"Chalker, Jack L - Hotel Andromeda (SSCol)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chalker Jack L)

Lekvich Tor shut down the line and grinned happily. His
first official call and he had handled it without a hitch! If only
Ranee had been there to hear him. Certainly she would have
approved. But she was nowhere to be seen. Oh well, women
spent more time than men in the WC. he knew that. He would
be patient and wait, and perhaps he would even be able to
take another call before Ranee returned.

Sure enough, he had no time to savor his triumph. The call
line was buzzing once more.

"Good evening. Hotel Andromeda, concierge. Can I help
you?"

"No. I mean, yes. That is to say, I'm not quite sure." The
speaker had a pleasant baritone voice and sounded like a
middle-aged Terran.

A high, shrill voice cut in. "Don't listen to him, he's ly-
ing."

"No, he's not," said a silky female contralto. "Oh, this is all
terrible, just terrible."

Lekvich Tor was taken aback by the jumble of voices.
"Hello? Excuse me, please," he said. "Is this still room 1274?
I'm afraid there's been some mistake. Two calls seem to have
crossed. I hear more than one voice on this line."

FtRST NIGHTER 5

"No, there's been no mistake." The baritone sighed deeply.
"We're all in here, together."

"I don't understand, sir. Your room is listed as single occu-
pancy."

"I'm from Veroni-Anspel."

"Oh." Lekvich Tor was stunned. He had read about the
Veroni-Anspelians but he had never expected to talk to one,
much less one apparently in estrus. He felt his cheeks grow-
ing hot at the very thought.

"Forgive me," he said- "I hadn't realized." One fact blazed
in his mind, remembered from his hotel training: Veroni-
Anspelians developed multiple personalities during estrus.
Lekvich Tor didn't know what to say next, or to whom he
would be saying it. Luckily, the Veroni-Anspelian rescued
him from his confusion.