"Babylon 5 - The Nautilus Coil - J Gregory Keyes (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Babylon 5)

Shadows, the coming war. About our origins, as telepaths." He rubbed his
knees. "So I am Vorlon, in a way, yes, but also Human. I was not something
anyone ever planned."

Lyta nodded. "I see it now. I think I understand."

Garibaldi had more immediate concerns. "Why did you come here? You left
Earth, alone, in a slower than light ship. You spent 60-odd years in space.
Why?"

"You understand, of course, that for me the time was much briefer -- less
than a year in space, in fact. Relativistic speeds, you know. Time dilation."

"I'd still like an answer to the question. And here's another one -- where's
your ship?"

Vacit sighed and sank back into his chair. "When I arrived, my ship was
damaged. There was very little left on this planet, only a hint of power in
this one place. I landed, expecting to die. Instead, these structures started
growing, and they took care of me. They manufacture food, distill water, give
me shelter and heat. The price was my ship. Vorlon technology is in part
organic, but it needs metals. There are precious few metals on this planet."

"It ate your ship."

"Yes, as in time it will find and absorb the remains of the crashed
shuttle." He stood. "That's a little better. I'm feeling up to moving again!
Would you like to see something?"

"Oh, sure, why not," Garibaldi replied. Somewhere, he felt another shoe
dropping. Maybe a whole sky full of them. Big, metal shoes, full of nasty
Vorlon surprises. He made sure his PPG was charged.

Vacit led them into an adjoining room and waved his hand. Several glass-
faced alcoves lit up. "This is why I came here," he said. "I've spent the
last few years studying them."

In each alcove stood a skeleton, articulated on a wire stand. One looked
Human, another had to be Narn. One {/might/} be Minbari. The others he didn't
even want to guess at. It was hard to tell, when they weren't dressed up in
skin.

"These were the inhabitants of this planet," Vacit said. "I call them the
{/Nephilim/}. Do you know the reference? In Hebrew tradition, the Nephilim
were the bastards of angels and Human women -- the giants in the Earth
destroyed by the Biblical flood. I've been piecing their story together."

"The bones on the shore," Lyta said.

Vacit nodded. "As you have probably guessed, none of these species