"Harry Harrison - Planet Of No Return" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

manner. Like it or not the Captain will cooperate."

They did not have very long to wait. The Captain stamped back onto the bridge,
glowering like a thunderstorm, and stopped before Carver—who did

A Desperate Plan

35

not seem to be bothered at all by his threatening presence.

"Who are you, Carver? What makes you able to issue orders like this?"

"Since you have your orders—isn't that knowledge enough?"

"No. It is the law of space that I am the only one who can issue any commands
on this ship. Now that law has been broken. My authority has been super-ceded.
What if I chose not to obey these new instructions?"

"You could do that. But when you return to port you might find yourself in a
small amount of trouble."

36

PLANET OF NO RETURN

"Trouble?" The Captain smiled grimly. "I'll be on the beach. Finished."
"Then you put a high price on your curiosity. I wish to cause you no harm,
Captain, please believe me. But it is desperately important that we make this
diversion. I will tell you as much as I can. This is a Culrel operation. When
you return home you can ask your superiors, the people who have issued you
with your orders, what the name means. They are the ones who will decide how
much you should know. All I can add is that this diversion is not a casual
one. Lives have been lost already, and there will undoubtedly be more of them
at stake in the future. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

The Captain thudded his fist into the palm of his open hand with a sharp
crack. "No," he said, "it does not. But it will have to do for the time being.
We'll make the stop. But I don't want to see any of you aboard my ship. Ever
again. I won't have this done to me a second time."

"We'll respect that wish. Captain. I'm sorry it had to be done this way at
this time."

"Get out of here. You'll be informed of the time of the transfer."

"You haven't exactly made a friend there," Lea said as the door slammed
solidly behind them. Carver shrugged, too weary to talk or care. "I'm going to
my cabin," he said. "I'll join you again when we transfer,"