"Timothy Zahn - Cobra 2 - Cobra Strike" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

"He just left." Corwin felt his muscles tense in anticipation of the confrontation he knew was
ahead. "He'll be coming back after his physical therapy."
"What did he say?"
Corwin consciously unclenched his jaw. "Sorry, Mom. He's not going to block it."
The age lines framing her features seemed to deepen. "You'll be casting the vote," she said, her
meaning clear.
"Let me restate it, then: We are not going to block it."
"So that's it, is it?" she said coldly. "You're just going to let them condemn your brother to—"
COBRA STRIKE 5
"Mother." Corwin stood up, gesturing to his chair. "Sit down, will you."
She hesitated, then complied. Corwin pulled up a guest chair to face her, noting peripherally that
Yutu had apparently just discovered something that needed to be done in Jonny's office. Sitting
down, Corwin took a moment to look—really look—at his mother.
Chrys Moreau had been beautiful when she was younger, he knew from old pictures and tapes, and
even with the assorted physical changes of middle age she was still strikingly attractive. But
there were other changes, not all of them explained by simple maturation of viewpoint or even a
response to her husband's long illness. She seemed to smile less these days, and to move with the
restricted motions of one deathly afraid of knocking something over. This business with Justin was
part of it, that much Corwin knew ... but there was more, and so far he hadn't found the right
words to open up that section of his mother's thoughts.
Nor was this time going to be any different. "If you're going to give me the old arguments why Jus-
tin should be a Cobra, please don't bother," Chrys began. "I know them all, I still don't have any
logical counters for them, and I'll even admit that if he weren't my son I'd probably agree with
them. But he is my son, and irrational as it may seem, I don't think it fair that I should lose
him to the Cobras, too."
Corwin let her finish, though her words represented no new ground either. "Have you asked Joshua
to talk with him?" he asked.
Chyrs shook her head minutely. "He won't. You should know that better than anyone else."
Despite the seriousness of the moment Corwin felt a brief smile touch his lips at the memories


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evoked. Five years older than the twins, he had nevertheless been successfully ganged up on more
times than he cared to remember. Their unshakable loyalty to each
6 Timothy Zahn
other even in the face of parental punishments had made for equally unshakable alibis. "Than I'm
afraid it's out of our hands," he told his mother gently. "Legally—not to mention ethically—Justin
has a perfect right to choose his life's work. Besides, the political fallout of such a nepotistic
veto would be awfully messy to clean up."
"Politics." Chyrs turned her head to stare out the window. "I'd hoped your father would be
finished with it when he retired from the governorship. I should have realized they wouldn't let
him escape that easily."
"We need his wisdom and experience, Mom." Corwin glanced at his watch. "And speaking of that, I'm
afraid I'm going to have to go give the Council its monthly dose now."
A shadow briefly crossed Chrys's face, but she nodded and stood up. "I understand. Will you be
coming by for dinner tonight? The twins have said they'll be able to make it."
And it would be the last time until Justin's Cobra training was over that they'd all have a chance
to be together. "Sure," Corwin said, walking her toward the door. "I'll be talking to Dad after