"Steve Perry - Matador 6 - The Albino Knife" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Steven)

In the small museum that served the Siblings of the Shroud in the main compound onManusIsland ,
Earth, the two most respected teachers of the order were being given a tour of the new exhibits. Pen and
Moon were being led by Spiral, himself nearly as venerated as they. Thetrio were in their early eighties,
late middle-age for a healthy terran. All three wore full shrouds, covering them everywhere save for their
eyes and hands in the nearly-living one-way osmotic cloth calledkawa . The material was produced in
only one place, this compound, and used exclusively for the shrouds.

At one time, each of the three senior siblings had been the Elder Brother or Sister in charge of the order.

"There's the mock-up of Wall's private quarters," Spiral said.

It was a big room, even at quarter scale, with an indigo and scarlet rug covering the floor, waxed
wooden walls, and a sheet of mother-of-pearl spider silk tenting down from the ceiling. A trio of custom
orthopedia backed by a give-all drug and liquor dispenser and a computer console completed the main
furnishings.

"Denying himself luxury wasn't one of his handicaps, I see," Moon said.

Spiral's eyes crinkled in a smile. "The late Factor did indulge himself at times."

"What is that carpet?Yinguala?" Pen asked.

"Bioengineeredtuch wool, from Rangi ya majani Mwezi."

"Green Moon fiber.I hear it's as comfortable askawa ," Pen said, "and costs ten times as much to make."

"I'm only a poor sibling," Spiral said. "I wouldn't know."

The three laughed.

Moon said, "How about the projections? Anything new we should know about?"

"That glitch is still there. The comp gives us a spike in the near future."

"How near?"

"What time is it now?"

"That soon?"Pen turned away from the exhibit and looked at his friend. They had been half-naked
students together and he could hear the concern in Spiral's voice. Spiral had felt the Cosmic Lightning,
theRelampago , more than a quarter century past, and few things had seriously disturbed hiswa since.
That this did bothered Pen.

"That soon.And close to home, too. We are fine-tuning the expectations."
"Take away the Confed and still there are problems," Moon said.

"The nature of life," Spiral countered. His voice was full of mock gravity.

They laughed again.