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the posigravity field. Instead of being wide and shallow, like a plate, the
Gloryhole's generating fan was
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20Tar-Aiym%20Krang.txt narrower and deep, chalicelike. The passenger-cargo
area was still balloon-shaped, but it was a streamlined, tapered balloon.
Simply on looks alone one could tell that the Gioryhole was faster than any
regular freighter or liner aspace. It was one of the most beautiful things
he'd ever seen.
He felt a slight jolt through his harness as the shuttle clicked into the
transfer lock of the big ship. Following the steward's instructions he
released himself from the restraining straps and drifted after the others into
the umbilicitube, pulling himself hand over hand along the portable pullway.
The luxury of the Gloryhole in comparison to the freighters he'd bad described
to him made itself quickly apparent. The starship's airlock was furlined.
The steward and Malaika exchanged brief orders and the uniformed young man
drifted out of the tube, pulling in the line behind him. After a bit the door
whirred shut, and they were effectively separated from the shuttle.
'Je? If you'll all follow me - use the handholds - we'll adjourn to the
salon.' Malaika started off through the lock exit. 'Atha, you and Wolf get up
to Control and start up the drive.
Let's have some decent gravity around here. A bwbui I'm not, to spin my own
web! The two of you now where your cabins are.' Atha and the skull-face moved
off through a side passage. Malaika swivelled to face them. 'The rest of you
I'll show to your rooms myself.'
The salon was a fairyland of glass, wood, and plastics. Bubbles of crystal
containing brilliantly coloured forms of aquatic life were suspended
throughout the big room by a thin but unbreakable network of plastic webbing.
Real trees grew through the green-fur floor, each representing a different
species native to Moth. Metal sculptures layered with gem dust hung cloud like
from the ceiling, which was a tridee soloid depicting an open sky complete to
clouds and sun.
It began to darken, effectively simulating the sunset taking place on the
planet's side below. It was an odd simile to come to mind, but for some reason
Flinx could best liken the sensation to walking through an especially fine
beer.
The ship shuddered once, twice, ever so imperceptibly, and he could feel the
weight beginning to return to his body. He started io float towards a side
door and then began flailing frantically so that he would land on his feet and
not his head. A glance showed that none of the other passengers were
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experiencing similar difficulties. Sissiph was being steadied by Malaika, and
Tse-Mallory and Truzenzuzex hadn't even bothered to pause in their argument.
Angrily he got his errant legs under him. No one commented on his obvious
difficulty, for which he was grateful.
Full gravity returned after a very short interval.
Malaika walked- over to what looked like a cactus but actually a bar. "We'll
remain at point nine five gravity for the duration of the trip. Possibly most
of you aren't used to keeping up muscle tone in space' (Flinx took a quick
sensing of the two scientists' compositions and doubted the accuracy of
Malaika's remark) 'and so I'd hesitate to set it lower than that. The slight
difference should be just enough to be exhilarating and it approximates what
we'll encounter on our objective planetfall.'
'This will serve as a. regular gathering place. Meals will be served here by
the autochef, unless you prefer to eat in your cabin. Njoo, i will show you
your own ...'
Flinx spent three days just examining his 'own'. It was packed with fantastic
devices that sprang at you out of floor, ceiling, and walls. You had to watch
your step. Press the wrong switch and you were liable to be doused with warm
water ... irrespective of your attire of the moment.
That bad been a disheartening experience, especially as he had been trying for
a haircut.
Fortunately no one but Pip had been around to witness it.
He had been concerned to see how his pet would take to the confinements of
shipboard life.
Everyone else, excepting possibly Sissiph, had adjusted to the reptile's
presence. So that didn't give him cause for worry. As it happened, there were
no others. The minidrag would go swooping in and out among the pylons and
plastic tapestries of the salon as if he owned them, frightening the devil out
of the inhabitants of the glass bubbles. Occasionally it would bang batlike
from a particularly inviting artificial branch or real one. When it was
discovered that the food selector in their cabin could deliver fresh bits of
raw Wiodor meat, the snake's content ment was assured. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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