"Wilhelm, Kate - The Happiest Day Of Her Life" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

\par \'93No,\'94 Cloudd said. All the pain of his past life with Lucille surged up to choke him. He had had his dreams with her-marriage and children. Almost on the eve of their marriage the
pirates had killed her. Nearly three thousand entities had died when the space liner had been cut to pieces by the Spawn raider. There had been one survivor: ironically it was the owner, the
man whom the vindictive outlaws had really wanted to destroy-D. D. Cloudd. The wonder of it came to him again, and the torture-why was it that he lived and that such a pretty, sweet, innocent girl as Lucille had died? His subsequent wild career as an
adventurer along the spaceways, in and out of the Patrol, had healed the wound, but left a tender scar. \'93Lucille and I would have followed the Better Baby practice, of course.\'94 \'93I am sorry, Benson,\'94
Chon said, his cheeks even more flushed with distress. \'93I phrased that awkwardly. Forgive me. I know how much you loved her.\'94
\par \'93No, no,\'94 Cloudd said. \'93I\rquote m the culprit. It was all the recent excitement over Christopher Kinnison\rquote s birth that raised the old ghosts. I\rquote m known as the perennial bachelor, so what you said,
knowing what you know about me, released those deep down feelings I\rquote ve built up. Actually, I appreciate your understanding. Anyhow,.-about the Better Baby Course, I\rquote m
not a hundred percent sold on the idea that all geniuses are made, not born. But I\rquote m highly in favor of planned stimulation right from birth. Lucille felt no effort should be spared during
the first few months. In fact, she felt that planning before and during her pregnant period was also vital. We had things well thought out, as you can guess. Anyhow, heredity is important, too.\'94 \'93Certainly. That\rquote
s still a hot controversy. I take the middle view, of course. Naturally I feel that God still gives us our potential and it\rquote s up to us to make the best of it. I go along with the computer analogy up
to a point, but someone has to build the computer, for good or for bad, and there are certain preprogrammed things put in the organism--instincts, animating essences, or, if you will, the soul.\'94
\par Cloudd\rquote s mind was drifting off the subject. His thoughts were on Lalla Kallatra. What had she been doing for the past six months since he had briefly seen her when Nadreck and he had skipped through Ultra Prime, the Patrol base on Kinnison\rquote
s planet, Klovia, the center of the hustle and bustle prevalent now in the Second Galaxy?
\par \'93What\rquote s Lalla Kallatra doing here, sir?\'94 Cloudd said, feeling that Chon would not resent the prying of a lowly lieutenant. \'93Is she still doing psychical research? Have there been any developments about Eichwoor?\'94
\par \'93Lalla is here as Mrs. Kinnison\rquote s companion.\'94
\par \'93Mrs. Kinnison?The Red Lensman is here?\'94 Cloudd swivelled his head back and forth, his dark eyes searching the room, anxious to catch a glimpse of Clarrissa May MacDougall Kinnison, the fabulous first woman Lensman. The expectation he now
had of meeting her thrilled him. The fact that Lalla Kallatra was a woman Lensman, too--to his knowledge the only other one in two galaxies, and someone he had worked with-didn\rquote t diminish the allure
of the Red. Lensman one particle. Kallatra was a robotoid-yes, a freak, just a young kid with enormous talent and an unlucky life-but Clarrissa MacDougall was the undisputed beautiful heroine of two galaxies, the female of the legendary matched pair.

\par \'93Well, actually,\'94 said Chon, \'93she\rquote s at the Institute of Advanced Pediatrics. Visiting Christopher, you know. He\rquote s been here for a number of weeks and obviously she\rquote s missed him. He\rquote s been away from her longer than she
\rquote d had him. But now she\rquote ll begin her training along with him, and I dare say, knowing the abilities of Mrs. Kinnison and suspecting the abilities of her child, they\rquote ll both be returning to Klovia in a few months. I expect she\rquote
ll come by to see us all before this little social gathering breaks up. You haven\rquote t met her yet? You\rquote ve a real treat in store for you. And incidentally, Benson, I don\rquote t believe I\rquote ve had a chance to
say how glad I am to see you. You look fine. Do you like lecturing? Don\rquote t you wish you were back out there in deep space chasing those things you were after? I wish I were younger. I\rquote d have chosen a few years of wild adventure. There
\rquote s so much going on, so many things to do, and I\rquote m afraid I\rquote ll never have the chance. You know, these high level visits get awfully dull sometimes.\'94
\par Cloudd was a bit taken aback by Chon\rquote s frank selfrevelation. Yet it wasn\rquote t so remarkable. Cloudd had a high degree of intuitiveness; he was very sensitive to the personalities and
reactions of people despite his strong attempts to tone down if not ignore this softness in his nature--and Chaplain General Chon had impressed him as being forthright from that very first day in Kinnison\rquote s office at Ultra Prime on Klovia.
\par \'93In fact,\'94 Chon added, \'93she\rquote s here now.\'94
\par Cloudd caught a glimpse of the famous red hair, but before he could move closer, there was a shifting of the group in her direction, she was swallowed up in the uniforms, and then she and her husband were moving out the far doorway.
\par Cloudd turned away, disappointed, and almost knocked down Lalla Kallatra.
\par Her reaction was swift. Instead of a stiff-legged movement away from him, she apparently activated the wheels under the soles of her knee-high boots and skated a few inches
backward out of danger. Their faces had come close to touching and, for an interminably long split-second, her wide eyes had gazed into his. Were those electrifying, bluish-gray
orbs of hers real? He had wondered that once before. Surely such deep eyes had to be living cells to affect him so?
\par \'93Hello, Cloudd.\'94 Her polished metal face, a Lens imbedded in the middle of her shining forehead, could give no expression. From under her cloth skullcap there peeked curls of
brown hair. This was something different from how she appeared last time. Vanity, Cloudd thought. The android is typically female. That touch, however, made her seem more human and his feelings warmed toward her.
\par }\pard \s21\ql \fi340\li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0 {\'93Hello; Kallatra. Welcome to the Milky Way.\'94 He extended his hand. \'93How have you been?
General Chon tells me you came with Mrs. Kinnison. Will you stay with her while she\rquote s here? It\rquote s good to see you.\'94 He really meant it.
\par }\pard \s21\ql \fi340\li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0 {\'93I\rquote m fine. I hope you have been, too.\'94 She made no effort to take his hand in hers. He
remembered the cool, hard feel of those metal fingers the last time. \'93Please excuse me, Cloudd,\'94 she said. \'93Cris has left and I must be with her. I expect to stay a few days, perhaps we\rquote ll find a chance to visit.\'94 She began\rquote
. to stalk around him.
\par Cloudd suddenly felt angry. She was snubbing him and no machine was going to do that to him.
\par He grasped her left-shoulder, gently. It was the first time he had touched her, except for their hands, and he was shocked at his audacity. She stopped but didn\rquote t turn her head. \'93Don\rquote t go away mad, Kallatra,\'94
he said. He tried to sound lighthearted.
\par \'93I\rquote m sorry, Cloudd,\'94 she said. \'93I really do have a lot on my mind. Please believe me. I do hope we meet again. Call the Institute tomorrow. Please excuse me. I must go.\'94
\par And she left.
\par Cloudd watched her leaving the room, moving stiffly in her standard tunic-and-pantaloon uniform.
\par \'93Well, I\rquote ll be damned,\'94 Cloudd said under his breath, his mind in confusion.
\par \'93Go along, Cloudd,\'94 a voice said within his head. It was Nadreck. \'93Go along with them.\'94 Cloudd looked up at the compartment Nadreck was in. The monster seemed to be waving his tentacles or arms.
\par \'93 I\rquote m not invited, Nadreck,\'94 Cloudd said. \'93That\rquote s the entrance to the private reception hall.
\par Nobody goes there without an invitation.\'94
\par \'93You are invited. I invited you. You will be my representative,\'94 Nadreck said. \'93Don\rquote t waste time. Go!\'94 \'93You?\'94 Cloudd said, startled. \'93You invited me? But they have to invite me---don\rquote t you understand?\'94