"Michael Swanwick - Stations of the Tide" - читать интересную книгу автора (Swanwick Michael)

officer." He spread his arms, tilted his head coquettishly, as if waiting for a compliment. The bureaucrat
decided he did not like Chu.
 "This is ludicrous. There's no need for all this hugger-mugger. I only want to talk with the man, that's
all."
A disbelieving smile. Chu had cheeks like balls and a small star-shaped mark by his left eye that
disappeared when his mouth turned up. "What will you do when you catch up with him then, sir?"
"I'll interview him to determine whether he's in possession of contraband technology. Then, if it
develops that he is, it's my job to educate him as to his responsibilities and convince him to return it.
That's all I'm authorized to do."
"Suppose he says no. What will you do then?"
"Well, I'm certainly not going to beat him up and drag him off to prison, if that's what you mean." The
bureaucrat patted his stomach. "Just look at this paunch."
"Perhaps," Chu said judiciously, "you have some of the offplanet science powers one sees on
television. Muscle implants and the like."
"Proscribed technology is proscribed technology. If we employed it, we'd be no better than criminals
ourselves." The bureaucrat coughed, and with sudden energy said, "Where shall we start?"
The liaison officer straightened with a jerk, like a puppet seized by its strings, immediately all business.
"If it's all the same to you, sir, I'd like to learn first how much you know about Gregorian, what leads you
have, and so on. Then I can make my own report."
"He's a very charming man, to begin with," the bureaucrat said. "Everyone I've spoken with agrees on
that. A native Mirandan, born somewhere in the Tidewater. His background is a bit murky. He worked
for some years in the bioscience labs in the Outer Circle. Good work, as I understand it, but nothing
exceptional. Then, about a month ago, he quit, and returned to Miranda. He's set himself up as some
kind of bush wizard, I understand. A witch doctor or something, you doubtless have more information on
that than I do. But shortly after he left, it was discovered that he may have misappropriated a substantial
item of proscribed technology. That's when Technology Transfer got involved."
"That's not supposed to be possible." Chu smiled mockingly. Tech Transfer's embargo is supposed to
be absolute."
"It happens."
"What was stolen?"
"Sorry."
"That important, eh?" Chu made a thoughtful, clicking noise with his tongue. "Well, what do we know
about the man himself?"
"Surprisingly little. His likeness, of course, geneprint, a scattering of standard clearance profiles.
Interviews with a few acquaintances. He seems to have had no real friends, and he never discussed his
past. In retrospect it seems clear he'd been keeping his record as uncluttered as possible. He must have
been planning the theft for years."
"Do you have a dossier on him?"
"A copy of Gregorian's dossier," the bureaucrat said. He opened the briefcase, removed the item,
gave it a little shake.
Chu craned curiously. "What else have you got in there?"
"Nothing," the bureaucrat said. He swiveled the briefcase to show it was empty, then handed over the
dossier. It had been printed in the white lotus format currently popular in the high worlds, and folded into
a handkerchief-sized square.
"Thank you." Chu held the dossier over his head and twisted his hand. The square of paper
disappeared. He turned his hand back and forth to demonstrate that it was empty.
The bureaucrat smiled. "Do that again."
"Oh, the first rule of magic is never do the same trick twice in a row. The audience knows what to
expect." His eyes glittered insolently. "But if I might show you one thing more?"
"Is it relevant?"