"Frank Herbert - Whipping Star" - читать интересную книгу автора (Herbert Brian & Frank)

that of a Caleban jumpdoor, sliding between the dimensions. If that was
really what Caleban jumpdoors did. Most experts denied this theory, pointing
out that it would require energies equivalent to those produced by fair-sized
stars.

Whatever Taprisiots did to make a call, one thing was certain: It involved
the human pineal gland or its equivalent among other sentients.

The Taprisiot on the high bench began moving from side to side.

"Maybe we're getting through to it," Furuneo said.

He composed his features, suppressed his feelings of unease. This was, after
all, a Taprisiot breeding center. Xenobiologists said Taprisiot reproduction
was all quite tame, but Xenos didn't know everything. Look at the mess they'd
made of analyzing the PanSpechi Con-Sentiency.

"Putcha, putcha, putcha," the Taprisiot on the bench said, squeaking its
speech needles.

"Something wrong?" one of the enforcers asked.

"How the devil do I know?" Furuneo snapped. He faced the Taprisiot, said,
"Are you the transmitter?"

"Putcha, putcha, putcha," the Taprisiot said. "This is a remark which I will
now translate in the only way that may make sense to ones like yourselves of
Sol/Earth ancestry. What I said was, 'I question your sincerity.' "

"You gotta justify your sincerity to a damn Taprisiot?" one of the enforcers
asked. "Seems to me . . ."

"Nobody asked you!" Furuneo cut him off. Any probing attack by a Taprisiot
was likely a greeting. Didn't the fool know this?

Furuneo separated himself from the enforcers, crossed to a position below the
bench. "I wish to make a call to Saboteur Extraordinary Jorj X. McKie," he
said. "Your robogreeter recognized and identified me and took my creditchit.
Are you the transmitter?""Where is this Jorj X. McKie?" the Taprisiot asked.

"If I knew, I'd be off to him in person through a jumpdoor," Furuneo said.
"This is an important call. Are you the transmitter?"

"Date, time, and place," the Taprisiot said.

Furuneo sighed and relaxed. He glanced back at the enforcers, motioned them
to take up stations at the room's two doors, waited while they obeyed.
Wouldn't do to have this call overheard. He turned then, gave the required
local coordinates.