bella: переводы

→Cordial, a genteel smile played across Brandl's pale lips, drawing a sharp angle over his prominent cheekbones.

→"Adalric Brandl?" he replied curtly.

→Wincing with mention of his first name, Ross brushed his duster aside, revealing his blaster and his hand poised over the heel.

→As foreboding as the shadows of Brandl's face, the robe draped from his shoulders seemed to absorb the darkness about them, concealing any weapons and his hands from view. "Captain Thaddeus Ross?"

→Thick, dark waves of hair glistened with rain, interspersed with strands of white, which ran from his temples to the nape of his neck.

→Faded laugh lines framed a narrow mouth and thin lips.

→Captivated by the peculiar events surrounding this outsider, Ross cautiously observed the reaction of the locals as Brandl swept past them, drawing the shadows in his wake. Struck by the unusual beauty of the stranger's face, the smuggler found it difficult to believe that such a man was capable of violence. Handsome, almost cavalier by appearance, Brandl's nose and chin were chiseled with stony nobility, polished by a quiet arrogance that aroused the smuggler's suspicions.

→Grumbling among themselves, the crowd abruptly retreated into the street as a shadow moved from the back of the bar. Eclipsing the dim light radiating from the bulkhead, the stranger faltered in the doorway. "That'll be him," Reuther whispered. "I'll pay you 2,000 credits on top of whatever he offers you. Just get him off the planet!" Stepping back into the rain, he hesitated.

→"It's easy to look into another man's misery and do nothing."

→He stared into the small assembly gathered around the body.

→"Is that what it's called?" Reuther scoffed. Staring at the backs of the prying mob, he spat, "Farmers! All of them! Eager to bite every stranger, but afraid of stepping on their own tails. Look at them!"

→"Come on, Reuther," Ross snorted musically. "One man comes along and has the whole town running scared? Whatever happened to your militia?"

→"Brandl wants a pilot who can handle himself. I told him I knew a dozen or more suicide jocks who would come through the asteroids just to make an easy 1,000 credits... then I told him about you."

→Ignoring the patriarchal cynicism, Ross crossed his arms over his chest. "Where do I fit into all of this?"

→"His kind don't need blasters to kill." Shuddering visibly, he mumbled, "He's a 10-96 if I ever saw one."

→"Remember, I was once a bounty hunter, too. Brandl never pulled a blaster. Doesn't even have one." The bartender cleared his throat noisily, spitting into the wind.

→"You've been living with the natives too long."

→"Truth is, Ross, Brandl never touched her. Never laid a hand on her," he puffed, "yet there she lies, dead. And there ain't nobody on the planet, not even you, who can tell me Brandl didn't do it."

→"I ain't saying what he did." From the safety of the shadows, Reuther watched the lurid scene. Dubious, he averted his eyes, throwing his hands up with exasperation.

→"So Brandl killed the girl?"