Читать книгу Windows of Opportunities - Heinrich Psscht - Страница 28
Tail
Оглавление– Oh my! What’s that Hans?
– That weird ship again, it says, we are tailing after them.
– Are we?
– Yes, sir, they say we are going after them!
– You mean they say we are following them, Hans?
– No, sir, we must be going in the same direction as they are.
– What The Heel! Tell them it may be in their imagination, but we aren’t!
– They are insisting, they are as stubborn as mules, sir!
– Those dumb idiots! Make it clear to them that we are a universal cargo ship, as they might have guessed themselves. We are not pursuing anyone or anything, except for the accomplishment of an important mission on behalf of the System. Write it in many words. The more, the better! Let them read! Shove them the Universal Declaration on the Movement of Ships in Space.
– But It’s huge!
– So let them read it from cover to cover and bug off!
– Done, sir!
– Any response?
– They don’t believe us! They are infuriated that we are following them.
– Tell them that if it’s so important to them, we can overtake them. But let them slow down, I’m not going to waste my fuel on their stupid fantasies!
– I’ve relayed that, sir.
– So, what is it now?
– Nothing so far, sir! Here’s a new message: they don’t want to be trailing under our tail.
– What is it they want?
– They say they don’t want us to chase them. And they don’t wish to lag behind us either.
– But they will have to! Prepare for the jump! Try to make something fall off their ship when we jump, like their stupid antenna of their damn transmitter.
– Yes, sir!
– Not yet, hold on! Transmit a signal to the base: dangerous maneuvering of the ship ahead, incomprehensible signals received, possible illness of the crew… Report their coordinates and a malfunction of their transmitter. We needed to make a jump to avoid an emergency. Do mark urgent and confidential.
– Already sent, sir, but their transmitter is still working!
– Perhaps not after our gambol, Hans! Now everything depends on you!
– Yes, sir! Serving the System, sir!
