"Richard Hatch - Battlestar Galactica 5 - Paradis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hatch Richard)

Whatever the future held, there was no denying the empathy that
existed between the natives of Paradis and the remnants of the Nomen
who had come to their world.

GarTokk did not worry about anything now. His heart beat in his
massive chest and his blood flowed as the river in the distance did the
same, beckoning with its eternal motion. The Borellian Noman breathed
deeply. His lungs and legs worked together as if one pair followed the
exact rhythms of the other. He felt as if he would never tire.

The wind stirred his great mane of hair. His nostrils flared at scents
that were almost addictive. He jumped over sturdy tree roots as if they
were delicate flowers he did not want to bruise. He ran for the sheer
pleasure, not hunting animal or foe, not forced to keep track of every
motion as he did in battle.

Nomen were capable of joy. But their comrades rarely noticed because
it ran so deep and did not give tongue to emotion. The bright and
wonderful day was happiness unto itself. The bloated, red sun was like a
lantern in the sky promising a celebration.

Paradis whispered to Gar'Tokk as if to say: This is a place where you
can be yourself again. You do not belong on the endless, pointless quest
for Earth. You are not meant to live in outer space. The wide open
universe is a lie because you are trapped inside a little metal can. Here
you can be free.

Even when the great trees closed in, he felt that the walls of the forest
did not imprison him, the way the walls of a spaceship must. All that he
need do was drive his legs forward, pump his heart, billow his lungs and
soon those green walls would come to an end, the shade would vanish,
and—

He came to an abrupt stop in a clearing, face to face with one of the
planet's inhabitants. The only sound was the thumping of his heart. The
creature was twice as big as he and looked a little bit like a lupus except
for the head. Violet eyes regarded the Noman from flexible stalks. The
mouth was at the end of a flexible tube. The hair covering the body was
longer than a lupus or a daggit but similar to both and a golden brown.

The creature and Gar'Tokk stood stock still except for the furious
motion of their eyes as they studied each other. Making a sound like air
escaping from a balloon, the animal finally turned away from the invader
and resumed feeding itself.

A variety of insects formed a multi-colored cloud around the beast's
head. Something must be attracting the bugs. With great deliberation the
creature protruded its mouth tube into the bulk of the insects and sucked
them up.