"Greg Egan - The Planck Drive" - читать интересную книгу автора (Egan Greg)

sense if she wishedтАУwas textured with diffuse reflection
rules not quite matching the optical properties of any real
substance.

"Welcome to Cartan. IтАЩm Gisela." She stretched out her
hand, and the visitor stepped forward and shook
itтАУthough it was possible that she perceived and executed
an entirely different act, cross-translated through gestural
interlingua.

"IтАЩm Cordelia. This is my father, Prospero. WeтАЩve come all
the way from Earth." She seemed slightly dazed, a
response Gisela found entirely reasonable. Back in
Athena, whatever elaborate metaphoric action theyтАЩd
used to instruct the communications software to halt
them, append suitable explanatory headers and
checksums, then turn the whole package bit-by-bit into a
stream of modulated gamma rays, it could never have

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Asimov's - The Planck Dive

fully prepared them for the fact that in a subjective
instant theyтАЩd be stepping ninety-seven years into the
future, and ninety-seven light-years from home.

"YouтАЩre here to observe the Planck Dive?" Gisela chose to
betray no hint of puzzlement; it would have been
pointlessly cruel to drive home the fact that they could
have seen everything from Athena. Even if you fetishized
realtime data over lightspeed transmissions, it could
hardly be worth slipping one-hundred-and-ninety-four
years out of synch with your fellow citizens.

Cordelia nodded shyly, and glanced at the statue beside
her. "My father, really . . ."

Meaning what? It was all his idea? Gisela smiled
encouragingly, hoping for clarification, but none was
forthcoming. SheтАЩd been wondering why a Prospero had
named his daughter Cordelia, but now it struck her as
only prudentтАУif you had to succumb to a Shakespearean
names fad at allтАУnot to put anyone from the same play
together in one family.

"Would you like to look around? While youтАЩre waiting for
him?"

Cordelia stared at her feet, as if the question was
profoundly embarrassing.