Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 22

Chapter 22

Camrad_RIP 09.03.23 в 18:51

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Camrad_RIP 09.03.23 в 18:51

Three silvery droplets of flyer, rhythmically turning scarlet in time with the flashes of the Eastal's navigation lights, detached themselves from the dark bulk of the yacht and plunged, instantly disappearing into the golden glow of the Copeira's night side.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 13:57

The thrust generators were switched off, and the machines, having rolled up their gravitational mirrors, simply tumbled down in almost total silence. Taer deliberately sat on the same side as the lord but two seats away from him and now, avoiding meeting his gaze, stared out the narrow window above the opposite side seats. As the flyers descended lower and lower, the bright arc of the horizon, already tinged with the gold of distant dawn, gradually straightened and faded, dissolving into the dark blue velvet of night. But Sain Lieutenant, immersed in somber musings, remained unconcerned by this beauty.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 15:27

//What an idiot, for what shadows did I get involved in all this! If I'd stayed in the Navy, I'd have been a Peleng Captain on some patrol corvette by now. Or, with any luck, one of the Triumphs. But no, she was in trouble... And what a mess she'd been in. An assassination attempt on a Lord of the Empire!

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 15:29

She glanced at the lord, who was sitting staring out the window, obviously unaware of what he had just gotten himself into.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 15:29

//...And who did you get involved with? With that madwoman! Even if the High Tribunal finds out, what does she care? The Senate would still be considering whether to put the question of removing her immunity to a vote, how she would pirate in the FEZ again and if they did remove her immunity, she would also begin to prowl around in Imperial space. That's all. And we...?

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 15:53

The "we" was silenced by a nasty little voice in the back of her mind, which reminded her that she was not to be questioned in any case - she was bound by oath to testify against the Lord and was not responsible for her actions, let alone the actions of the Lord.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 16:57

//Besides, I have five hundred thousand denarii in my desk, and the account allocated for procurement is at my disposal...

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 16:58

Then Taer, with an audible squeak, froze in horror... How could she even think such a thing? She hastily dismissed the idea, and she shuddered in disgust.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 16:59

//No, I won't fall for that!

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 16:59

Taër glanced at Alex, a little frightened, wondering if he had noticed the change in her face. But he was still staring enthusiastically out the window.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:08

//Well, he could at least have consulted me! - There was a look of resentment in Taer's eyes again. - I am, after all, his Blade.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:08

Lord, who must have sensed her gaze, turned and looked at her questioningly. Taer snorted grudgingly and turned back to the window:

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:09

//What if that recording with Lord Velaske and the professor is even faked? There must be some way of contacting Countess Durlurl... she thought with a touch of despair.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:10

Her thoughts were interrupted by the beep of a communicator - a call from the castle. She was being called by one of the secretary droids:

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:28

"Sorry to disturb you at this late hour, Mistress Sain Lieutenant Diltar of the Guard," the droid rattled courteously, "but we have been contacted by representatives of House Bentar. They informed us that the ship carrying the esteemed Dudo Guwar had arrived in the Copeira system and wanted to know where to put it."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:40

//Great shadows, Dudo, I'd forgotten all about him!

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:40

"Pass me the Bentar numbers. I'll take care of the matter myself," she pulled out her infobox and, after making sure the data had arrived, cut the connection.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:42

"Did something happen?" Alex asked, listening intently to her conversation.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:43

"No, it's just that a ship with Dudo has arrived and needs to be accommodated."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:44

"Shit, I'd forgotten all about that! But I don't suppose that's a problem? There's a room in the castle that could be used as a ward."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:44

"I don't think that's a good idea," Taer shook her head. "He's very badly injured - we won't be able to provide the necessary conditions in the castle. We'll have to arrange accommodation with a decent clinic."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:45

//With it being nighttime in the main zone on the Copeira, there's no one to be found.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:46

"I hadn't thought of that," Alex sighed wearily. "Maybe there's no point in going to the castle, then? We'll just go meet Dudo and go to the hospitals."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:49

Taer glanced questioningly at Alex. The effects of the Fenote seemed to have worn off, and there were deep dark circles under Alex's eyes, and they were flushed, their complexion painfully pale, and their movements unsteady.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:50

"It's better if I search for the hospital alone. You, Your Lordship, go to the castle and get some sleep. And tomorrow, we'll visit Dudo together."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:55

"Are you sure?"

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:55

"Absolutely!" she nodded back. "You are in a state of extreme fatigue anyway, and you have no understanding of medical matters. And I have had general medical training."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:55

"You haven't slept as much as I have," the lord remarked uncertainly.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:57

Taer cast a quick glance at her comm screen:

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:57

"It's only thirty-nine hours," she retorted. "It's perfectly normal for me: when I was in the Navy, I used to have sixty-hour watches. So I don't want to sleep at all!" she was modestly silent about the fact that she was on normal stimulants for the watch.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 17:59

And she really didn't want to sleep, not out of any excess of energy, but simply because she was afraid of another bout of nightmares, which seemed almost inevitable after such a strong manifestation of the implemented skills. And the prospect of exhausting herself enough to fall into a dreamless slumber was tempting.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:01

"Well, okay," Alex agreed tiredly. "You're right, I don't know anything about it anyway, so I'm not much help."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:02

Taer, with a look of triumph, nodded in satisfaction and turned again to the window.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:03

//Bloody hell, where am I going to find a decent clinic now?

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:03

Nothing cleverer than raising the ears of the retainers had occurred to her so far. Because she, too, had a rather vague idea of how to distinguish a decent clinic from an indecent one. Especially in a matter as delicate as extensive blaster wounds.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:04

//But you can't take him to Fyron to the Guard General Hospital!

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:05

Taer tortured herself with this question for a while longer, but soon fatigue took over, and her barely moving brain came to the conclusion that as a last resort, she would simply go to the most expensive clinic she could find.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:06

Soon the thrust generators hummed softly, the flyers came into a turn, and the castle appeared in the side windows. The gardens, illuminated by a soft blue light, surrounded the castle in a glowing ring. The pale blue glow of the castle walls faded into bright purple spires, the glowing mass was reflected in the black mirror of a rippled lake, and the entire manor seemed to be engulfed in a cold, ghostly flame.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:08

But neither Taer nor Alex had the strength to admire this beauty.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:08

The vehicles came to a standstill on the landing in front of the front entrance, the large double doors were open, and the warm yellowish light in the front stretched in a narrow lane to the base of the stairs, where the majordomo was already waiting for them.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:09

Signaling to the pilot to wait - she still wanted to pop into the garage with them to get her service Isato - Taer gently jumped down onto the sand of the grounds, followed by the lord out of the flyer.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:10

"Arrange for dinner, Your Lordship?" Barra inquired.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:23

"No, that's unnecessary," Alex brushed him off. "I'm going to bed. And you go, too."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:23

After dismissing the majordomo, he turned and, pulling a jar of Fenote from his trouser pocket, handed it to Taer:

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:24

"Here, you're already scary to look at, and you don't know how long it will take to find a clinic."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:24

She was only pretending to be reluctant and, with a heavy sigh, picked up the jar, mentally vowing to stock the medicine cabinet with normal stimulants.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:25

After reaching the garage, Taer said goodbye to the pilots and went in search of her Isato-Planet. Finding the flyer, she collapsed tiredly into her seat and clicked the key on the dashboard. The vehicle's dark interior began to fill with flickers and lights as the dashboard came alive with terminals and system tests started up.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:33

She watched the lights on the dashboard for a moment, sinking deeper and deeper into prostration, her eyes swimming, her eyelids heavy... Waking with a jerk as her head snapped back onto her chest, Taer woke up and looked around with mild surprise, remembering how she had gotten here in the first place.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.23 в 18:34