The Stones of Nomuru
- Автор: Де Камп Лайон Спрэг
- Серия: Viagens Interplanetarias #7
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «The Stones of Nomuru». Краткое содержание книги:
Mild-mannered Terra archeologist Keith Salazar was just minding his business, digging up the alien past on an out-of-the-way site on the planet Kukulcan, when suddenly he was beseiged by intruders on his scholarly peace: hostile natives, an indifferent ex-wife, and a demon developer with rapacious eyes glued on both his site and his true love.
In the course of protecting his dig, regaining his loved one and vanquishing his rival, Salazar will fight a giant reptilian predator bare-handed, leap into snake-filled pits, engineer the planet's first imperial conquest, lead and train a battalion of alien riflemen, and hold a séance. Pretty exciting work--but then maybe Keith Salazar wasn't such a milquetoast after all...
"Keit'!" called Pokrovskii, beckoning. "I got something for you!"
Salazar called, "Wait here, Sensao!" and guided his mount to the place where Bergen's fat construction superintendent stood. Pokrovskii opened the box and, with a flourish, whisked out a broad-brimmed straw hat. Handing it up to Salazar he said, "I owed you hat, because I ruined other. Try it on; had to guess size. This my assistant, Bill Kovelenko." He indicated his youthful companion.
Salazar acknowledged the introduction and donned the hat.
"Thanks, Oleg. When I dug in Mexico, before coming out here, they wore hats like this. Did you come all the way from Suvarov just to give me this hat?"
"Not exact. I wanted to see how dig was coming, because my boss in terrible hurry to get started."
"Has he a firm agreement with High Chief Miyage yet?"
Pokrovskii spread his hands. "Always he say, is so close as not to matter. Now let me see diggings. I admire de science."
Warily, Salazar, still mounted and guiding his juten by voice, led Pokrovskii across the site, detouring around test pits and explaining his work. "Here's the surviving top course of a Nomoruvian stone wall; notice the rusticated ashlars ..."
As they neared the pit on which the assistants were working, Pokrovskii suddenly cried: "Hey, who that?"
Salazar looked. "Another goddam Chosha!" he breathed. "Where the hell did I put the rifle? Better get off the site, Oleg, in case this fellow wants to take a head. Marcel! Fetch the rifle!"
"I left it back in the tent!" came Frappot's wail.
Pokrovskii and Kovelenko were trotting away toward Salazar's camp. Kovelenko, younger and spryer, had sprinted far ahead. The Chosha set its juten toward the lumbering Pokrovskii. As Salazar watched, the Kook raised its huge pistol and fired, without effect. It holstered the firearm and drew a long, curved saber.
Salazar shouted: "Mai shida!" to his juten, hoping he had used the correct tone. To his relief, the dinosaurlike mount turned left. Salazar cried "Faster!" in Shongo and fumbled with his own holster.
The Chosha, bearing down on Pokrovskii, swung the saber high. Coming up behind, Salazar fired his pistol, but the jouncing gait of his mount caused him to miss. He fired again, this time at the Chosha's juten.
The animal tottered and pitched forward, throwing its rider head over heels. When Salazar halted his own bipedal beast with a shout of "Tomai!", the fallen juten was feebly moving its limbs and the Chosha was beginning to stir and sit up. Its saber stood upright in the turf, driven in half the length of the blade.
"Oleg!" called Salazar. Pokrovskii had already paused in his flight. Seeing the Chosha sitting on the ground, he started back toward it.
The Chosha staggered to its feet, saw Pokrovskii nearing with murder in his eye, and turned to flee. Pokrovskii grasped the hilt of the upright saber, pulled it free, and ran after the Kook, waving the weapon and shouting: "lditye syuda! Come here!"
The Chosha had run but a little way when it blundered into a test pit a meter deep. Pursuing it, Pokrovskii, propelled by momentum, tumbled into the pit on top of the Kook.
The others rushed to the pit. Salazar and Kurita hauled Pokrovskii out, while Kovelenko and Sensao, the Shongo riding teacher, gripped the arms of the Chosha and hoisted it out in turn. When the marauding nomad got its breath back, it set up a loud, discordant outcry. Salazar realized, from the captive's lack of a crest of small spines, that it was a female.
"Do you understand her?" Salazar asked Sensao.
"Aye. She protests our cruelty in nearly crushing her to death beneath that great fat Terran. She thinks her ribs are broken."
"Well, she was after Mr. Pokrovskii's head."
After translation, Sensao said: "She admits this but says that death would have been so quick that the fat Terran would have felt no pain. Besides, it would be an honor to lose one's head to so mighty a warrior as she."
After more speech from the Chosha, Sensao continued: "She asks what you mean to do with her? She says that she was supposed only to scout; but the sight of you aliens aroused her battle lust. If she goes back to Prophet Kampai, he will order her head cut off for disobeying orders and letting herself be captured."
"Tell her we shall have to consider the matter." Salazar added in English: "The rest of you, take her back to camp and tie her up. Don't leave her near anything she could use to get free, and take turns guarding her."
He turned to the instructor. "Sensao, please tie the jutens up and see to their food and water. Then join us in the tent; I shall want your services as a translator."
He started after the others, but Pokrovskii touched his arm. "Keit'!" he cried, seizing Salazar and kissing his cheeks. "I got to tell you something. Can I trust you tell nobody? Is important."
"Yep," said Salazar.
"Hokay, First, I work for Conrad, so I got to do what he says, like when we left you in cage. Was awful. I tried to change his mind but could not. Now, you good man and I like you, as well as saving my life."
"So?"
"So I got to warn you. Conrad not going to wait for signing contract with High Chief. Will soon send crew with bulldozer, to shape terrain for resort."
"If he does that before the contract is final," said Salazar, "Miyage may tell him where to shove his agreement. Kooks are sticklers for protocol."
"I know. But Conrad very impatient man. Says business with Kooks worse than with Suvarov government. Committees, administrators, procedures, appeals, delays. He not appreciate efficiency of our government."
"That's your damned Russian influence in Suvarov," said Salazar. "You think everybody should be cogs in a vast machine, with all the little wheels turning in mesh."
"Of course! Is price of civilization!"
"Sure, but you carry it to the point of lunacy. You got the idea from the Byzantine Empire and have followed it ever since, under the Tsars and under the Communists and under the Constitutionalists. Over-organization is the Russian national vice."
"Well, de supersalesmanship is American national vice."
"Maybe you've got something there, Oleg. And another thing. Tell Bergen the next time he sends a gang to interfere with my work, they won't chase my people off the site, like last time. If I have to shoot a few, I will."
"Oh!" said Pokrovskii, looking solemn. "Then I got to tell you one more thing. The construction crew have order, if you interfere with them, to kill you; and boss don't mean it as how-you-say number of speech. He say, never mind laws of Terran Federation. Don't apply in Kook lands; and Kooks, if one Earthman kill another, won't interfere. You interfere if you saw two porondus fighting?"
"Thanks for the warning," said Salazar. "I've never killed a fellow Terran, but I daresay I could learn. Now we'd better question the prisoner."
As they followed the others toward the camp, Pokrovskii swished the Chosha saber through the morning air. "Is like Cossack shashka. Fine souvenir!"
The Chosha, wrists bound, stood in the center of a circle of seated Terrans. Sensao interpreted for the prisoner, and Salazar translated from Shongo for the other Terrans. Sensao reported:
"She says that, if you kill her, she hopes it will be quick. If you wish to cut her head off now, she is ready."
The prisoner bowed her head low, presenting the back of her scaly neck. Despite her brave words, Salazar saw from the rippling patterns of the spines on her neck that she was frightened.