Babel-17 Read Online Free PDF Page A

she said. "I'm still frightened."

III
    Danil D. Appleby who seldom thought of himself by his name—he was a Customs Officer—stared at the order through wire-framed glasses and rubbed his hand across his crewcut red hair, "Well, it says you can, if you want to."
    "And—?"
    "And it is signed by General Forester."
    “Then I expect you to cooperate.”
    "But I have to approve—"
    "Then you'll come along and approve on the spot. I don't have time to send the reports in and wait for processing."
    "But there's no way—"
    "Yes, there is. Come with me."
    "But Miss Wong, I don't walk around Transport town at night."
    "I enjoy it. Scared?"
    "Not exactly. But—"
    “I have to get a ship and a crew by the morning. And it's General Forester's signature. All right?"
    "I suppose so."
    "Then come on. I have to get my crew approved."
    Insistent and protesting respectively, Rydra and the officer left the bronze and glass building.
    They waited for the monorail nearly six minutes. When they came down, the streets were smaller, and a continuous whine of transport ships fell across the sky.
    Warehouses and repair and supply shops, sandwiched rickety apartments and rooming houses. A larger street cut past, rumbling with traffic, busy loaders, stellar-men. They passed neon entertainments, restaurants of many worlds, bars and brothels. In the crush the Customs Officer pulled his shoulders in, walked more quickly to keep up with Rydra's long-legged stride.
    "Where do you intend to find— ?"
    "My pilot? That's who I want to pick up first." She stopped on the comer, shoved her hands into the pockets of her leather pants, and looked around.
    "Do you have someone in mind?"
    "I'm thinking of several people. This way." They turned on a narrower street, more cluttered, more brightly lit.
    "Where are we going? Do you know this section?"
    But she laughed, slipped her arm through his, and, like a dancer leading without pressure, she turned him toward an iron stairway.
    "In here?"
    "Have you ever been to this place before?" she asked with an innocent eagerness that made him feel for a moment he was escorting her.
    He shook his head.
    Up from the basement cafe black burst—a man, ebony-skinned, with red and green jewels set into his chest, face, arms and thighs. Moist membranes, also Jeweled, fell from his arms, billowing on slender tines as he hurried up the steps.
    Rydra caught his shoulder. "Hey, Lome!"
    "Captain Wong!" The voice was high, the white teeth needle-filed. He whirled to her with extending sails. Pointed ears shifted forward. "What you here for?"
    "Lome, Brass is wrestling tonight?"
    "You want see him? Aye, Skipper, with the Silver Dragon, and it's an even match. Hey, I look for you on Deneb. I buy your book too. Can't read much, but I buy. And I no find you. Where you been a' six months?"
    "Earthside, teaching at the University. "But I'm going out again."
    "You ask Brass for pilot? You heading out Specelli way?"
    'That's right."
    Lome dropped his black arm around her shoulder and the sail cloaked her, shimmering. “You go out Caesar, you call Lome for pilot, ever you do. Know Caesar—" He screwed his face and shook his head. "Nobody know it better."
    "When I do, I will. But now it's Specelli."
    "Then you do good with Brass. Work with him before?''
    "We got drunk together when we were both quarantined for a week on one of the Cygnet planetoids. He seemed to know what he was talking about."
    "Talk, talk, talk," Lome derided. "Yeah, I remember you. Captain who talk. You go watch that son of a dog wrestle; then you know what sort of pilot he make."
    'That's what I came to do," nodded Rydra. She turned to the Customs Officer, who shrank against the iron banister. God, he thought, she's going to introduce me. But she cocked her head with a half smile and turned back. "I'll see you again, Lome, when I get home."
    "Yeah, yeah, you say that and say that twice. But I no in six months see you." He laughed. "But I like you, lady Captain. Take me