"Murray Leinster - Med Ship" - читать интересную книгу автора (Leinster Murray)

cords. The attaché-case not only came clear, but opened. It dumped out an incredible
mass of brand-new, tightly-packed interstellar credit certificates. Calhoun could see that
the denominations were one-thousand and ten-thousand credits. The man from the chute
reached under his armpit and drew out a blaster. It was not a service weapon. It was
elaborate. It was practically a toy. With a dour glance at Calhoun he put it in a side
pocket and gathered up the scattered money. It was an enormous sum, but he packed it
back. He stood up.
"My name is Allison," he said in an authoritative voice. "Arthur Allison. I'm much
obliged. Now I'll get you to take me to Maya City."
"No," said Calhoun politely. "I just left there. It's deserted. I'm not going back.
There's nobody there."
"But I've important bus—" The other man stared. "It's deserted? But that's
impossible!"
"Quite," agreed Calhoun, "but it's true. It's abandoned. It's uninhabited. Everybody's
left it. There's none there at all."
The man who called himself Allison blinked unbelievingly. He swore. Then he raged
profanely. But he was not bewildered by the news. Which, upon consideration, was itself
almost bewildering. But then his eyes grew shrewd. He looked about him.
"My name is Allison," he repeated, as if there were some sort of magic in the word.
"Arthur Allison. No matter what's happened, I've some business to do here. Where have
the people gone? I need to find—"
"I need to find them too," said Calhoun. "I'll take you with me, if you like."
"You've heard of me." It was a statement, confidently made.
"Never," said Calhoun politely. "If you're not hurt, suppose you get in the car? I'm as
anxious as you are to find out what's happened. I'm Med Service."
Allison moved toward the car.
"Med Service, eh? I don't think much of the Med Service! You people try to meddle
in things that are none of your business!"
Calhoun did not answer. The muddy man, clutching the attaché-case tightly, waded
through the olive-green plants to the car and climbed in. Murgatroyd said cordially:
"Chee-chee!" but Allison viewed him with distaste.
"What's this?"
"He's Murgatroyd," said Calhoun. He's a tormal. He's Med Service personnel."
"I don't like beasts," said Allison coldly.
"He's much more important to me than you are," said Calhoun, "if the matter should
come to a test."
Allison stared at him as if expecting him to cringe. Calhoun did not. Allison showed
every sign of being an important man who expected his importance to be recognized and
catered to. When Calhoun stirred impatiently he got into the car and growled a little.
Calhoun took his place. The ground-car hummed. It rose on the six columns of air which
took the place of wheels. It went across the field of dark-green plants, leaving the
parachute deflated across a number of rows, and a trail of crushed-down plants where it
had moved.
It reached the highway again. Calhoun ran the car up on the highway's shoulder, and
then suddenly checked. He'd noticed something. He stopped the car and got out. Where
the ploughed field ended, and before the coated surface of the highway began, there was
a space where on another world one would expect to see green grass. On this planet grass
did not grow. But there would normally be some sort of self-planted vegetation where
there was soil and sunshine and moisture. There had been such vegetation here, but now
there was only a thin, repellant mass of slimy and decaying foliage. Calhoun bent down