123824.fb2 Iron - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 20

Iron - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 20

“But when will we get any proper work done? The interior is a mess.”

“Oh, we’ve time aplenty before we reach port. And if we aren’t quite holystoned—perfect, who’s going to care?”

“Yes, we’ll be the sensation of the day.” She grew somber. “How many will remember Arthur Tregennis?”

Saxtorph roused. “Our kind of people will. He was… a Moses. He brought us to a scientific Promised Land, and… I think there’ll be more explorations into the far deeps from now on.”

“Yes. Markham’s out of the way.” Dorcas sighed. “His poor family.” The tug, rushing off too fast for recovery after it released the asteroid to hurtle toward Secunda—if all went as planned, straight at the base Horror, a scramble to flee, desperate courage, and then the apparition in heaven, the flaming trail, Thor’s hammer smites, the cloud of destruction engulfs everything and rises on high and spreads to darken the planet, nothing remains but a doubled crater plated with iron. It was unlikely that any kzinti who escaped would still be alive when their next starship came.

At the end, did Markham cry for his mother?

“And of course humans will be alerted to the situation,” Saxtorph observed superfluously.

It was, in fact, unlikely that there would be more kzin ships to the red sun. Nothing was left for them, and they would get no chance to rebuild. Earth would have sent an armed fleet for a look-around. Maybe it would come soon enough to save what beings were left.

Dorcas frowned. “What will they do about it?”

“Why, uh, rebuild our navies. Defense has been grossly neglected.”

“Well, we can hope for that much. We’re certainly doing a service, bringing in the news that the kzinti have the hyperdrive.” Dorcas shook her head. “But everybody knew they would, sooner or later. And this whole episode, it’s no casus belli. No law forbade them to establish themselves in an unclaimed system. We should be legally safe, ourselves—self-defense—but the peace groups will say the kzinti were only being defensive, after Earth’s planet grab following the war, and in fact this crew provoked them into overreacting. There may be talk of reparations due the pathetic put-upon kzinti.”

“Yah, you’re probably right. I share your faith in the infinite capacity of our species for wishful thinking.” Saxtorph shrugged. “But we also have a capacity for muddling through. And you and I, sweetheart, have some mighty good years ahead of us. Let’s talk about what to do with them.”

Her mood eased. She snuggled close. The ship fared onward.