might also lead to some clues about how these women reproduce. Everything in
Eagan s notes points northward. To Ollfoss.
Danner looked down into the cup she held cradled in both hands, resting on her
stomach. One of your team already tried that. She s believed to be dead.
All the more reason to go up there and find out what happened.
Danner sighed. At this time of year, the weather alone up there will be enough to
kill you.
I can t wait for an improvement in the weather. I only have six months.
You ll be dealing with more than the weather. The north is isolated. The people
you ll meet there won t give you any special treatment. They won t know who you
are.
I m aware of that.
Danner put her cup down on the table between them. I m not happy about you
risking yourself like this. You re being paid to see how well the vaccine performs,
not to solve mysteries. If you get yourself killed, we re no nearer to finding out if the
vaccine works. No nearer to being home.
Marghe remained silent. This was Commander Danner now, not the young
lieutenant of five years ago.
Danner sipped from her cup. I just don t understand why you want to do this. I
need you here. You could teach us so much about living with these people, what to
do and what not to do. You could really help us, but instead you want to hare off
north and get yourself killed.
I don t intend to die.
But in all likelihood that s what will happen. Danner leaned forward. I just want
you to understand: I don t want you to die while you re my responsibility. I have
enough on my conscience. I ll do everything in my power to help you, but that
won t be much. If you go onto Tehuantepec, I can t protect you. Do you
understand that?
I understand.
And I can t dissuade you?
No, Marghe did not dare say anything further. Danner was going to jump, one
way or the other.
They were both silent for a moment. Danner straightened. Very well. When do
you intend to leave?
As soon as possible.
Danner went around to her desk and consulted her screen. If you can wait two
days, I have a team one officer, two civilian technicians traveling north to a
settlement called Holme Valley to install a new communications relay. It will mean an
escort for part of your journey. And the community there has had contact with us
before. They might be able to help you with more suitable equipment for further
travel north than you could find here. She smiled tightly. We have only six [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
been sick only three days.
Walking like this when she was unused to the gravity was not helping at all. It had
not helped much then, either. She walked slowly back to her mod.
It was easy to override the door controls. She sat with her legs sticking out onto
the grass and her back warmed by the air streaming from inside. A woman stepped
from a mod further down the row and raised a hand in casual greeting. Her hair was
still wet from a shower and she wore what looked like a homemade skirt. Marghe
waved back, glad they were too far away to speak. The woman walked past the mod
with the handmade brick doorway and followed the path around a curve and out of
Marghe s sight.
She reached down and pulled up a blade of grass. It was a flattened, hollow tube.
Cautiously, she put the broken end in her mouth. It did not taste like grass, but she
chewed on it anyway.
Banner s dossier had not been at all what she had expected. This was no
by-the-book career officer. Most startling had been the revelation that it had been the
young Danner, on Jeep on her first tour of duty as a lieutenant, who was the
mysterious Mirror of rumor the one who had helped Courtivron circumvent SEC
and Company corruption and bring the Jink and Oriyest v. Company case to court.
Who are you, Danner? Can I trust you?
She wondered how much Danner knew about the Kurst, and what advice Sara
Hiam might give in this situation.
She sat outside until it was dark. The heaving cloud blurred two moons to a soft
silver glow; the third moon was too small to be visible through the overcast. The
night was cool and silent no insects. Two searchlights speared the grass outside
the perimeter, and the unlit grass looked black. She wondered what the indigenous
population thought of Port Central, and when she would get to see her first native.
Her muscles ached, from the walking, from the gravity. She went inside where it
was warm and went to bed.
She dreamed that a native spoke to her, but she could not understand, and she
stood by helplessly while the native rotted and died of some disease. She buried the
pathetic thing, then found a Mirror kneeling by the grave. She knew it was Danner,
but when the Mirror flipped up her visor, underneath there was no face.
Danner agreed to see her before lunch the next day. Marghe dressed slowly and
checked her pockets twice for the FN-17 before she left the mod.
The cloud cover was heavy and multilayered, shades of slate blue and silver, pearl
and charcoal, like a sketch washed with watercolor. The air was cool and spicy. She
wondered how long it would take her to adjust to the smell, learn to filter it out of her
awareness, just as the filters scrubbed it from the air in her mod. A long time, she
hoped.
Again, Danner served dap in handmade china. Marghe sipped at the hot tea. On
Earth I was promised full support from Company personnel in the field. However, I
now understand that you re seriously understaffed and underequipped. What can
you offer me?
Danner leaned back in her chair. Why don t you tell me your plans.
If there are clues to be found about the origins of these people, their common
background, I need to find them. It might help with tracing the origins of this virus. It
might also lead to some clues about how these women reproduce. Everything in
Eagan s notes points northward. To Ollfoss.
Danner looked down into the cup she held cradled in both hands, resting on her
stomach. One of your team already tried that. She s believed to be dead.
All the more reason to go up there and find out what happened.
Danner sighed. At this time of year, the weather alone up there will be enough to
kill you.
I can t wait for an improvement in the weather. I only have six months.
You ll be dealing with more than the weather. The north is isolated. The people
you ll meet there won t give you any special treatment. They won t know who you
are.
I m aware of that.
Danner put her cup down on the table between them. I m not happy about you
risking yourself like this. You re being paid to see how well the vaccine performs,
not to solve mysteries. If you get yourself killed, we re no nearer to finding out if the
vaccine works. No nearer to being home.
Marghe remained silent. This was Commander Danner now, not the young
lieutenant of five years ago.
Danner sipped from her cup. I just don t understand why you want to do this. I
need you here. You could teach us so much about living with these people, what to
do and what not to do. You could really help us, but instead you want to hare off
north and get yourself killed.
I don t intend to die.
But in all likelihood that s what will happen. Danner leaned forward. I just want
you to understand: I don t want you to die while you re my responsibility. I have
enough on my conscience. I ll do everything in my power to help you, but that
won t be much. If you go onto Tehuantepec, I can t protect you. Do you
understand that?
I understand.
And I can t dissuade you?
No, Marghe did not dare say anything further. Danner was going to jump, one
way or the other.
They were both silent for a moment. Danner straightened. Very well. When do
you intend to leave?
As soon as possible.
Danner went around to her desk and consulted her screen. If you can wait two
days, I have a team one officer, two civilian technicians traveling north to a
settlement called Holme Valley to install a new communications relay. It will mean an
escort for part of your journey. And the community there has had contact with us
before. They might be able to help you with more suitable equipment for further
travel north than you could find here. She smiled tightly. We have only six [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]