Steward laughed. Curzon offered my Alpha a shot at de Prey in order to get
him to spread contamination among Vesta s Powers.
Now you re willing to give me a shot at him if I ll do something for you. He
sipped his coffee. If de Prey ever stays dead, what are you people going to
use to get me to work with you?
Stoichko leaned closer and winked. Will money do? he asked, and then he
laughed. His laugh was hearty and smelled of
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Williams, Walter Jon - Voice of the Whirlwind cognac. It was the kind of laugh
that wanted company, that set whole rooms of people to laughing without quite
knowing why.
This boy was good.
Steward restrained his impulse to mirth. Depends on the job.
Suppose you tell me what you want done.
Stoichko frowned, then rose from his chair with a graceful movement that
reminded Steward of Darthamae. Altered inner ear structure, maybe, for better
balance, or jacked-up coordination. Stoichko paced the length of his room,
then gazed out the window. Outside, Steward could see the tops of trees.
There weren t any green spaces in the new habitats. Stoichko turned. He had a
short cigar in his hand. Mind if I smoke?
Go ahead.
He lit it with a match more evidence of his Earth citizenship, there and
puffed for a minute. Lit a cigar on the Marcus colony, once, he said, and
set off every fire alarm in the place.
Got a face full of chemical foam from the automated system.
He peered carefully at Steward.
How do you feel, Stoichko asked slowly, about the Powers?
Steward waited a long moment before he answered. I think they re... better...
than we are, somehow. I think he feigned an embarrassed laugh I think they
may be our salvation.
Stoichko nodded. You may be right, he said. He breathed in smoke, then
exhaled. Consolidated launched an attack on the
Vesta Legation, he said. None of us know why. But the
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Williams, Walter Jon - Voice of the Whirlwind
Powers there died horribly you read the files, and you know.
Steward nodded. I know.
Vesta is afraid that this may be the first shot in a very unpleasant war,
Stoichko said. We have to show Consolidated that this kind of cowboy behavior
can t be tolerated. He sat on the bed across from Steward s chair and leaned
toward him, creating an intimacy. It will mean a sacrifice. But the sacrifice
will stabilize the situation. It will save lives in the long run, human lives
and Power lives.
There was a coldness in Steward s chest. A counterstrike, he said.
Stoichko looked at him quizzically from under his eyebrows.
Does the idea horrify you? It does me.
Steward swallowed. He had a good idea what he was supposed to say. The
Powers... they ll die.
Stoichko shook his head sadly. Yes. His fingers toyed with the rim of his
coffee cup. But it will be a sacrifice that may prevent an all-out war from
developing. Better that a few should die now than there should be total war.
We have to show Consolidated that their biologic defense isn t perfect, that
they can t escape the consequences of their acts.
Steward shook his head. I ll have to think about this. The other man put a
friendly hand on Steward s shoulder. Take all the time you need. But I want
you to know that the weapon that we ll use is far more merciful than the one
Consolidated used on
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Williams, Walter Jon - Voice of the Whirlwind us. Our Powers died in agony.
They went mad and tore each other to pieces. Our weapon just makes them go to
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sleep. And it won t hurt humans at all.
Steward tried to look impatient. That doesn t matter as much. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]