[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
now & but you will live to regret it. The goods shipment you've contracted for
with the Rooshrike will not leave Earth; the UN and the Ctencri will see to
that.
The embargo against you will be vacuum-tight, and will not be lifted until
Astra starves to death or you're brought to New York in chains. Think about
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that when you're reduced to eating sand."
Turning, he strode to the door, yanked it open, and disappeared into the night
air, followed by his guards. Allerton stood up and nodded, his face carefully
neutral.
"I'm sure, Colonel, that you haven't heard the last of this," he said quietly.
"But
file:///D|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/De.../Zahn,%20Timothy%20-%20Spinne
ret%20[v1.1].html (202 of 309) [2/1/2004 3:54:13 AM]
Zahn, Timothy - Spinneret unofficially, of course I wish you luck." Without
waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
"Well," Hafner breathed as the Secret Service men closed the door behind them.
"He must still be in shock."
Perez pushed his chair back and let his own straight-backed posture dissolve
into a tired slouch. "Not at all," he said with a sigh. "Allerton's delighted
at the way things have turned out. By declaring independence we've gotten him
off the hook with the UN he's not responsible for our actions, so Saleh can't
legitimately stick the U.S. with a trade embargo or whatever."
"So we get hit by it instead," Carmen murmured.
"We were going to get embargoed anyway," Perez shrugged. "At least this way
the U.S. doesn't suffer."
Meredith cocked an eyebrow at him. "I was under the impression you didn't
think much of the U.S.," he said.
"Not liking the government but caring about the people aren't incompatible
attitudes," Perez replied.
"You just like the UN less?"
"I like the idea of UN control of Astra less," he corrected. "Like you, I
believe all of us here can do a better job of administering the Spinneret than
any big government. And with the Ctencri trade locked up, the UN is fast
becoming a form of big government." Wearily, he got to his feet. "Colonel, if
you don't need us anymore, I'd like to get back to bed."
"Of course," Meredith nodded. "You might as well all go. I'll need you alert
by midmoming when I announce our new independence. I've got a feeling it's not
going to go over very well."
"Don't worry, Colonel," Hafner said, yawning prodigiously as he levered
himself
file:///D|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/De.../Zahn,%20Timothy%20-%20Spinne
ret%20[v1.1].html (203 of 309) [2/1/2004 3:54:14 AM]
Zahn, Timothy - Spinneret out of his chair. "We'll probably even have a
national anthem written by dinnertime."
Meredith sat quietly for a few moments after they were gone, his own eyelids
feeling like stone tablets.
National anthem, indeed
, he thought.
You can tell right away how much experience he's had working with people
.
His phone buzzed: Major Brown. "The UN shuttle's ready to lift, Colonel," he
reported. "Shall I let 'em go?"
"Sure." He paused, waiting. A moment later the roar of repulsers filled the
room, oddly deadened by the soundproofing they'd packed into the walls. The
sound faded slowly, finally reaching the point where normal conversation was
possible.
"Major? You still there?"
"Yes, sir," Brown growled. "Damn dizzy yahoo took it low and slow; probably
trying to wake up as many people in Unie as he could."
"More likely trying to pick out the Spinneret entrance. Msuya's not going to
give up that easily." He thought for a moment. "You still have a connection
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through to the Rooshrike?"
"Yes, sir."
* * *
"Friday at sixteen hundred; right," Brown said. "What do I give as the purpose
of the meeting?"
"To discuss our marketing plans for the Spinneret cable & and to settle on a
security arrangement for Astra."
Brown was silent for a moment. "You don't seriously think Saleh would send
troops here, do you?"
"I don't know, but if I were him I'd take some kind of action pretty damn
fast. You
file:///D|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/De.../Zahn,%20Timothy%20-%20Spinne
ret%20[v1.1].html (204 of 309) [2/1/2004 3:54:14 AM]
Zahn, Timothy - Spinneret see, as a sovereign nation, we can make trade deals
with other countries without going through the UN bureaucracy and if that
trade includes Rooshrike-supplied technology, we'll be bypassing the UN's
monopoly. Saleh'll go from master of the universe back to chief referee at the
world's biggest nursery school, and I can guarantee he's not going to go
quietly."
"Mm. So you're meeting the aliens here to keep Msuya from eavesdropping?"
"More or less. Also to underline our new independence I doubt that the aliens
much care where we talk, but it's a symbol of authority on Earth to have [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl aikidobyd.xlx.pl
now & but you will live to regret it. The goods shipment you've contracted for
with the Rooshrike will not leave Earth; the UN and the Ctencri will see to
that.
The embargo against you will be vacuum-tight, and will not be lifted until
Astra starves to death or you're brought to New York in chains. Think about
Page 123
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
that when you're reduced to eating sand."
Turning, he strode to the door, yanked it open, and disappeared into the night
air, followed by his guards. Allerton stood up and nodded, his face carefully
neutral.
"I'm sure, Colonel, that you haven't heard the last of this," he said quietly.
"But
file:///D|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/De.../Zahn,%20Timothy%20-%20Spinne
ret%20[v1.1].html (202 of 309) [2/1/2004 3:54:13 AM]
Zahn, Timothy - Spinneret unofficially, of course I wish you luck." Without
waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
"Well," Hafner breathed as the Secret Service men closed the door behind them.
"He must still be in shock."
Perez pushed his chair back and let his own straight-backed posture dissolve
into a tired slouch. "Not at all," he said with a sigh. "Allerton's delighted
at the way things have turned out. By declaring independence we've gotten him
off the hook with the UN he's not responsible for our actions, so Saleh can't
legitimately stick the U.S. with a trade embargo or whatever."
"So we get hit by it instead," Carmen murmured.
"We were going to get embargoed anyway," Perez shrugged. "At least this way
the U.S. doesn't suffer."
Meredith cocked an eyebrow at him. "I was under the impression you didn't
think much of the U.S.," he said.
"Not liking the government but caring about the people aren't incompatible
attitudes," Perez replied.
"You just like the UN less?"
"I like the idea of UN control of Astra less," he corrected. "Like you, I
believe all of us here can do a better job of administering the Spinneret than
any big government. And with the Ctencri trade locked up, the UN is fast
becoming a form of big government." Wearily, he got to his feet. "Colonel, if
you don't need us anymore, I'd like to get back to bed."
"Of course," Meredith nodded. "You might as well all go. I'll need you alert
by midmoming when I announce our new independence. I've got a feeling it's not
going to go over very well."
"Don't worry, Colonel," Hafner said, yawning prodigiously as he levered
himself
file:///D|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/De.../Zahn,%20Timothy%20-%20Spinne
ret%20[v1.1].html (203 of 309) [2/1/2004 3:54:14 AM]
Zahn, Timothy - Spinneret out of his chair. "We'll probably even have a
national anthem written by dinnertime."
Meredith sat quietly for a few moments after they were gone, his own eyelids
feeling like stone tablets.
National anthem, indeed
, he thought.
You can tell right away how much experience he's had working with people
.
His phone buzzed: Major Brown. "The UN shuttle's ready to lift, Colonel," he
reported. "Shall I let 'em go?"
"Sure." He paused, waiting. A moment later the roar of repulsers filled the
room, oddly deadened by the soundproofing they'd packed into the walls. The
sound faded slowly, finally reaching the point where normal conversation was
possible.
"Major? You still there?"
"Yes, sir," Brown growled. "Damn dizzy yahoo took it low and slow; probably
trying to wake up as many people in Unie as he could."
"More likely trying to pick out the Spinneret entrance. Msuya's not going to
give up that easily." He thought for a moment. "You still have a connection
Page 124
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
through to the Rooshrike?"
"Yes, sir."
* * *
"Friday at sixteen hundred; right," Brown said. "What do I give as the purpose
of the meeting?"
"To discuss our marketing plans for the Spinneret cable & and to settle on a
security arrangement for Astra."
Brown was silent for a moment. "You don't seriously think Saleh would send
troops here, do you?"
"I don't know, but if I were him I'd take some kind of action pretty damn
fast. You
file:///D|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/De.../Zahn,%20Timothy%20-%20Spinne
ret%20[v1.1].html (204 of 309) [2/1/2004 3:54:14 AM]
Zahn, Timothy - Spinneret see, as a sovereign nation, we can make trade deals
with other countries without going through the UN bureaucracy and if that
trade includes Rooshrike-supplied technology, we'll be bypassing the UN's
monopoly. Saleh'll go from master of the universe back to chief referee at the
world's biggest nursery school, and I can guarantee he's not going to go
quietly."
"Mm. So you're meeting the aliens here to keep Msuya from eavesdropping?"
"More or less. Also to underline our new independence I doubt that the aliens
much care where we talk, but it's a symbol of authority on Earth to have [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]