Tar_Aiym Krang by Alan Dean Foster

Author:Alan Dean Foster [Foster, Alan Dean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780345302809
Google: T3rxirGr4ycC
Amazon: 034530280X
Goodreads: 163653
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: 1972-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Thus far there had been no trouble. The first sign of it came three ship-days safer.

Malaika was in Control, checking out co-ordinates with Wolf. In his cabin Truzenzuzex was rigid in a meditation trance. He utilized that technique whenever be wished to consider a problem involving extreme concentration. And sometimes just to relax. In that state he required less body energy. In the salon, Tse-Mallory was trying to explain the workings of a semantic puzzle to Flinx. Atha was nearby, attempting somewhat' boredly to beat herself at the ancient and timeworn game Of Monopoly. She moved the obscure little idols and symbols in ways that Flinx had always found dully repetitive. Everything continued normally until Sissiph, bored and ejected from Control by the busy Malaika, stomped crankily into the room, a trail of translucent pseudolace flowing behind her.

'This is a dull place! Dull, dull, dull! Like-like living in a coffin!' She fumed quietly for a few minutes. As no one deigned to notice her, she moved to a more central location. 'What a collection! Two pilots, two brain cases, and a kid with a poisonous worm for a pet!'

Pip's head lifted abruptly and the minidrag made an unfriendly motion in the girl's direction. Flinx stroked the back of its head until it had relayed sufficiently for some of She tightness to leave the long muscles. His own response was mild as he considered the self-uacertainty/anger/coo-fusion in the girl's mind.

‘It is a reptile, and bears no relation to ...'

'Reptile! Worm! What difference does it make?' She pouted. 'And Maxy won't even let me watch while he plays with all those darling co-ordinates and standards and things! He says I "distract" him. Can you imagine? Distract him?'

‘I can't imagine why it should either my dear,' murmured Atha without looting up from her game. Ordinarily Sissiph probably would haven't made anything of it. Back in Drallar she'd had more than ample opportunity to inure herself to Atha's sarcasm. But the combination of the long flight and her frustrations of the moment combined to make her turn. Her voice was tight.

‘Is that supposed to be some kind of crack?'

Still Atha did not look up from her game. No doubt she expected Sissiph to brush off the remark as she usually did and go flouncing from the room in a dignified huff. She returned with a slang phrase

‘Tis truth, forsooth.’

'And your mouth,' rejoined Sissiph, parodying the words terribly, 'is a bit too "looth"!’ She gave the game table a quick shove with a knee. Being portable and not bolted to the fabric of the ship, it toppled easily. Small metal objects and plastic cards sailed in all directions.

Atha closed her eyes tightly, not moving, and then slowly opened them again. She turned easily to stare at the Lynx, her eyes even with the other girl's knees.

‘I think, honey, that if we're going to pursue this conversation, we'd do it better on a more equal level.'

Her forearm shot out and caught the surprised Sissiph behind the knees.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.