Pegasus In Space
- Автор: Маккефри Энн
- Серия: Talents #3
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «Pegasus In Space». Краткое содержание книги:
For an overpopulated Earth whose resources are strained to the breaking point, there is only one place to look for relief: straight up. With the successful completion of the Padrugoi Space Station, humanity has at last achieved its first large-scale permanent presence in space. But there are those who, for motives of their own, want Padrugoi to fail. Standing in their way are the Talented, men and women gifted with extraordinary mental powers that have made them as feared as they are respected--and utterly indispensable to the colonization effort. Now, as sabotage and attempted murder strike the Station, it's up to the Talented to save the day. Only who is going to save the Talented?
Pegasus in Space is the tale of Peter Reidinger, first Tower Prime!
"I will return," she murmured.
Threat or promise? Dorotea asked.
Knowing the determination of that young lady, both. Let's do some discreet listening, shall we?
Since their visit had been so expeditiously arranged, it was unlikely that the presence of five parapsychics upstation had reached scuttlebutt. Rhyssa was of two minds on that discretion: she would have liked to sample reactions to their presence and perhaps catch other biases, but now she felt free, legitimately, to catch the prevailing mental climate of the Station. So she and Dorotea unshielded their minds, sampling the general tone of those passing them in the corridors.
Mostly people were concerned about their present duties or wondering about rest period entertainment. Neither telepath caught anything untoward: and only one officer was puzzled as to how the Limo had arrived at First Base well before its estimated time of arrival. Had it been testing the long awaited "new drive"?
Who's thinking that? Dorotea asked.
A senior grade lieutenant. Oh, it's Madlyn's crush-Dash, Rhyssa responded. And he thinks of himself as 'Dash,' too. He's a comm officer so he would probably know about it in the line of his duty.
He didn't hear about it from Maddie, did he? And Dorotea's tone was stem.
She doesn't come into his mind.
She'd be annoyed about that! Dorotea was most amused.
"This way, ladies," Nicola said, palming open a door and stepping aside for them to enter.
"Ah, Rhyssa, Dorotea," and the admiral came toward them, arms wide in welcome. Behind him was a conference table-Rhyssa wondered if this was where Ms. Leitao had collapsed during the history-making session with Space Authority. "Boris is on his way up but his cohorts are on the prowl, or so he advised me. Come, come. What would you like as an aperitif? Barney there will get it." Dirk Coetzer waved to the discreet appearance of his steward who smiled at the ladies. "By the time Boris arrives and we've had lunch, I think we'll be able to contact First Base so you can reassure yourselves that Peter Reidinger is really all right."
"Madlyn did that," Dorotea said, then she asked Barney for Campari and soda with lemon if he had it and took the comfortable chair the steward held out for her.
"If a contact is convenient," Rhyssa murmured with no demur.
"It most certainly is," Dirk said, seating her himself. "What will you have to drink?"
Rhyssa asked for white wine and then turned to Amariyah who had settled into a chair, smoothing out the aquamarine blue tunic that Tirla insisted she have for this special trip. It emphasized the color of her eyes.
"A fruit juice, if you please, Admiral, sir."
"Did you like our hanging gardens?"
Amariyah blinked. "I didn't see any hanging gardens, Admiral, sir."
"Either admiral or sir is correct, Amariyah Bantam. And, in point of fact, all the gardens up here might be called 'hanging,' because we are, as it were, hanging in space."
Amariyah accepted the correction of the proper mode of address and the interpretation of "hanging gardens" with a slight attentive cock of her head.
"Which do you prefer? Sir or admiral?"
Dirk Coetzer was obviously unaccustomed to precocious and self-confident children, no matter how polite.
"Sir will do for the admiral, Amariyah. Are you an uncle of anyone?" Dorotea asked while he was digesting her ward's unusual manner.
"Yes, several, in fact." Dirk cleared his throat and his voice. "This is a new one on me."
"We can see that," Dorotea remarked. "Life can be a very serious business, Dirk, as every adult has learned. Some of us older and some of us younger than others."
"I see." And the admiral did.
Just as the drinks were served to the ladies, Boris arrived with Commander Bindra.
"Ottey's got a bee in his bonnet," Boris said after civilities had been exchanged. Amariyah cast him a startled look. "How did you like your tour of the hydroponics, Amariyah?"
"Very interesting, Uncle Boris. There are no bees up here. They have to pollinate by hand, as Ping Yung explained to me."
"Uncle Boris spoke metaphorically," Dorotea said gently, leaning toward the girl.
"Oh!" Amariyah accepted that and took another sip of her drink.
"Lunch is served," Barney said in butlerian tones, his glance falling last on Amariyah, who loved to eat. "All has been produced here on Padrugoi, Miss Bantam," he added.
Since they had brought good appetites with them, the guests concentrated on the first course of the meal, a green soup.
"Will I be able to talk to Peter, too?" Amariyah asked after lunch, when the plates had been removed and Barney had discreetly withdrawn.
"Of course, dear," Rhyssa said. She is the soul of discretion, Boris.
"After that, Miss Bantam, perhaps you'd like to investigate our Mall. Yeoman Nizukami will escort you," Coetzer said. He addressed the girl as if she were indeed more adult than her ten years.
"Then you can discuss the important matters," Amariyah said in her usual blunt fashion.
"Exactly, Miss Bantam."
A rap on the door was followed by its swift opening and Dash Sakai came in, followed closely by Nicola Nizukami. She stood discreetly to one side.
"Ah, Lieutenant. Dorotea, you may not have had a chance to meet Dash Sakai, one of Padrugoi's communications officers," the admiral said.
Dorotea held out her hand, smiling in innocent grandmaternal fashion.
"A pleasure, Lieutenant."
He gave her a quizzical stare, bowing slightly as he took her hand, surprised at the strength of it. "My pleasure, I assure you, Ms. Horvath, since Madlyn has told me that you were her first contact with the Eastern Parapsychic Center."
"Has she, now?" Dorotea said, and smiled enigmatically.
"If the ladies will pardon, it's time to initiate the call to First Base " Dash Sakai said, striding to the console.
Dirk gestured for his guests to pull their chairs closer together at the table, facing the wide screen. They had barely gotten resettled when the view cleared to the now familiar sight of Watari's office, and the usual occupants: Watari, Cyberal, Lance, Johnny, and Peter.
"Oh, Peter," and Amariyah leaped to her feet, holding out her hands as if she could bridge the tremendous distance between them.
"Hi, Maree, good to see you!" Peter Reidinger's face warmed with real affection. "Didn't expect to. How's the garden?"
"Oh, Peter, have you seen the main hydroponics unit up here?" She had been so well behaved during luncheon that this sudden burst of enthusiasm took Dirk Coetzer by surprise as Amariyah babbled on about all she had seen and learned. "All you told me about were the decorative plants, not the Triticum and the Lycopersicum esculentum and the Brassica oleracea and two kinds of spinaches and-"
"This is not really the time to discuss the tour, Amariyah dear," Dorotea said, gently putting a restraining hand on the girl's wildly gesturing arms.
"Look, Maree, I just saw the ones on First Base; we'll compare notes when I'm downside. Okay?" Peter assured her. "But we have other very important things to discuss now, honey."
"Oh!" Amariyah could not miss the scowl on Watari's face and subsided instantly, looking almost-for her-frightened.
Dorotea pinned a far sterner look on the colonel and he cleared his face instantly.
"I'm sorry," Amariyah murmured to everyone, and moved away from the table. "Hello, General Greene, Mr. Baden. I am to go to the Mall with the yeoman now."
"Then you will see some of the small garden beds I told you about, Maree," Peter said, encouraging her. "Sorry we can't talk now. I'll be back home in another ten days. It's great to see you." His gaze flicked from her to Rhyssa, Dorotea, and Boris.