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!
"Formal muscle power debut?" Johnny asked when Peter stalled for the right words.
Back on Padrugoi, Ensign Patterson was once again on duty on the boat bay and greeted them with a salute. He delivered the message that Admiral Coetzer would be pleased if they made their way to the conference room when they were settled in their quarters.
"They're going to work us hard today, I know it," Johnny said with a glance at the clock and a groan. "Maybe we should have timed our arrival for a more civilized hour."
"You picked it," Peter said.
"Then let us go about our daily occasions," Johnny said in a pompous tone. "Meetcha in the conference room in five." Johnny ported himself away.
With a nod to the ensign, who was trying to act nonchalant about the general's disappearance, Peter left as well. His quarters looked exactly the same and although the cabin was tidy-he was never quite that neat-it also had an unused feel to it. Would he have a shadow onstation, too? He dropped his gear on the bunk and 'ported to the conference room.
The monitor displayed the day's schedule with a brief note of welcome back from Dirk Coetzer and the confirmation from Lieutenant Bergkamp that the Gadriel circuits had been no trouble to add to the Padrugoi generators. Peter was as glad to be first in. He could take advantage of the time to see if he could set up his "South America" scam. He scanned the list and found the very one-only ten kilos. He'd have to change the destination to where? On Earth… someplace Johnny didn't know and would have to get a visual of. He couldn't think of a target so he invented one: a new customer-Calco laboratory-a lab facility would have features much like "South America." Calco would be "situated" in Jerhattan. God knows there were enough small companies like that in the industrial perimeter of Jerhattan, which was well within Johnny's acknowledged "limit." Speaking quietly, Peter did the necessary editing. Since he was familiar with Johnny's preference for hard copy, he touched the print button, feeling the moment of contact in the tip of his finger. He chuckled to himself. If Johnny liked to hold hard copy, Peter liked to touch keys, now that he could feel them.
"Ho, there, you beat me to it," Johnny said, arriving in the room. "Barney?"
For a single moment, Peter froze, having forgotten that the steward might be waiting in the serving alcove. He told himself firmly that Barney could not have seen, been interested in, much less suspicious of anything Peter had just done. Just then the door from the hall opened and Barney entered, carrying a tray of supplies.
"Had to collect fresh coffee, General. Good morning, Mr. Reidinger."
Peter let go a relieved breath. He really wasn't up to deception. Although, maybe, that's why he'd get away with this.
"Got our day's work organized, Pete?" Johnny asked, and, with an offhand motion, Peter passed him the paper copy. "I'll just get rid of the downside junk." He whistled. "Boy, First Base ought to pay off its mortgage with these shipments of rare earths." He paused, running his finger down the side of the sheet. "Only destination I don't know is the Calco lab."
"They sent a visual," Peter said, bringing "South America" up on-screen.
"Humph. Well, there can't be two stains like that in the world," Johnny said, settling into his chair preparatory to leaning into the generators.
"Easy to see," Peter remarked, clamping down on his inner tension. "I'll just assemble the first load to the Moon." Should he wait and give Johnny a hand if he "felt" any difference, 'porting that far? He didn't dare mess with Johnny at the outset. Better wait! Johnny must realize that he had the kinetic strength to 'port to any place he could "see." You go first, Johnny. He was real pleased with how casual he sounded, despite the way his gut was acting. How had he forgotten that aspect of sensation?
"Remember to tune into the Gadriel circuits," he said casually to Johnny.
"I certainly will. This'll make 'porting a snap."
Peter let himself "feel" Johnny get tuned to the new configuration, and the general smiled at his ease of contact. Then he started his 'port, frowning slightly as the gauge on the generator panel swung over at his usage.
"And it was only to Jerhattan"' Johnny exclaimed, baffled. "What happened? Gadriel's gimmicks were supposed to make this easier."
"Well, no," Peter said blithely, grinning fit to crack his face, "actually, General Greene, you just pushed ten kilos to the astronomy laboratory at First Base. Congratulations!"
Johnny's jaw dropped and his dark brows met across the bridge of his nose.
"I what? Say again!" There was a "general" in that command.
"I said, actually, General Greene…"
Johnny flicked an impatient hand, his glare deepened. "I know what you said. Tuning into a generator makes that much difference to my range?"
Peter gestured to the monitor. "Tuning does make a difference, I'm sure, but you ought to be able to 'port wherever you can 'see,' Johnny. As I did to the bollard in the parking lot and to the table in Watari's office."
For a very long moment, Johnny stared at "South America," jutted his jaw, cocked his head to glower sideways at Peter, then back at the screen.
"Ten kilos?" he asked in an all-too-quiet voice.
"Ten kilos of storage crystals that Dr. Pienarr ordered." Peter waited. He knew Johnny Greene well enough to see the tension building in his body and he awaited the explosion with considerable anxiety. "I changed the-"
"NEVER EXPLAIN!" The general propelled himself out of the chair and Peter backed away. Then Johnny threw his head back and howled with laughter, doubling over and slapping his hands on his thighs. "Kid, you're amazing." He took a forward step and gave Peter a buffet on his shoulder, which would have knocked Peter off balance if Johnny hadn't also grabbed his arm to steady him.
"I never thought you a devious type, Pete," Johnny said through gasps of laughter, his eyes tearing with mirth. "Hoisted me on my own petard, you did."
"About time, don't you think?" Peter asked, cocking his head and regarding the older man sardonically.
Barney emerged from his alcove, for once baffled by their antics.
"It's too early in the morning," Johnny said, controlling hilarity with an effort, "for champagne and Peter doesn't drink. Coffee please, Barney? And whatever Pete wants to celebrate his connivery. Good one, Pete! Caught me fair and square."
He wiped his eyes and dropped limply into his chair until Barney put a coffee mug in front of him and a teacup for Peter, steam from the herbal brew sending off a spiced aroma.
"I caught you, Johnny?" Peter asked, noting the odd turn of phrase.
"Yes, caught me, Pete." Johnny's eyes twinkled over the rim of his cup as he took a judicious sip of the hot coffee.
"You mean, you knew you could 'port farther?"
Johnny nodded, with a rascally expression on his face.
"I suspected but I also knew damned well that if I admitted I could, I'd be made to. Never volunteer."
"You volunteered me," Peter exclaimed with some indignation.
"True, true, but if you'd shown the least sign of strain, kid," and the general turned quite solemn, "I'd've called a halt like right then." He brought his hand down edgewise on the table in a firm blow. "Lance was sure you could do it, too, so we arranged that little bit of foolery from the Adelaide Center. I never thought you'd play the same trick on me." He gave his head an admiring shake and chuckled again.
"Lance? What about his true range?"
"Ah," and Johnny rocked his spread fingers in a gesture of doubt. "Gadriel said he's tone-deaf. He can't 'tune,' so he can't access the Gadriel circuitry, Peter." Johnny let go an understandable sigh of satisfaction that he could. "He's fine over short distances with the strength that's in him. But I don't think he could make it for a long haul. Too bad, he'd be an asset."