"Lee Edgar - The Andromeda Burn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Edgar Lee)

loose objects.тАЩ
The red screen said тАШSol - Distance 40.2AUтАЩ when she hit the key. There was
no noise, no sudden lurching or groaning, just a mild sensation of floating as
the big ship started to decelerate rapidly. At half light speed, she cut the
motor.
The Commander smiled his approval. тАШAnyone would think you had done that
before.тАЩ
тАШI have.тАЩ
He frowned. тАШWhen?тАЩ
тАШYesterday, in the simulator.тАЩ
тАШItтАЩs not quite the same thing,тАЩ he said as he unbuckled his belt and got to
his feet. тАШGet it wrong on the simulator and all that happens is you get
bleeped at. Loose off the Proton Drive at the wrong time in real life and we
could end up splattered all over some stray asteroid.тАЩ He pressed the tannoy
switch down. тАШAll crew stand down. Approximately twelve hours to Earthfall.тАЩ
Cassi turned to face her father. тАШDid I do okay?тАЩ
He kissed her forehead. тАШYou did perfect. Go and get some rest.тАЩ
Her smile said everything.

WHEN Cassi woke, she felt strange. She put it down to the excitement of the
moment and thought nothing more of it as she splashed cold water onto her face
and arms. She then slipped into her overall before tucking her long, fair hair
into her baseball cap and stepping out into the corridor. She was the only
female on board ship which merited private accommodation next to the
CommanderтАЩs quarters, behind the flight deck. It was, therefore, not a long
journey to go to work.
However, Wayfarer was a big vessel by interplanetary standards. Apart from
the flight control centre and sleeping accommodation, there was also a science
laboratory, an engineering shop, some storage space as well as a large area of
fresh food growing under artificial ultra-violet light. Whereas local ships
had only needed supplies for a few months, Wayfarer Two, like her unfortunate
predecessor, Wayfarer One, had been designed to stay for years in deep space.
Now, she was coming home.
As Cassi stepped over the threshold and entered the flight centre, five
faces turned towards her. She smiled at them all. As long as she had known
them, Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta had treated her with the utmost
consideration. In fact, she could not remember an occasion when they had
spoken an unkind word nor raised their voices in anger. Epsilon and Zeta spent
most of their time in the reactor bay, while Eta and Theta looked after the
food supplies and the like. She wondered how on earth they got such unusual
names.
With some effort, her father stood up when he saw her. тАШGood Morning, Cassi.
YouтАЩre just in time for our second reverse thrust. Would you like to do it?тАЩ
Her heart-rate doubled. Would she? She sat in front of Iris and ran her
hands over the computer keyboard. The black viewer screen showed a mass of
stars. She typed in one word - Terra. The viewpoint moved slightly and an
arrow appeared to indicate a tiny pinpoint of light.
тАШItтАЩs either very small or still a long way away,тАЩ she observed.
тАШBoth,тАЩ said her father with a grin. тАШAt this speed, we would get there in
under three hours but we must slow right down to pass through the asteroid