"Greg Egan - Glory" - читать интересную книгу автора (Egan Greg)

proof in our hands before sunset.тАЭ

****

5

Joan briefed Halzoun by video link while Sando prepared the evening meal. Halzoun was the
mathematician Pirit had appointed to supervise her, but apparently his day job was far too important to
allow him to travel. Joan was grateful; Halzoun was the most tedious Noudah she had encountered. He
could understand the NiahтАЩs work when she explained it to him, but he seemed to have no interest in it
for its own sake. He spent most of their conversations trying to catch her out in some deception or
contradiction, and the rest pressing her to imagine military or commercial applications of the NiahтАЩs
gloriously useless insights. Sometimes she played along with this infantile fantasy, hinting at potential
superweapons based on exotic physics that might come tumbling out of the vacuum, if only one
possessed the right Niah theorems to coax them into existence.

Sando was her minder too, but at least he was more subtle about it. Pirit had insisted that she stay in his
shelter, rather than sharing Rali and SuratтАЩs; Joan didnтАЩt mind, because with Sando she didnтАЩt have the
stress of having to keep quiet about everything. Privacy and modesty were nonissues for the Noudah,
and Joan had become Noudah enough not to care herself. Nor was there any danger of their proximity
leading to a sexual bond; the Noudah had a complex system of biochemical cues that meant desire only
arose in couples with a suitable mixture of genetic differences and similari-ties. She would have had to
search a crowded Noudah city for a week to find someone to lust after, though at least it would have
been guaranteed to be mutual.

After theyтАЩd eaten, Sando said, тАЬYou should be happy. That was our best find yet.тАЭ

тАЬI am happy.тАЭ Joan made a conscious effort to exhibit a viridian tinge. тАЬIt was the first new result IтАЩve
seen on this planet. It was the reason I came here, the reason I traveled so far.тАЭ
тАЬSomethingтАЩs wrong, though, I think.тАЭ

тАЬI wish I could have shared the news with my friend,тАЭ Joan admitted. Pirit claimed to be negotiating with
the Tirans to allow Anne to commu-nicate with her, but Joan was not convinced that she was genuinely
trying.

She was sure that Pirit would have relished the thought of listening in on a conversation between the two
of themтАФwhile forcing them to speak Noudah, of courseтАФin the hope that theyтАЩd slip up and reveal
something useful, but at the same time she would have had to face the fact that the Tirans would be
listening too. What an excruciating dilemma.

тАЬYou should have brought a communications link with you,тАЭ Sando sug-gested. тАЬA home-style one, I
mean. Nothing we could eavesdrop on.тАЭ

тАЬWe couldnтАЩt do that,тАЭ Joan said.

He pondered this. тАЬYou really are afraid of us, arenтАЩt you? You think the smallest technological trinket
will be enough to send us straight to the stars, and then youтАЩll have a horde of rampaging barbarians to
deal with.тАЭ

тАЬWe know how to deal with barbarians,тАЭ Joan said coolly.