"Andre Norton - Dipple 03 - Night of Masks" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

Those words had no part in the fantasy Nik was creating in themselves, they were only a minor
disturbance, but something in the voice brought Nik's eyes open, made him listen.
"No move until we are sure."
"And while we're sittin' on our fins waitin' for a take-off, the whole deal can turn sour - into a real bad
burn-off."
Nik hitched around on his pad and began a worm's progress to the end of the box from which he should
be able to view the speakers. There was no light in the gloom below. The meeting had all the aspects of a
private one. Of course, there were a good many undercurrents in the Dipple. This was not the first time
Nik had been on the fringe of secrets or learned what could prove dangerous should his knowledge be
discovered by others.
"I repeat - in this there can be no chances - not in the groundwork. It's too big to allow any off-course
work. Do you understand that?"
Stowar! Nik could see the two figures below only as shadows among other shadows, but that one voice
he knew. Stowar was big here in the Dipple - a king shark to such small predators as Moke and Brin. If a
man could raise the price to buy into the Thieves' Guild and so open a door out of this rat hole, Stowar was
the negotiator who carried out the deal. Stowar had things to sell, too - haluce and other drugs. He had
contacts, they said clear up the Veeps of the half world on Korwar and even off-world, too.
Nik shivered. To eavesdrop on one of Stowar's little deals could be very dangerous. He dug his nails into
the surface of the box on which he lay and tried to still his breathing, not daring to withdraw for fear they
could hear his movements.
"All right - so no chances." The other sounded impatient and not a bit overawed by Stowar. "But that
course's been plotted twice - an' each time it cost us a fistful. If we have to go to Margan again, he'll up
the price on us. He's no fool, and he'll do a little thinking on his own."
"There are ways of dealing with Margan."
"Yeah, and those wouldn't be healthy either. Meddle with Margan and you'll have the Brethren down with
blasters out, ready to do some cookin'! Don't you planet crawlers ever forget that Margan is our man, and
we'll cut in for him. We need Margan; he's the best course man in the business. This trick of yours is just
one trip as far as the Brethren see it."
The Brethren! Nik's mind was wholly freed of the mist of fantasy now. Stowar could well have contacts
with the Brethren - the space-borne section of the Thieves' Guild who sought their prey on loosely held
frontier worlds. That meant this deal could be very big. Though Stowar might head the lawless element in
the Dipple, to the Guild itself he was a small operator to whom the real Veeps threw the small crumbs.
"Commendable comment. But our friend here is right on one point. This is no time to come in for a
two-fin landing, Bouvay."
A third man down there! Nik tried to pick out his shadow, but he must be standing, out of sight, in the
crack between the crate on which Nik himself perched and its fellow.
Stowar had been easy for Nik to identify because, seemingly indifferent to Nik's disfigurement, he had,
from time to time, given the boy small tasks, Nik's only means of earning a credit or two to finance the
purchase of new tapes.
"All right. But a third run with Morgan will be suspicious - maybe make real trouble."
"We are duly warned," agreed the unknown in the crack. "You say we have five more days?"
"Five more days for this course. Then you wait three planet months before you can try again."
"So be it. Well just have to wait it out."
"But." Stowar began an instant protest.
"Five days - to find our man, to set up the whole plan? It can't be done. I've tried some so-called
impossible things in my time, orbited in on one or two of them, too. But short of going into stass and
taking all of Korwar with us, we're going to have to pass on this run and wait out those three months."
"And in the meantime" - Stowar's voice soared."we can see i'Inad made some change to spoil
everything. I say - much better make it a straight snatch."
"Which is completely impossible," came a chill retort. "They have the ultimate in security. The pattern