"Timothy Zahn - Deadman Switch" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

And in the midst of it all, as much a study in contrasts as the office itself, sat Lord Kelsey-Ramos.

Seated straight-backed at his desk, gazing almost disinterestedly at the displays facing him, he
blended quite well with the calm decor... but as I stepped closer, the lines around his eyes and the
play of his facial muscles radiated the message I'd already learned from his voice. Somewhere out
there, on some ethereal battlefield of paper and computer memory, a war was raging. A quiet,
civilized war, fought by opposing sums of money... for no more purpose than the acquisition of even
more of that same money.

The love of money is the root of all evils, I quoted to myself. But it was an automatic, almost ritual
thought these days. Once, I'd thought in my pride that my mere presence might be enough to
influence the way Lord Kelsey-Ramos handled his wealth; now, years later, I could barely consider
myself lucky that that part of my own conscience hadn't become uselessly numb. Pride goes before
destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall... Another ritual thought, and one that always included the
reminder that destruction came in many forms. Including stagnation.

After eight long years, I still didn't fit in here. And most everyone knew it.

Lord Kelsey-Ramos shifted in his chair, the faint squeak of embroidered cloth on camileather
reminding me I wasn't here just to indulge myself in self-pity. Over the familiar scents of the room's
woodling and living carpet I caught a whiff of Marisee Tinge, the executive secretary's perfume;
beneath that, I could smell the very human odor of Lord Kelsey-Ramos's tension. The images,
sounds, scents—all of it blended together into the all too familiar sense of civilized warfare that I'd
felt upon entering. I'd seen it many times before in my time at Carillon... but this time something
about it was different. This time, there was something more than just money at stake. Something far
more important...

And at that moment, it was abruptly over. The tension lines left Lord Kelsey-Ramos's face, and his
eyes softened, and he looked up at me. "Congratulate me, Gilead," he said, his voice rich with
overtones of satisfaction. "After ten years of trying, I've finally done it."

"Congratulations, sir," I said. "What is it you've finally done?"

Amusement lines replaced those of the earlier tension, and the sense of his satisfaction deepened.
"I've obtained the Carillon Group a transport license for Solitaire."

My stomach tightened. "I see," I managed.

He peered up at me. "Bothers you that much, does it?"

I looked him straight in the eye. "It's the paying of a blood offering in exchange for wealth," I said
bluntly.


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Deadman Switch

His lip twitched, and some of the satisfaction left his face. But not very much. "I'm sorry you feel
that way." Reaching to his desktop, he snagged his control stick and began punching buttons, my
opinion already dismissed from his thoughts. "If it helps your conscience any, Carillon won't