"John E. Stith - Redshift Rendezvous" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stith John E)

seven of theRedshift, opening for outbound traffic.

I left the bridge,wondering how one person could be driven to consider killing herself,while another
person was apparently content with temporary liaisons on whatever worlds she found herself.

I considered skipping the level-seven activity since most of the cargo up there was staying aboard,but I
went anyway.The unloading progressed smoothly,so it was soon time to go down to level six.Level six's
ceiling was more than fifty percent higher than the ceilings on any other level,and this far from the center
of the ship the gravity was only about a third of a gee,so most of the cargo here normally was contained
in large,bulky crates.

Shipping crates vanished one after another through the portal leading to the dock in layer zero.Once
offloading on every level was complete,the portal would be reversed to accommodate loading cargo
originating on Vestry.We could have activated a portal for each direction simultaneously,but we had only
so many of the crew available for loading,and completing the process one step at a time was less
confusing.

With activity on level six doing fine,I went down to level five,the main passenger cabin level.

Bensode,the third officer,was in charge.I was sure he enjoyed his job,but he never looked very happy.

His large,dark eyes made him appear perpetually apologetic.He reminded me of a night person who'd
had to get up early in the morning after too little sleep.His salt-and-pepper hair made him look years
older than me, but he wasn't.

"Only two passengers got off," he said when he saw me."We're just about to reverse the portal."

"Carry on." My timing was good.I always felt more comfortable when I was able to see the new
passengers as they arrived.

The first passenger on Bensode's list was a Marj Lendelson.I looked toward the portal just in time to
see a pointed toe enter layer ten.The portal surface,as always,turned shiny when it was penetrated.
Iridescent ripples spread rapidly out from the toe as the passenger moved forward.More ripples moved
outward from the outline of Marj's body as she completed her transition and then stumbled.

Conrad Delingo,one of the newest of our crewmembers,caught her arm,gave her a broad smile,and said,
"Welcome to theRedshift, Ms.Lendelson.I can give you directions to your cabin." Conrad wasn't
normally assigned to this duty,but he was so energetic and interested in everything that happened on
board I was sure

Bensode had let him volunteer.Bensode and Conrad together gave the impression of an invalid with a
new puppy on a leash.Conrad must have spent a fair amount of the shift on level seven,because his
cheeks were already showing dark stubble.

Marj Lendelson said nothing for a moment,no doubt coping with the brief disorientation that sometimes
came with using the portal.She looked to be about forty-five years old— forty-five good years if her
appearance was an accurate indicator.She wore a dress cut in simple lines but obviously made of
expensive material.Her eyes were alert and watchful.She held her chin high in an almost regal posture.
Absently,she scratched at her waist.Almost everyone did that at first,unaccustomed as they were to
wearing lifebelts next to their skin.Finally she nodded to Conrad and he led her away from the portal,the