[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
to get your hands dirty. Sir."
Miles's brows crooked, bemused.No. That's not what I'm afraid of.
Miles marked the drain "cleared" on his report panel, turned the scat-cat, their equipment, and a very
subdued Olney and Pattas back in to Sergeant Neuve in Maintenance, and headed for the officers'
barracks. He'd never wanted a hot shower more in his entire life.
He was squelching down the corridor toward his quarters when; another officer stuck his head out a
door. "Ah, Ensign Vorkosigan?" I
"Yes?"
"You got a vid call a while ago. I encoded the return for you."
"Call?" Miles stopped. "Where from?"
"Vorbarr Sultana."
Miles felt a chill in his belly. Some emergency at home? "Thanks."
He reversed direction, and beelined for the end of the corridor and the vidconsole booth that the officers
on this level shared.
He slid damply into the seat and punched up the message, number was not one he recognized. He
entered it, and his chancode, and waited. It chimed several times, then the vidplate hissed to life. His
cousin Ivan's handsome face materialized over it, and grinned at him.
"Ah, Miles. There you are."
"Ivan! Where the devil are you? What is this?"
"Oh, I'm at home. And that doesn't mean my mother's. I thought you might like to see my new flat."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Miles had the vague, disoriented sensation that he'd somehow tapped a line into some parallel universe,
or alternate astral plane. Vorbarr Sultana, yes. He'd lived in the capital himself, in a previous incarnation.
Eons ago.
Ivan lifted his vid pick-up, and aimed it around, dizzyingly. "It's fully furnished. I took over the lease from
an Ops captain who was being transferred to Komarr. A real bargain. I just got moved in yesterday. Can
you see the balcony?"
Miles could see the balcony, drenched in late afternoon sunlight the color of warm honey. The Vorbarr
Sultana skyline rose like a fairytale city, swimming in the summer haze beyond. Scarlet flowers swarmed
over the railing, so red in the level light they almost hurt his eyes. Miles felt like drooling into his
shirtpocket, or bursting into tears. "Nice flowers," he choked.
"Yeah, m'girlfriend brought 'em."
"Girlfriend?" Ah yes, human beings had come in two sexes, once upon a time. One smelled much better
than the other. Much. "Which one?"
"Tatya."
"Have I met her?" Miles struggled to remember.
"Naw, she's new."
Ivan stopped waving the vid pick-up around, and reappeared over the vid-plate. Miles's exacerbated
senses settled slightly. "So how's the weather up there?" Ivan peered at him more closely. "Are you wet?
What have you been doing?"
"Forensic . . . plumbing," Miles offered after a pause.
"What?" Ivan's brow wrinkled.
"Never mind." Miles sneezed. "Look, I'm glad to see a familiar face and all that," he was, actually a
painful strange gladness, "but I'm in the middle of my duty day, here."
"I got off-shift a couple of hours ago," Ivan remarked. "I'm taking Tatya out for dinner in a bit. You just
caught me. So just tell me quick, how's life in the infantry?"
"Oh, great. Lazkowski Base is the real thing, y'know." Miles did not define what real thing. "Not a ...
warehouse for excess Vor lordlings like Imperial Headquarters."
"I do my job!" said Ivan, sounding slightly stung. "Actually, you'd like my job. We process information.
It's amazing, all the stuff Ops accesses in a day's time. It's like being on top of the world. It would be just
your speed."
"Funny. I've thought that Lazkowski Base would be just yours, Ivan. Suppose they could have got our
orders reversed?"
Ivan tapped the side of his nose and sniggered. "I wouldn't tell." His humor sobered in a glint of real
concern. "You, ah, take care of yourself up there, eh? You really don't look so good."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"I've had an unusual morning. If you'd sod off, I could go get a shower."
"Oh, right. Well, take care."
"Enjoy your dinner."
"Right-oh. 'Bye."
Voices from another universe. At that, Vorbarr Sultana was only a couple of hours away by sub-orbital
flight. In theory. Miles was obscurely comforted, to be reminded that the whole planet hadn't shrunk to
the lead-grey horizons of Kyril Island, even if his part of it seemed to have.
Miles found it difficult to concentrate on the weather, the rest of that day. Fortunately his superior didn't
much notice. Since the scat-cat sinking Ahn had tended to maintain a guilty, nervous silence around Miles [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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to get your hands dirty. Sir."
Miles's brows crooked, bemused.No. That's not what I'm afraid of.
Miles marked the drain "cleared" on his report panel, turned the scat-cat, their equipment, and a very
subdued Olney and Pattas back in to Sergeant Neuve in Maintenance, and headed for the officers'
barracks. He'd never wanted a hot shower more in his entire life.
He was squelching down the corridor toward his quarters when; another officer stuck his head out a
door. "Ah, Ensign Vorkosigan?" I
"Yes?"
"You got a vid call a while ago. I encoded the return for you."
"Call?" Miles stopped. "Where from?"
"Vorbarr Sultana."
Miles felt a chill in his belly. Some emergency at home? "Thanks."
He reversed direction, and beelined for the end of the corridor and the vidconsole booth that the officers
on this level shared.
He slid damply into the seat and punched up the message, number was not one he recognized. He
entered it, and his chancode, and waited. It chimed several times, then the vidplate hissed to life. His
cousin Ivan's handsome face materialized over it, and grinned at him.
"Ah, Miles. There you are."
"Ivan! Where the devil are you? What is this?"
"Oh, I'm at home. And that doesn't mean my mother's. I thought you might like to see my new flat."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Miles had the vague, disoriented sensation that he'd somehow tapped a line into some parallel universe,
or alternate astral plane. Vorbarr Sultana, yes. He'd lived in the capital himself, in a previous incarnation.
Eons ago.
Ivan lifted his vid pick-up, and aimed it around, dizzyingly. "It's fully furnished. I took over the lease from
an Ops captain who was being transferred to Komarr. A real bargain. I just got moved in yesterday. Can
you see the balcony?"
Miles could see the balcony, drenched in late afternoon sunlight the color of warm honey. The Vorbarr
Sultana skyline rose like a fairytale city, swimming in the summer haze beyond. Scarlet flowers swarmed
over the railing, so red in the level light they almost hurt his eyes. Miles felt like drooling into his
shirtpocket, or bursting into tears. "Nice flowers," he choked.
"Yeah, m'girlfriend brought 'em."
"Girlfriend?" Ah yes, human beings had come in two sexes, once upon a time. One smelled much better
than the other. Much. "Which one?"
"Tatya."
"Have I met her?" Miles struggled to remember.
"Naw, she's new."
Ivan stopped waving the vid pick-up around, and reappeared over the vid-plate. Miles's exacerbated
senses settled slightly. "So how's the weather up there?" Ivan peered at him more closely. "Are you wet?
What have you been doing?"
"Forensic . . . plumbing," Miles offered after a pause.
"What?" Ivan's brow wrinkled.
"Never mind." Miles sneezed. "Look, I'm glad to see a familiar face and all that," he was, actually a
painful strange gladness, "but I'm in the middle of my duty day, here."
"I got off-shift a couple of hours ago," Ivan remarked. "I'm taking Tatya out for dinner in a bit. You just
caught me. So just tell me quick, how's life in the infantry?"
"Oh, great. Lazkowski Base is the real thing, y'know." Miles did not define what real thing. "Not a ...
warehouse for excess Vor lordlings like Imperial Headquarters."
"I do my job!" said Ivan, sounding slightly stung. "Actually, you'd like my job. We process information.
It's amazing, all the stuff Ops accesses in a day's time. It's like being on top of the world. It would be just
your speed."
"Funny. I've thought that Lazkowski Base would be just yours, Ivan. Suppose they could have got our
orders reversed?"
Ivan tapped the side of his nose and sniggered. "I wouldn't tell." His humor sobered in a glint of real
concern. "You, ah, take care of yourself up there, eh? You really don't look so good."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"I've had an unusual morning. If you'd sod off, I could go get a shower."
"Oh, right. Well, take care."
"Enjoy your dinner."
"Right-oh. 'Bye."
Voices from another universe. At that, Vorbarr Sultana was only a couple of hours away by sub-orbital
flight. In theory. Miles was obscurely comforted, to be reminded that the whole planet hadn't shrunk to
the lead-grey horizons of Kyril Island, even if his part of it seemed to have.
Miles found it difficult to concentrate on the weather, the rest of that day. Fortunately his superior didn't
much notice. Since the scat-cat sinking Ahn had tended to maintain a guilty, nervous silence around Miles [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]