"FWLS32" - читать интересную книгу автора (A Future We'd Like to See)

teenagers now, I don't think they're terribly impressionable, but
she's insisting they need a healthier view of life."

"Where does she want to move to?"

"Oh, downside Yttia, urban sector."

"Gee, THERE'S an improvement," Doc grumbled. "Whatever.
Let's sell and leave this dump behind us."

"Forget you, MurfTech will NOT withdraw its holdings--"

"I can always move the Union somewhere else, but you see,
it's all a matter of location, location, location--"

"If everybody else splits, I'm gonna have to, 'cuz nobody'll
bring thier ships here in the first place, much less busted up
ones--"

"AHEM!" I shouted. Everybody piped down, except Doc, but
he's new. Nad bapped him one, and he shut up.

"I've run this business for about four-fifths of my life," I
related. "I've had some downtimes, yeah, but I've stuck it out,
and I feel there isn't a better place to be right now. The Port
has a rep, that of being a useful haven for the enterprising
trader or indie. We're on a gold mine, no matter how big
MacroWare's check is, no matter how sluggish business may be at
the moment. We'd be idiots to give the place up. I certainly
will NOT be leaving."

Silence hung over the room, which is good, because that's
usually what its supposed to do. Then Doc stood up.

"Forget it," he said, putting out his cigarette. "I've been
here two months and had worse business than any other colony I've
been. You guys are just too efficient at killing. There's
nothing left to patch up. I've had it, this place is worthless
as far as I'm concerned. I'm packing it in and going home. Mark
my words, if you wanna keep what's left of your holdings, you'll
pack up too. This place is sold as far as I care."

"You can't sell without a joint Council vote," Max said,
getting back into the argument. "And you can't have one of those
until two days after the proposition is put forward. Port Hades
Business Council Doctrine, page four, section B, paragraph two."

"Well, we know the purple Smurf can memorize," Doc said,
shrugging and loping out of the bar.