Читать книгу Windows of Opportunities - Heinrich Psscht - Страница 37
Passenger
Оглавление– Sir!
– What have you got, Hans?
– This is from our passenger!
– We have no passenger, Hans, we dropped her off at the base two days ago.
– Yes, sir! She’s left something with us, sir!
– What exactly?
– Some object, a kind of mascot.
– Is it valuable?
– She says, it’s dear to her like her heirloom, but no, sir, it’s not valuable!
– Was her cabin cleaned?
– Yes, sir, automatically! The robot-cleaner has processed one part and expunged the other…
– If I take it right, her forgotten crap must be flying somewhere now.
– Disassembled into atoms, sir. As an ionized gas cloud.
– Send her a picture of some nebula. No, wait, I have a better idea. When do we jump?
– In 15 minutes, sir.
– To another galaxy?
– Yes, sir! Where else?
– The signal does not get there, does it?
– No, sir, we’ll not receive it until the next window…
– Good!
– Sir, I dare report…
– Go ahead, break the news!
– There is a small chance that this lady’s talisman is still somewhere here! The Janitor says he hasn’t processed it yet! He was being tested for compliance, sir.
– Hans, we will not rummage through the trash, it’s even worse than looking for a needle in a haystack.
– In a haystack, sir?
– Do you know why it’s so hard to find a needle in a haystack? Not because it’s so small, Hans, but because it’s so cheap! No one will bother looking for a needle there! Who needs to count needles! A diamond of the same weight will be searched and found for sure!
– A diamond, sir?
– Don’t you know what a diamond is?
– No, sir! Never heard of it!
– And have not seen one either?
– On my honor, I have not seen one, sir!
– But you know what a haystack, hay or a needle is?
– No, sir, I have no idea!
– That is, you haven’t got the slightest idea what I was talking about?
– No, sir!
– At least you are an honest man, Hans! Kudos for that!
– Kudos, sir?
– Ah, forget it! Warm up the engine, we are jumping in 10 minutes!
– Yes, sir! Clear for action one, sir!
