"Mack Reynolds - Planetary Agent X" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

chance. I decided I might as well be what I am.”
Ross Metaxa looked at him. “O.K.,” he said finally. “We’ll
give you a try.”
Ronny said blankly, “You mean I’ve got the job?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll be damned.”
“Probably,” Metaxa said. He yawned. “Do you know what
Section G handles?”
“Well, no, but as for me, just so I get off Earth and see some
of the galaxy.”
Metaxa had been sitting with his heels on his desk. Now he
put them down and reached a hand into a drawer, to emerge with a
brown bottle and two glasses. “Do you drink?” he said.
“Of course.”
“Even during working hours?” Metaxa scowled.
“When occasion calls.”
“Good,” Metaxa said. He poured two drinks. “You’ll get your
fill of seeing the galaxy,” he said. “Not that there’s much to see.
Men can settle only Earth-type planets, and after you’ve seen a
couple of hundred you’ve seen them all.”
Ronny sipped at his drink, then blinked reproachfully down
into the glass.
 Metaxa said, “Good, eh? A kind of tequila they make on
Deneb Eight. Bunch of Mexicans settled there.”
“What,” said Ronny hoarsely, “do they make it out of?”
“Lord only knows,” Metaxa said. “To get back to Section G:
We’re Interplanetary Security. In short, Department Cloak and
Dagger. Would you be willing to die for the United Planets,
Bronston?”
That curve had come too fast. Ronny blinked again. “Only in
emergency,” he said. “Who’d want to kill me?”
Metaxa poured another drink. “Many of the people you’ll be
working with,” he said.
“Well, why? What will I be doing?”
“You’ll be representing United Planets,” Metaxa explained.
“Representing United Planets in cases where the local situation is
such that the folks you’re working among will be teed off at the
organization.”
“Well, why are they members if they don’t like the UP?”
“That’s a good question,” Metaxa said. He yawned. “I guess
I’ll have to go into my speech.” He finished his drink. “Now, shut
up till I give you some background. You’re probably full of a lot of
nonsense you picked up in school.”
Ronny shut up. He’d expected more of an air of dedication in
the Octagon, particularly in such ethereal departments as that of
Interplanetary Justice; however, he was a member now and not
adverse to picking up some sophistication beyond the ken of the
Earth-bound employees of UP.
The other’s voice took on a faraway, slightly bored tone. “It
seems that most of the times man gets a really big idea, he goes off