"Linnea Sinclair - Silent Run" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sinclair Linnea)

But he’d challenged her mind with his wit, his intellect. And teased her mouth
with his kisses. And had a habit of calling her “little girl” in such a way that she knew
she was neither little, nor merely a girl, in his eyes. Which were the palest blue she’d
ever seen.
So if he needed her help, she and Lucy would head for Dalgra, quickly and
quietly. Silent Run.



IV

She cleared Port Tyber’s outer beacon two hours later, but still had no plan to
gain access to the Dalgra Sector, or Deneb Station. Deneb was a Conclave station;
however, entry into the Dalgran sector was restricted to ambassadorial and approved
science vessels. Her small L7-Class freighter qualified as neither.
But there were ways to get around just about anything labeled ‘restricted’.
Trouble was, Nolan was often her source for that information. He’d ask why, and he
wouldn’t like that her reason was Cam Talvarrin.
“He’s not for the likes of you,” Nolan had told her.
Funny. Cam had said the same thing about Nolan.
Lie, a little voice advised her. Something told her Cam’s life might depend on it.
She keyed up her commpack, composed a message about an imaginary
shipment of critical med supplies, knowing it could be hours before Nolan answered.
She kept Lucy on a direct heading for the first jumpgate to Dalgra.
Nolan’s answer came when she was an hour from jump. NO CAN DO.
SORRY. SOMETHING BIG WENT DOWN ON DENEB LAST SEPTI. TWO
SHIPS UNDER IMPOUND: MHISHARAN AND RINNAKER. NO ONE’S
TALKING. NO ONE’S MOVING IN OR OUT EXCEPT CONCLAVE BRASS.
MEET ME AT Q’UIVERA. I’LL KEEP YOU BUSY 'TIL ROUTES CLEAR
AGAIN.
Damn. A Rinnaker ship under impound and no idea which one. There’d been
nothing on the newsvids. Nothing even in jump-jockey gossip. Nothing. Except a
plea for a silent run.
She had to be crazy. No. She had to be crazy not to see that Nolan had given
her an answer, even as he denied any ability to help. Shandy locked onto the
coordinates of the jumpgate’s outer beacon while her mind worked. A Mhisharan
ship under impound. The only Mhisharan ships in the Conclave were research
vessels. Cargo bays converted to science labs. Geophysicists and mineralogists
elbow to elbow. It made sense. The Dalgran sector was a miner’s dream. And a
geologist’s one as well.
She took the Lucy through jump, her mind moving almost as quickly as her
ship.
When she came out of the second jump, she had her cover story well
formulated. Not flawless, but at least in place.
She relayed it with feigned boredom to the Conclave officer staring suspiciously
at her over her ship’s vidlink. “I’ve been way the hell over in Gensiira for the past
two months. Didn't know you have my client’s ship on impound. What am I
supposed to do with this shipment?”
“I suggest you find a depot--”
“It’s time-dated! Didn’t you read the manifest?” Shandy hoped he hadn’t read it