The City Who Fought
- Автор: Маккефри Энн, Стирлинг Стивен Майкл
- Серия: brainship #4
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «The City Who Fought». Краткое содержание книги:
Simeon's love of wargaming would find unexpected uses when the brutal Kolnari attack the nearby colony planet, Bethel. Sheltering the colony's refugee's brought the city an invitation to serious trouble with Kolnari pirates.
"A valid point," Channa said judiciously.
"So," Joat slapped her legs, then rubbed her palms up and down her thighs, "what I thought was, Seld and me could make up enough for you guys," she turned to point at Amos and then at Channa, "and as many of the council reps or team leaders as we can." She looked at the adults' faces, checking their expressions, then turned to Simeon's column. "Whaddaya say?"
"I'd say you're a heartless hard-bargainer, a blackmailer, and a techno-witch. That said, I'll talk to Chaundra, and I think he'll allow Seld to assist on an authorized project. But use more sense next time, Joat. When I adopt you, you're going to have limits, too. Oh, and don't work him too hard. He's just not…" Simeon tried to finish the caution diplomatically "… the hardy type."
"I know," she said softly, nodding solemnly. "I'll take care of him, I promise." Then she smiled a tight, professional-looking little smile, and rose. "Well, goodnight, everybody."
"Goodnight," they wished her in return.
When the door had closed behind her, Amos looked warmly at Channa, then dropped his eyes. "I, too, am weary, and there is still so much to learn."
"Do what you can," Channa advised, "and play the rest by ear."
"And don't forget," Simeon told him, "all you have to do is ask and I'll try to help. Channa, why don't you give him that contact button now?"
"Yes." From a desk drawer, she took a small box, which she presented to Amos.
"We should probably give one to both Joat and Seld," Simeon suggested.
Channa nodded.
Amos took out the small button curiously.
"That gadget will let me see what you see, hear what you hear, and respond in relative privacy," Simeon told him.
"It is so small," Amos said, examining the tiny device.
"But so effective," Simeon answered through the button.
Startled, Amos dropped it.
"I can see that it could be very useful," he said, laughing as he retrieved it. "Thank you, Simeon."
Channa hesitated. "See you in the morning."
"Yes, altogether too briefly," he replied, giving her a rueful bow.
Channa yawned hugely and looked up at the time display. Evening again already! Almost time for dinner. Hopefully it would be more cheerful than breakfast, which had been subdued in the extreme. "Gods, another day gone? Where is everyone?"
"Amos is on his way back home and should be here any second," Simeon said. "Joat is committing illegalities in the engineering lab, chortling madly with Seld, when I can pick them up at all. She'll be back here to eat, or so I believe her plan to be."
Channa stretched. "I need a break." She flopped into an easy chair and said, "Would you put on the 'Hebrides Suite,' please?"
He listened to it for a moment and said, "This is nice."
"One of my favorites. My great-grandmother once told me that this music held the soul of Earth's oceans in its phrases. I've loved it ever since."
"Your great-grandmother was from Earth, Channa?"
"No, but she'd been there. Oh, this is my favorite part-a little louder, Sim."
She raised her hand, palm up to show that he should raise the volume again, and again. The door opened on Amos, who stepped backward as though the magnificent swell of sound had washed him out on a wave of music.
Channa laughed at his startled expression and signaled Simeon to lower the sound. "Sorry," she called.
Amos poked his head in cautiously, "Whew!" he said. "Channa, it is dangerous to play music at such volume. Your hearing will be impaired."
She made a face at him. "Don't be a priss, Simeon-Amos. No one ever lost their hearing on classical music."
"Beethoven?" Simeon suggested.
"Hah!" she said. "You men all stick together," and stumbled to the galley for coffee. When she had doctored it with cream liqueur and whipped Jersey floating on the surface, she took an appreciative sip. "Ah! That's good!" Although when I learned where Jersey originally came from, I nearly lost my lunch, she added to herself. Simeon had picked up on her tastes quickly.
"Now, that is something I feel I've missed out on," Simeon said.
"Mmmh?"
"Coffee, food, everyone who sits down to dinner at the Perimeter says, 'Wow! That smells good!' closely followed by 'Mmm! This is delicious!' and I haven't got an analogue for either of those sensations. Smell and taste-you'd think they could have given me one of 'em. Oh, I can taste when something's off in the chemo-synthesis plants, and I can smell an ion-trail, but it's not the same thing. Sometimes the people at Medic Central are downright inhumanly utilitarian."
"Why don't you put Joat on it?" Channa suggested.
"Put me on what?" Joat asked, arriving at that point.
"I was just saying that I've missed out on tasting coffee, or smelling it even, everyone says it smells so good. I don't even know what that means. I just can't get my mind around the concept. I don't like the feeling that I'm being denied one of life's greatest pleasures. However, the thought of anyone poking about with my neural interfaces is enough to keep the thought merely wistful."
Channa and Amos locked eyes a moment, then flicked away. Not before Simeon had caught the look.
"That's terrible," Joat said sympathetically, "'though, maybe if you gave me your specs…"
"Now, sex… sex provides a lot of mental pleasure." Simeon continued with relish. "I'd be willing to bet that I get almost as much sexual pleasure out of my own imagination as anyone does actually having it."
Joat made a derisive grimace.
"I'd say in your dreams, Simeon, but that would be redundant," Channa said archly, making her way back to her desk. "What have you got there?" she asked, pointing to the box in Joat's hand.
"Oh, this is something for you guys." Joat opened it to display the two short, gleaming metal rods, perhaps three centimeters long, with crystals at either end. Joat looked at Channa expectantly.
Channa took one out of the box, turning it over. In the center of the rod was a small gap, bridged by a narrow tube which joined its two halves. She touched the crystals experimentally, then looked queryingly at Joat. "It's pretty?" she asked, puzzled at its use.
Joat laughed. "Seld said we should make 'em into jewelry, but I figured we didn't have time to experiment with the effect that might have. I wear mine in a sheath in my boot." She tugged up her pant-leg and pulled down the cuff of her boot to show the top of an identical wand.
"How does this artifact of yours work?" Amos asked her, picking up the other.
"You push the two halves together to make a contact."
Amos did so. There was a click as the two halves came together to form a smooth even surface. He looked at Channa and Joat, then at himself. "Is… is it working?"
"Ask him," Joat said, jerking her thumb at Simeon's column.
"Simeon?"
Simeon didn't answer because he hadn't heard the question. He had, however, seen Amos wink out of existence, and he was experiencing some very uncomfortable feelings about that disappearance. Suddenly, he was unsure that he wanted anyone besides Joat to have this ability. Such disappearances definitely gave him the willies.
"Apparently not," Channa said, pleased. She clicked her own rod together and vanished from Simeon's sight and hearing.
Amos leaned close to her. "I can already see much potential for his device." His smiling eyes were warm and full of meaning.
"Seld and me knocked seven of these off today," Joat explained to Simeon. "We'll contrapt more tomorrow, now that we've found the parts we need. What's the matter?" she asked in response to Simeon's groan.