"Bester, Alfred - Biped Reegan" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bester Alfred)

ago the earth and the seas were dominated by the great reptiles. They were the
masters of creation. But inhabiting the earth with them lived a small retiring
rat-like creature, utterly insignificant in size. Yet in time . . . in
evolution, that rat-like creature took over dominance from the reptiles....
Became man.... Became us."
"We all know that," Otis put in.
"But this you forget," Gropper said. "Man conquered the reptiles because he had
a quality they lacked. Intelligence. Intelligence conquered brawn, although
brawn was more powerful. But intelligence is not the supreme goal of evolution;
it is only one of its phases, and just as brawn gave way to intelligence, so our
intelligence is giving way to a quality we don't possess, but which is possessed
by the species that will dominate the earth through it!"
In precise tones Chung said: "Thought transference! "
"That's it," Gropper cried. "Thought transference! The ants had it. Now, through
artificial stimulation, it has been advanced and developed.... Just as your own
intelligence has been quickened noticeably. But though you become geniuses, all
of you, you will not cope with the ants. That quality of thought-transferance
will defeat you, just as our brains defeated the more powerful reptilian brawn.
How will you fight an army of billions that think as one?"
The biped with red hair said: "Take it easy. We can. Give intelligence just one
more try and it may win out. Chung and I have finished our work. Come and
see..."
FOLLOWED by Spy-zeta-prime, the group of bipeds arose and left the council room.
As they began to descend the vast ramp to the ground level, Spy-zeta-prime
telecast to Spy-zeta to pick them up in the great square courtyard in the middle
of the citadel. This was done and we tuned in on Spy-zeta.
The bipeds were clustering around a structure of high-polished metal which the
red-hair and slant-eye were demonstrating. It was of the shape of a short
earthworm, very straight and the length of twenty bipeds.
"Looks like a rocket," Otis said.
"Exactly what it is. Double-skinned walls so that the blasted lice can't get
through. Room inside for two, plus supplies. We can go out in this and swoop
over the countryside and blast them to hell with the rocket discharges."
"What's the fuel?" Gropper asked.
"Uranium 235. It breaks down under a cyclotron cross-fire. Practically, I think
we've got atomic power. All I know is that one gram of fuel burns for one hour,
emitting about six billion calories of heat and exerting a constant pressure of
twenty six point five tons per square inch. The rear half is filled with
fuel.... Enough to blow this baby to Andromeda and back.... Enough to burn every
lousy ant twice out of the earth!"
At this message, Commander-lambda was extremely alarmed, and his unrest
immediately permeated the rest of your Imperial Maternity's troops. It would
have been sheer folly for us to have waited sapiently for the attack of the
bipeds, and consequently the Commander telecast orders for an immediate attack
on the citadel. The red armies marching up from the south he ordered to attack
as soon as they reached the citadel, without pause for rest.
It was a glorious hour for your Imperial Maternity. Thirty billions of us
marched down the slope toward the citadel of the bipeds. And so great was the
interest of the bipeds in the infernal machine that we were not sighted until
our first waves reached the water trap that ringed the Citadel.