Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 6

Chapter 6

Camrad_RIP 03.02.23 в 09:13

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Camrad_RIP 03.02.23 в 09:13

A huge hall, a hundred meters long, with obscenely high ceilings. The walls were draped in a kind of golden silk covered in intricate silver embroidery. The tall windows were almost entirely covered with scarlet drapes, and tapestries hung along the walls. Painted on the ceilings was yet another battle scene, with starships crushing each other across a starry sky. In the center of the hall was a giant table filled with various dishes, and behind it in tall, massive armchairs sat people, or rather a crowd of people - more than forty, that's for sure.

Camrad_RIP 03.02.23 в 21:29

//Relatives have gathered, Alex thought without enthusiasm as he sat down at the head of the table, with Taer to his left and an empty chair to his right. Barra remained somewhere behind, giving instructions to servants and droids, more than a dozen of them bustling around.

Camrad_RIP 03.02.23 в 21:31

The family stared expectantly at Lord Cassard. He sighed heavily - to himself, of course - took the glass promptly filled by Barra and, gathering all his politeness into a fist, launched into a lengthy speech. For about fifteen minutes:

Camrad_RIP 03.02.23 в 21:32

"Thank you for your support in my hour of need... I hope that in the future... you are the closest people to me... our next meeting will be connected..."

Camrad_RIP 03.02.23 в 21:32

Alex thought to himself with pleasure: //We can do it when we want! Sometimes I express myself in such bureaucratic language that if I had been born earlier, I would have been a Komsomol leader!

Camrad_RIP 03.02.23 в 21:33

The family erupted in cheers and began an endlessly long series of reciprocal thanks and wishes. Alex thanked the relatives for their attention and care with raised glass but did not eat or drink much. He had become temporarily paranoid after reading the numbers, so he was wary of eating in front of such a crowd of interested persons. Although he understood that it was foolish if they wanted to poison him, even a small sip would be enough.

Camrad_RIP 03.02.23 в 21:35

After an hour and a half, the atmosphere became less tense. The kin, visibly drunk during the reply speeches, were actively communicating with themselves. Alex whispered to Taer about the prices of consumer goods, and she (from nothing to do) answered.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 06:53

//It turns out that the imperial credit is slightly cheaper than the dollar, so one denarius is worth about eight bucks. That means that I have four hundred billion dollars in foreign exchange reserves. Stabilization fund, he grinned at this thought and mechanically sipped from his glass.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 06:54

Just then, he noticed that in the chair to the right, which had been empty until then, an imposing old man in his seventies was sitting and smiling, looking at Alex. A strong face riddled with deep wrinkles and agile gray eyes that sparkled under bushy eyebrows. On his head was a small scarlet turban adorned in the center of a large brooch with a large transparent stone in which iridescent iridescence played. A long gray braid was thrown over his shoulder, and some elaborate ornament ... of gold, it seemed. He was dressed in dark pants and a burgundy tunic, over which was some semblance of a dark purple robe without sleeves, decorated with gold embroidery. The old man's face seemed vaguely familiar: //That's right. He was the one who poured some nasty stuff into my mouth; Taer said it was the antidote that saved my life.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 06:56

"Baron Kouifi?" Alex asked as politely as possible.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:02

The old man laughed out loud and clapped Alex on the shoulder:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:02

"And I was told by that silly healer that you'd forgotten everything, kid! That's right. I always thought those assholes couldn't be trusted!"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:03

"I really had almost forgotten everything. So... just vague shreds of memory."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:03

"I'm thinking maybe it's for the best." The baron winked. "You even met your relatives. And - without swearing. Who would have told me about it before - I would not have believed it!"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:04

"It was Taer and Barra who insisted. To improve the image in the view of the impending case in the Consulate Court," Alex commented modestly.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:05

"There! You've begun to listen to smart people, and soon you'll stop drinking and hanging around in an obscene manner!" continued joking Baron.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:06

"Yeah, I don't really have any positive feelings about alcohol."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:27

"You?" He snatched the glass from Alex's hands with a deft movement and drank it, after which he looked completely dazed and defiantly grabbed his heart. "Pity the old man, call him an old fart, or I'll die of happiness. What a useful poison it turned out to be! And where were they before!"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:28

Alex only now realized that the Baron was quite tipsy, and it made him a little tense:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:28

"Well, if it helps the man who saved my life, I'm willing to call you "old fart" as much as you want."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:33

"That's it! You saved the day! You're not exactly a saint after all, though," Kouifi winked slyly. "I heard you invited Kay Rionale for a visit."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:34

"Uh... yeah," Alex said, a little embarrassed, just in case.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:34

"Don't be shy. It's a young thing, and the girl - wow, she's good! But," the baron suddenly lost all his hops and feigned merriment. "I am no longer your guardian, but listen to the old man, keep an eye on her - you have not been on good terms with her before, to put it mildly. And Kayrin's not the kind of person to let go of old grudges."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:35

"All right, I'll keep that in mind. And you were my guardian?"

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:36

"Yes, I was your guardian until you were eighteen, and then you went off on your own," the Baron winked again and emptied his glass in a gulp.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:36

"What happened to my parents?" Alex asked, who decided it wasn't unreasonable to know his family's history.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:36

The old baron sighed heavily and began to tell the story.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:42

Galen Cassard, his wife Astil, and his older brother and sister, Cort and Jaoni, were aboard the family yacht, the Cassard Star, when it went into hyperjump to Copeira, never to leave it again. External observation stations confirmed that the jump vector was correct, and the route was repeatedly checked, but neither the yacht nor her wreckage was found. The yacht had simply disappeared into the hyper. When two years had passed, the Cassard family was declared missing, and the will left by Galen went into effect. And the guardian of the only surviving heir, eight-year-old Allesandro, was Baron Kouifi, an old friend of Galen's from his days in the Guard.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:43

//At this rate, the paranoia will progress rapidly.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:43

Alex was sure there was something unclear about the missing yacht. But since it was a thing of the past, he moved on to more pressing matters:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:45

"Baron, since you were my guardian, perhaps you know what the "master plan" is? I contacted the secretary, and he told me something about its execution, but I found only two lines about it in the reports and no explanation."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:45

"Well, it was my idea," Baron Kouifi looked a little embarrassed. "When all this happened with Galen, so many things piled up, and then there was the secretariat with the retainers - with all the mortgages, the loans, the taxes, the excess of costs over revenues. I didn't have time to deal with it, and I can't stand it either... Anyway, I went to the secretariat, caught that young chink Rist, and said: "I'm putting you in charge here! By next year, I want you to be profitable! And increase every year by a tenth. That's your master plan! And if you don't, I'll find you and skin you!" And then, somehow, it became a tradition. They steal, of course, but if enough for the whole household, and even with a profit, then the hell with them, I think so!" Baron resolutely finished.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:48

There was certainly a grain of truth in the Baron's words, but the fact that someone there is completely uncontrolled to run all the affairs caused Alex a slight discomfort.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:51

//Anyway, what the hell with them, the corrupt ones - I don't have any others anyway. I don't have to sort out the paperwork myself, do I?

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:58

Encouraged by this thought, Alex continued to communicate with others. About an hour and a half later, Baroness Rionale arrived, but there was no more strength to communicate with her - I wanted to sleep. And they put her quite far away from Alex.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 07:59

So, after half an hour, seeing that the relatives were still in the middle of the party, Alex hurried away, citing the general weakness after the poisoning. As he passed Kayrin, Alex sent her the most apologetic look he could muster, and with a look of regret that if it weren't for circumstances... She replied with a smile of understanding and proceeded to chat with some older woman who seemed to be a third cousin or something like that.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:00

He made his way to the bedroom with the help of Taer, who happened to have a bedroom next door ("Purely for your safety, my lord!" she commented on his meaningful look. - she commented on his meaningful look), "my lord" stripped off his clothes and flopped down on the bed.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:54

The dark room was flooded with a ghostly, slightly reddish light from the window, which felt like it was well past midnight. Alex overpowered himself, got up, and went to the window to see what was shining there. And he froze in shock.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:54

An incredible number of unfamiliar stars shone high above, a wide silver ribbon crisscrossed the sky, and a giant red cloud hung in the starry depths just above the lone greenish moon, pierced by an intricate web of dark fibers. The crimson nebula flooded the earth with a steady reddish glow.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:53

Alex stood against the cold glass, looking up at the sky, which was so alien. And that's when he felt especially sad, really sad. The fact that he was in a completely different place, and everyone he knew - including parents, brother, and friends - remained in Moscow finally penetrated his consciousness, dazed by the rush of events and impressions. And the thought made something in his chest clench and become very dreary.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:53

//Hey. You can cry some more and it'll all go right away... Go to sleep, you wimp!

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:51

"From the first sign of schizophrenia, I hear!" he said aloud, waddled over to the bed, collapsed, and burrowed under the covers. He fell asleep instantly.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:47

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Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:05

When he woke up the next day, he lay in bed for half an hour, too lazy to get up. Then he put on the same "hunting" suit that he wore yesterday and went out into the corridor - to explore. The reconnaissance did not yield any tangible results. So back in the bedroom, he contacted Taer, who said that if he is not killed right now, she is very busy, and Barra will explain everything. Barra explained that: Taer and Baron Kouifi had gone away to communicate with potential lawyers and to settle some matters with the Сonsulat court and that they would appear by evening, and they both very much asked that they not leave the castle in their absence. Barra also handed over a letter from Taer.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:45

//How nice - house arrest! Alex muttered as he opened the letter. Though, of course, mentally, he knew that going anywhere alone was a stupid idea.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:05

The letter turned out to be more of a two-line note: "No traces of poisons or any foreign substances were found on the dishes used during the dinner with Baroness Rionale. Taer."

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:04

Alex hummed and shrugged:

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:04

"All right, what's the plan for today?" tiredly, he asked the steward.

Camrad_RIP 04.02.23 в 08:03