"Busby, F M - Demu 01-03 - The Demu Trilogy UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Busby F M)

Barton growled. He was getting a little tired of being told
how invincible the Demu were, because he didn't want
to have to believe it.

"They are seldom seen. They have unconsciousness de-
vices, which also derange memory function for a time,
and other ways not to be noticed. They could have slept
everyone here without the gravity if wanting to; that
likely was for threat, to make us to behave better."

"Or maybe just plain sadism," Barton said. "I think Td
like to meet one of them sometime without his magic
gadget. Anybody know what they look like?"

"A small ship of them, raiding scout perhaps, crashed
on Tilara very long time ago. All were killed. The Tilari
just began to study the wreck and the dead ones; then
must have come another ship. The wreck and dead ones
gone, also all but two Tilari in the study group. The two
had gone for food supplies and needed instruments."

"At least somebody lucked out," Barton said. "So
what's their report?"

"I said, a long time ago. Barton. It is all vague, very
vague by now; Limila has only read it in her schooling
as a child.

"She says they were roughly human shape and size.
Hard like stone to the touch. She thinks they have not the
features of face and other things-real people have. But the
Demu think they are the only real people."

"How can anybody know that?"

"Demu picture record, seen by the two Tilari not
taken," said Siewen. "With sound-capsules, from which
their name Demu is learned. By reports, showed unmis-
takably Demu in relation to other races as people to an-
imals."

Barton didn't answer; the concept angered him. The
phrase "hard like stone" stuck in his mind; he had the im-
pression he'd cracked open quite a few rocks in his time,
for one reason or another. His memory was vague but the
picture of a fossil fern came to him, and the smell of a
campfire. A field trip?

"Anything else Limila knows about them?" -^