Читать книгу The Science Fiction Anthology онлайн

251 страница из 776

She had almost had him convinced, but this he couldn’t swallow. “If my loyalties had been with Earth, I would have sent back reports of the trouble. But I didn’t. I tried to stop it from happening. There just wasn’t anything I could do.”

“The deep-probe never lies, Clarey. You didn’t really try to stop it.” She paused, and then went on deliberately: “Because you could have stopped it, you know quite easily.”

“There was nothing I could have done,” he stated. “Nothing.”

“Remember the first time the staff ship came? Just before you left for Barshwat, the woman told you she suspected you were an Earthman. You were afraid for her. Do you remember that?”

He nodded. Yes, he remembered how terrified he had been then, how relieved afterward, thinking everything was going to be all right. Lucky he hadn’t realized the truth, or he wouldn’t have had those extra years of happiness.

Han went on remorselessly: “And you thought if only something would happen to you en route, she would be safe. We might guess why it had happened, but we couldn’t know for sure. We’d have had to start all over again.”