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

"Yes," Ev said. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Wrong?!" Carson spluttered. "Wrong?!"

"Don't get in a sweat," I said. "Bult can't fine Ev til he's a member of the expedition."

"But I don't understand," Ev said. "What did I do wrong? All I did was drive the rover—"

"Stir up dust, make tire tracks," Carson said, "emit exhaust—"

"Wheeled vehicles aren't allowed off government property," I explained to Ev, who was looking amazed.

"Then how do you get around?" he asked.

"We don't," Carson said, glaring at Bult's pony, which looked like it was getting ready to keel over again.
"Explain it to him, Fin."

I was too tired to explain anything, least of all Big Brother's notion of how to survey a planet. "You tell
him about the fines while I go get this straightened out with Bult," I said, and went across the compound
to the gate area.

In my log, there's nothing worse than working for a government with the guilts. All we were doing on
Boohte was surveying the planet, but Big Brother didn't want anybody accusing them of "ruthless
imperialist expansion" and riding roughshod over the indidges the way they did when they colonized
America.

So they set up all these rules to "preserve planetary ecosystems" (which was supposed to mean we
weren't allowed to build dams or kill the local fauna) and "protect indigenous cultures from technological
contamination" (which was supposed to mean we couldn't give 'em firewater and guns), and stiff fines for
breaking the rules.

Which is where they made their first mistake, because they paid the fines to the indidges, and Bult and his
tribe knew a good thing when they saw it, and before you know it we're being fined for making
footprints, and Bult's buying technological contamination right and left with the proceeds.

I figured he'd be in the gate area, up to his second knee joint in stuff he'd bought, and I was right. When I
opened the door, he was prying open a crate of umbrellas.

"Bult, you can't charge us with fines the rover incurred," I said.

He pulled out an umbrella and examined it. It was the collapsible kind. He held the umbrella out in front
of him and pushed a button. Lights came on around the rim. "Destruction of land surface," he said.

I held out his log to him. "You know the regs. The expedition is not responsible for violations committed
by any person not an official member of the expedition.' "

He was still messing with the buttons. The lights went off. "Bult member," he said, and the umbrella shot
out and open, barely missing my stomach.

"Watch it!" I jumped back. "You can't incur fines, Bult."