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...
"A compensation of maturity is that one learns to restrain one's passion in consideration of future consequences."
"But you're still young!" exclaimed Kara. "It's only a couple of years since we—"
Salazar cut her off. "As La Rochefoucauld said, when a man controls his passions, the reason is not that he is strong but that they are weak. I don't know which applies in my case. If a certain other had acted as Penny did, I'd have leaped to it—"
It was Kara's turn to interrupt. "Wouldn't it be safer to go by the western road to the ford? It's roundabout, but we avoid Conrad's people. Besides, the Sappari bridge will never hold all these pack animals at once!"
"I've thought of that," said Salazar. "You and the rest will go by the west road; I shall catch up with you."
"What are you going to do?"
"Just a quick recon to see what they're doing to the site."
Kara said, "If you run into Conrad, promise me you won't shoot him!"
"Why not? After all that's happened, shooting him sounds like the best idea since shredded wheat. He's one who never would be missed."
"I know; he's a scoundrel and a beast. But I couldn't bear it! A woman like me has enough problems without being the cause of a murder."
"I'll try not to do anything foolish; that's all I promise. Here we are!"
Kara would have continued her protests; but at this point the road divided. Chensoö stolidly led the kyuumeis along the right or main fork. Salazar vanished down the lesser trail with his mount at a run.
Two hours later, with the sun high, Salazar rejoined the caravan. He told Kara: "I went to our former camp, tied up Daffodil, and wriggled through the brush until I could see the site. Bergen was yelling orders, with Charley Ma translating, while his Kooks hitched up kyuumeis to a dragline scraper. I resisted the temptation to take a shot."
"Thank goodness for that!" she said.
"Oh, I don't know. I suspect I should have potted Bergen while I had the chance, after all he's done. But I held off, because I hadn't figured out all the angles—how it would affect the Museum and such. Then Bergen drove off in his steam car. That's the trouble with us damned academics; all thought and no action." He did not add that he had restrained himself partly to please her.
"Did any of them see you?" she asked.
"No. I passed a couple of Kooks on the trail, but they just looked at me and went about their business."
"Where are we stopping tonight? Neruu?"
"No. It's full of Bergen's people. At the rate these critters move, we shall have to camp out in the pup tent."
Having, like many leaders of field expeditions, a reliable internal clock, Salazar awoke at dawn. He unzipped his bag and reached out to tease the tent flap open a a crack. By the augmented light he saw that Kara was awake. He gazed at her with tender memories.
"No, Keith!" said Kara sharply.
"Huh? I haven't said a word—"
"You didn't have to. I know you too well."
With an angry grunt, Salazar hauled himself out of his bag and started pulling on his outer clothing. He told himself: Keith Adams Salazar, can't you do anything right? You were the world's prize ass to leave her two years ago, and now you're a bigger fool for bringing her along on this jaunt. You must enjoy self-torture.
The second night they camped, Salazar saw that Kara was comfortably settled in her sleeping bag. Then he laid his own bag on the ground outside the tent.
"Keith!" she called. "What are you doing?"
"Going to sleep," he said grumpily. "But why out there?"
"Try to guess." Controlling his vexation, more at himself than at her, he added: "Good-night, Kara."
Sending the caravan on ahead, Salazar and Kara stopped in Shongaro long enough to speak with Chief Sambyaku, who warned them: "Beware, honorable Sarasara, of soldiers on the roads. The air is thick with rumors of trouble with the Choshas, and the High Chief has ordered some of his men to the eastern border."
"I tried to tell Miyage—" began Salazar, but Sambyaku cut in:
"Aye, so you did. But the High Chief has had experience with Terrans. The only Terran whom he trusts is this developer, Bergen."
"With whom he will become disillusioned. But why should I fear Miyage's soldiers?"
"Many are not well-disciplined. One never knows what such persons might do if surprised."
Salazar and Kara remounted and rode off. Less than a kilometer outside Shongaro, they caught up with their caravan. The kyuumeis were munching vegetation along the roadside, while the teamsters, muskets in hand, clustered behind Chensoö. The caravan leader was in furious argument with a Kook, a soldier from his body paint and an officer from the fact that he bore a sword instead of a musket. Observing the sixteen soldiers of the detachment, it seemed to Salazar from the movement of their neck bristles that they were spoiling for a fight.
"What is this?" Salazar called out as his juten reached the scene of the dispute.
"These," said Chensoö, "are High Chief Miyage's men. They wish to know about the crates."
"Tell them the crates contain agricultural implements," said Salazar.
"I have so said, but the officer wishes to pry one open to confirm this fact. I have told him that we may not permit the Empress's seals to be broken, but he is not convinced."
Salazar dismounted. Confronting the officer, he said: "I am on a mission for the Empress, and I do not think that your High Chief wishes to antagonize her."
"I have my orders—" began the officer.
"We are on our way to Machura by way of Biitso. If you have questions about our cargo, accompany us to Biitso and lay the matter before High Chief Miyage himself."
The officer's tongue flicked. "We cannot! Our orders are to proceed eastward forthwith, to take up a position near Neruu. This matter must be settled here and now—"
Salazar was standing beside one of the spare kyuumeis. It was a big animal, as tall at the shoulder hump as Salazar, and its dark-gray scales bore the butter-yellow symbols of the Empire of Feënzun. As the officer spoke, a thunderous boom made everyone start. With an earth-shaking impact, the kyuumei beside Salazar fell over on its side, its legs pawing the air before its eyes glazed in death. The grazing animals snorted and danced in alarm. Some were barely restrained from bolting.
"Uwangi!" yelled Salazar. "The rifle! Get down, Kara!" He added in Shongo: "Take cover, all of you!"
Uwangi dashed up with Salazar's gun, whereupon the archaeologist sprawled on the ground behind the dead beast, with his rifle barrel resting across the carcass. The soldiers, with apparently no concept of taking cover, formed a ragged line behind Salazar, facing the forest with cocked muskets.
Salazar, sure that he recognized the sound of Bergen's big-game rifle, swept the foliage with searching eyes. On the road behind, a flicker of motion caught his attention. For less than a second he glimpsed a juten and a rider, pounding away to eastward. Before he could bring his rifle to bear, the target was out of sight. So brief had been his glimpse that he could not even be sure whether the rider was a Kook or a Terran.
Salazar set his straw hat, Pokrovskii's gift, on the muzzle of his rifle. When this failed to draw fire, he said: "I believe our attacker has gone; but I suggest, Captain Tuskei, that you send some of your men to search the woods."
"Aye, sir; that I shall do. But about these crates—"
"Just a moment, Captain. Kara, I think Bergen shot at us; but I don't see how he could still have his fourteen-millimeter gun. Kampai would have kept it, along with the other Terran firearms, when he let Bergen go. And you carried off the ammunition for that rifle."
Kara thought for a moment. "Didn't Conrad and Pokrovskii stop at your camp on their way to Henderson? Maybe one of your people noticed."