[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Page 31
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"I think so."
"Please be sure so. There is a reception at the Italian Embassy then and I
think you will enjoy attending. The guest is someone you might enjoy meeting.
Giovanni Bruno"
"Bruno? Here!"
"Yes. On the way to America for a seminar."
"I know all of his work. Re's a physicist who thinks like an engineer...
"I'm sure you can think of no higher praise."
"Thanks for asking me."
'A pleasure. Nine o'clock then."
Jan had no desire to attend a bonng embassy party, but knew that he should not
be a recluse. And if he got to talk to Bruno it might be worthwhile. The man
was a genius and responsible for the whole new range of memory blocks.
Probably wouldn't even be able to get near him in the press of social
butterflies. He must check his eve-fling suit to see if it needed pressing.
The crush was just what he had expected. Jan had the cab drop him a street
away from the embassy and he walked the rest of the distance. All of the
beautiful people were there. The ones with rank and money and no ambition
other than social position. They wanted only to be seen with Bruno, to have
their faces appear with
Page 31
Harrison, Harry - To the Stars Trilogy.txt his in the social columns, to talk
about it afterward to acquaintances with equal interests. Jan had grown up
with these people, gone to school with them, and they shared a mutual dislike
one for the other. They tended to look down their noses at his family because
they had a tradition of working in the sciences. There was no point in telling
them that this was because of Andrzej Kulozik, a distant and revered ancestor,
a physicist who had actually worked on the original and successful development
of fusion power. Most of them had no idea of what fusion power was in any
case. Now Jan was enveloped by them again and he did not like it. There were
many familiar and half-familiar faces among the crowd in the front hall, and
when he passed his coat over to the waiting porter, his own face was also
fixed in the cold and distant expression he had learned in prep school.
"Jan, that is you, isn't it?" a deep voice said in his ear and he turned to
see who was talking to him.
"Ricardo! A sight for sore eyes indeed."
They shook hands warmly. Ricardo de Torres, the Marquis de la Rosa, was a not
too distant relation on his mother's side. Tall, elegant, black-bearded, and
suave, he was about the only relative that Jan ever saw. They had been in
school together and their friendship had even outlived that experience.
"Not here to meet the great man?" Ricardo asked.
"I was until I saw the receiving line for Professor Bruno. I'm not charmed in
the slightest by the prospect of queuing for a half hour to press his gloved
hand and hear him murmur a few words in my ear."
"How forthright your brash, island-living race has always been. I, product of
an older and more leisured culture, will join the queue."
"Social obligation?"
file:///F|/rah/Harry%20Harrison/Harrison,%20Harry%20-%20To%20The%20Stars%20Tri
logy%20(UC).txt (26 of 234) [5/21/03 1:29:00 AM]
file:///F|/rah/Harry%20Harrison/Harrison,%20Harry%20-%20To%20The%20Stars%20Tri
logy%20(UC).txt
"Right with the first guess.
"Well, while you're doing that, I am going to beat this lionizing crowd to the
buffet. I hear the kitchen here is the best."
"It is, and I envy you. For me there will be nothing but cold meats and bare
bones."
"I hope not. If you live through the scrum I'll see you in there."
"Let's hope."
Page 32
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
It was perfect; Jan had had the display of food almost to himself'. A few
figures wandered in front of the lengthy linen-covered table, but were far
outnumbered by the servers behind it. A swarthy, white-hatted chef sharpened
his knife hopefully when Jan looked at the roast; his face fell when Jan went
on. He could have roast beef every day of the week. Now he was more interested
in the octopus in garlic, the snails, the pate with truffles. Filling his
plate with delicacies was an easy matter. The small tables against the wall
were still empty and he seated himself at one to get the utmost pleasure from
his food without having to juggle it on one knee. Delicious! However, a little
wine was very much in order. A servant in a black dress, carrying a tray of
glasses, was passing and he waved to her.
"Red. A large one," he said, his attention focused on his plate.
"Bardolino or Corvo, your honor," the waitress said.
"Corvo, I believe... yes, Corvo."
She handed him the glass and he had to look up to take it. For the first time
he saw her face. He almost dropped the glass so she took it from his hand and
placed it safely on the table before him.
Page 32
Harrison, Harry - To the Stars Trilogy.txt
"Sitalom," Sara said, speaking very quietly. She gave him a quick wink, then
turned and was gone.
Eight
Jan started to rise and go after her-then sank back into his seat. Her
presence here could be no accident. And she certainly wasn't Italian. Or was
she? If she were the whole story about Israel had been a hoax. For all that he
knew the submarine could have been an Italian one. What was going on? His
thoughts chased themselves in circles and he slowly ate the plate of
delicacies without tasting one of them. By the time he had finished, the room
was beginning to fill up and he knew exactly what he had to do.
Nothing too obvious; he knew the dangers of Security surveillance better than
she did. His glass was empty, getting another would not be compromising. If
she had come here to contact him, he wanted her to know he was aware of that.
Then, if she did not get in touch with him or give him some message, her
presence was an accident as far as he was concerned. Italian or Israeli she
was certainly an enemy agent of some kind. In this country illegally? Did
Security know about her and were they watching her even now? Should he
identify her for his own protection?
He rejected the idea as soon as it was formed. He couldn't do that; whoever
she was, she was also one of the people responsible for saving his life. Not
only that-he had no desire to identify anyone to his brother-in-law's branch
of the service. Even if he could have done it safely, for if he identified her
he would have to say how he knew her and the whole story of the submarine
would come out. He was beginning to realize how thin was the layer of ice that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
Page 31
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"I think so."
"Please be sure so. There is a reception at the Italian Embassy then and I
think you will enjoy attending. The guest is someone you might enjoy meeting.
Giovanni Bruno"
"Bruno? Here!"
"Yes. On the way to America for a seminar."
"I know all of his work. Re's a physicist who thinks like an engineer...
"I'm sure you can think of no higher praise."
"Thanks for asking me."
'A pleasure. Nine o'clock then."
Jan had no desire to attend a bonng embassy party, but knew that he should not
be a recluse. And if he got to talk to Bruno it might be worthwhile. The man
was a genius and responsible for the whole new range of memory blocks.
Probably wouldn't even be able to get near him in the press of social
butterflies. He must check his eve-fling suit to see if it needed pressing.
The crush was just what he had expected. Jan had the cab drop him a street
away from the embassy and he walked the rest of the distance. All of the
beautiful people were there. The ones with rank and money and no ambition
other than social position. They wanted only to be seen with Bruno, to have
their faces appear with
Page 31
Harrison, Harry - To the Stars Trilogy.txt his in the social columns, to talk
about it afterward to acquaintances with equal interests. Jan had grown up
with these people, gone to school with them, and they shared a mutual dislike
one for the other. They tended to look down their noses at his family because
they had a tradition of working in the sciences. There was no point in telling
them that this was because of Andrzej Kulozik, a distant and revered ancestor,
a physicist who had actually worked on the original and successful development
of fusion power. Most of them had no idea of what fusion power was in any
case. Now Jan was enveloped by them again and he did not like it. There were
many familiar and half-familiar faces among the crowd in the front hall, and
when he passed his coat over to the waiting porter, his own face was also
fixed in the cold and distant expression he had learned in prep school.
"Jan, that is you, isn't it?" a deep voice said in his ear and he turned to
see who was talking to him.
"Ricardo! A sight for sore eyes indeed."
They shook hands warmly. Ricardo de Torres, the Marquis de la Rosa, was a not
too distant relation on his mother's side. Tall, elegant, black-bearded, and
suave, he was about the only relative that Jan ever saw. They had been in
school together and their friendship had even outlived that experience.
"Not here to meet the great man?" Ricardo asked.
"I was until I saw the receiving line for Professor Bruno. I'm not charmed in
the slightest by the prospect of queuing for a half hour to press his gloved
hand and hear him murmur a few words in my ear."
"How forthright your brash, island-living race has always been. I, product of
an older and more leisured culture, will join the queue."
"Social obligation?"
file:///F|/rah/Harry%20Harrison/Harrison,%20Harry%20-%20To%20The%20Stars%20Tri
logy%20(UC).txt (26 of 234) [5/21/03 1:29:00 AM]
file:///F|/rah/Harry%20Harrison/Harrison,%20Harry%20-%20To%20The%20Stars%20Tri
logy%20(UC).txt
"Right with the first guess.
"Well, while you're doing that, I am going to beat this lionizing crowd to the
buffet. I hear the kitchen here is the best."
"It is, and I envy you. For me there will be nothing but cold meats and bare
bones."
"I hope not. If you live through the scrum I'll see you in there."
"Let's hope."
Page 32
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
It was perfect; Jan had had the display of food almost to himself'. A few
figures wandered in front of the lengthy linen-covered table, but were far
outnumbered by the servers behind it. A swarthy, white-hatted chef sharpened
his knife hopefully when Jan looked at the roast; his face fell when Jan went
on. He could have roast beef every day of the week. Now he was more interested
in the octopus in garlic, the snails, the pate with truffles. Filling his
plate with delicacies was an easy matter. The small tables against the wall
were still empty and he seated himself at one to get the utmost pleasure from
his food without having to juggle it on one knee. Delicious! However, a little
wine was very much in order. A servant in a black dress, carrying a tray of
glasses, was passing and he waved to her.
"Red. A large one," he said, his attention focused on his plate.
"Bardolino or Corvo, your honor," the waitress said.
"Corvo, I believe... yes, Corvo."
She handed him the glass and he had to look up to take it. For the first time
he saw her face. He almost dropped the glass so she took it from his hand and
placed it safely on the table before him.
Page 32
Harrison, Harry - To the Stars Trilogy.txt
"Sitalom," Sara said, speaking very quietly. She gave him a quick wink, then
turned and was gone.
Eight
Jan started to rise and go after her-then sank back into his seat. Her
presence here could be no accident. And she certainly wasn't Italian. Or was
she? If she were the whole story about Israel had been a hoax. For all that he
knew the submarine could have been an Italian one. What was going on? His
thoughts chased themselves in circles and he slowly ate the plate of
delicacies without tasting one of them. By the time he had finished, the room
was beginning to fill up and he knew exactly what he had to do.
Nothing too obvious; he knew the dangers of Security surveillance better than
she did. His glass was empty, getting another would not be compromising. If
she had come here to contact him, he wanted her to know he was aware of that.
Then, if she did not get in touch with him or give him some message, her
presence was an accident as far as he was concerned. Italian or Israeli she
was certainly an enemy agent of some kind. In this country illegally? Did
Security know about her and were they watching her even now? Should he
identify her for his own protection?
He rejected the idea as soon as it was formed. He couldn't do that; whoever
she was, she was also one of the people responsible for saving his life. Not
only that-he had no desire to identify anyone to his brother-in-law's branch
of the service. Even if he could have done it safely, for if he identified her
he would have to say how he knew her and the whole story of the submarine
would come out. He was beginning to realize how thin was the layer of ice that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]