"Gordon R. Dickson - The Forever Man" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

ability to jump any required distance, but the ability to com
pute correctly, in a reasonable time. the direction and distance
in which the move should be made. Phase-shifting was an


outgrowth of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle of physics
that had enunciated the fact that it was possible to establish
Ieitherthe position of an electron, or its speed of movement,
but not both at the same time. When a ship activated a phase
~shift it did not move in the ordinary sense of that word. Effec
tively, for a timeless moment its speed became zero and its
position universal. It was everywhere and no particular place.
Then its position was established at the destination point
which had been calculated for it and its speed became relative
to its position at that point.
The problem with phase-shifting lay in that calculation. of
necessity, it had to take into account the position and current

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-moveinent of the ship about to make the jump and the position
and movement of the destination area-this in a galaxy where
I'everything was in relative movement, and only a mathemati
cal fiction, the theoretical center'point of the galaxy fiom
which all distances were marked and measured, was fixed.
The greater the distance, the more involved and time-con-
suming the calculations. The law of diminishing returns would
set in, and the process broke down of its own weight-it took
a lifetime to calculate a single jump to a destination it would
not take quite a lifetime to reach by smaller, more easily cal-
calculation time-factor that made it impractical for the human
and Iaaagi races to go around each others' spatial territory. If
we were all Raoul Penards, thought Jim grimly, with two
hundred and more years of lifr coming, it'd be different.
-The thought chilled him; he did not know why. He put it out
of his mind and went back to the calculations.
The picture grew and completed. Re keyed his voice to the
other ships floating in dark space around him.
'Wander Leader to Wander Section," he said. "Wander
Leader to Wander Section. Prepare to shift into Laagi territory.
Key for calculations pattern for first of twelve shifts. Ac-
knowledge, all ships of Wander Section."
The transmit section of his control board glowed briefly as
the Swallow, the Fair Maid, the Lela and the Fourth Helen
pumped into their own computing centers the situation and
calculations he had worked out with his. Their voices came
back, acknowledging.
"Lock to destination," said Jim. "Dispersal pattern K at
destination. Repeat, pattern K, tight, hundred kilometer inter