Boneflower

Начало книги

Jolo Barram’s battered prospecting vessel sat cooling at the edge of the deserted colony. Aboard were Jolo, his young wife, Sinda, and the body of their only child, Talm, poisoned by a synthesizer malfunction.

Sinda was silent, exhausted by her grief. Her long black hair hung in tangles about her white face.

He remembered her last words. “The ship,” she had said. “This stinking shambling ancient idiot of a ship. How could it have been so stupid?” Her meaning had been plain —your ship, old man.

Yes, he thought, the ship is old and the ship is stupid. Like me.

*** *** ***

The empty huts huddled close to the silver seed-ship that had brought the colonists here, so long ago. The dead colony was another entry in Jolo Barram’s long list of failures — only living colonies brought the finder’s bounty from SeedCorp. But Barram descended from his ship, as much to escape Sinda’s anger as to satisfy his curiosity.

Читать дальше →