"Connie Willis - Uncharted Territory" - читать интересную книгу автора (Willis Connie)

"What are these pop-ups?" I said. "Some kind of holo?"

"They're DHVs," Ev said, as if that explained everything. "There's a whole series of them about you and
Carson and Bult." He stopped and looked around at Bult hunched over the computer under his umbrella.
"Doesn't Bult eat with you?"

"He's not allowed to," Carson said, helping himself to the meat.

"Regs," I said. "Cultural contamination. Asking him to eat at a table and use silverware is imperialistic.
We might corrupt him with Earth foods and table manners."

"Small chance of that," C.J. said, taking the meat platter away from Carson. "You two don't have any
table manners."

"So while we eat," Carson said, plopping potatoes on his plate, "he sits there ordering demitasse cups
and place settings for twelve. Nobody ever said Big Brother was big on logic."

"Not Big Brother," I said, shaking my finger at Carson. "Pursuant to our latest reprimand, members of the
expedition will henceforth refer to the government by its appropriate title."

"What, Idiots Incorporated?" Carson said. "What other brilliant orders did they come up with?"

"They want us to cover more territory. And they disallowed one of our names. Green Creek."

Carson looked up from his plate. "What on hell's wrong with Green Creek?"

"There's a senator named Green on the Ways and Means Committee. They couldn't prove any
connection, though, so they just fined us the minimum."
"There're people named Hill and River, too," Carson said. "If one of them gets on the committee, what on
hell do we do then?"

"I think it's ridiculous that you can't name things after people," C.J. said. "Don't you, Evelyn?"

"Why can't you?" Ev asked.

"Regs," I said. " 'Pursuant to the practice of naming geological formations, waterways, etc., after
surveyors, government officials, historical personages, etc., said practice is indicative of oppressive
colonialist attitudes and lack of respect for indigenous cultural traditions, etc., etc.' Hand the meat over."

C.J.'d picked up the platter, but she didn't pass it. "Oppressive! It is not. Why shouldn't we have
something named after us? We're the ones stuck on this horrible planet all alone in uncharted territory for
months at a time and with who knows what dangers lurking. We should get something."

Carson and I have heard this pitch a hundred or so times. She used to try it on us before she decided the
loaners were more susceptible.

"There are hundreds of mountains and streams on Boohte. You can't tell me there isn't some way you
could name one of them after somebody. I mean, the government wouldn't even notice."