"Michael Flynn - Falling Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Flynn Michael)

тАЬThatтАЩs what King Louis thought at Cr├йcy. Congress should have had a bill years ago; but somehow
Boomer retirement still managed to take them by surprise.тАЭ
Afterward, Chris rejoined Mariesa by the window. тАЬI guess you heard,тАЭ he said. He sounded, if not
cheerful, resigned. тАЬThere went our line of credit.тАЭ
But VHIтАЩs operating budget was the last thing on MariesaтАЩs mind. тАЬSolomon Dark told me that Rutell
sequestered the funding for the North American Planetary Defense Committee. HeтАЩs grabbing money
wherever he can find it and stuffing it into the Social Security mattress. тАШJust for the next quarter, until
revenues straighten out.тАЩ But Solomon and I both think thatтАЩs optimistic.тАЭ
тАЬHow does the saying go? тАШWhen youтАЩre up to your ass in alligators, itтАЩs hard to stay focused on swamp
drainage.тАЩ Six years is a lot smaller on the radar screen than the next election тАФ or the quarterly P&Ls.тАЭ
тАЬDear Lord!тАЭ MariesaтАЩs hands balled into fists and she turned sharply to face him. тАЬThey would let the
planet be destroyed rather than lose an election?тАЭ
Chris took her by both arms. тАЬCalmly, coz. The Bean isnтАЩt a planet-killer; and most of them donтАЩt really
believe it will hit us at all. TheyтАЩve been down that road before, and itтАЩs always been false alarms.тАЭ
Mariesa broke loose from his grip. She ran a hand through her hair. тАЬI have spoken to Solomon about it.
He says that RobertaтАЩs Net-wide announcement about the asteroid probably turned the economic
тАШadjustmentтАЩ into a panic тАжтАЭ
тАЬRecession,тАЭ said Chris. тАЬWe donтАЩt call them тАШpanicsтАЩ anymore.тАЭ
тАЬтАж but I donтАЩt believe that. The market dip startedbefore Roberta made her speech. It must have been
something else.тАЭ
Her cousin spread his hands. тАЬWater under the bridge in either case.тАЭ
тАЬChris тАжтАЭ She spoke hesitantly and faced the window while she did. тАЬThe reason why I came тАФ your
pledge to SkyWatch тАФ is it still good?тАЭ
тАЬSkyWatch!тАЭ She heard the surprise in his voice. тАЬBut, youтАЩve found your тАШrogue star.тАЩтАЭ
She turned to him. тАЬWe foundone. тАЭ
He stared at her a moment and his right hand rose slowly to tug at his lower lip. He began to nod. тАЬI see.
And if some of SkyWatchтАЩs money winds up funding Planetary Defense programs, why itтАЩs all one and the
same, right?тАЭ
тАЬWe cannot afford to lose who-knows-how-many months of planning just because the economy went into
an unexpected funk.тАЭ
A faint smile played around ChrisтАЩs lips. тАЬResurrect the old Prometheus team?тАЭ he said playfully.
She had not thought of that until this very moment and gave her cousin a sharp look, wondering how
seriously he had meant it. тАЬWe could do worse, you know.тАЭ There had been people on Prometheus who
knew the value of planning. And who might, given the new urgency, donate their time.
тАЬAh, well,тАЭ Chris said, тАЬthat pledge of mine was small change, anyway. It wouldnтАЩt help VHIтАЩs balance
sheet to take it back, and it might do some good where it is.тАЭ
тАЬThank you, Chris.тАЭ It did not matter how much she squinted. The reflection in the window would never be
that of the brash, neurotic, thirtyish girl who had once kick-started the future. It was someone else, now.
After six years in the wilderness, she wasnтАЩt sure who it was who had emerged.

1.

Prometheus, Bound
As Lunar Transfer Vessel-02,Buzz Aldrin, passed above the dark expanse of the Sea of Fecundity,
Command Pilot Chase Coughlin eyeballed his progress against the landscape below. He watched the
Foaming Sea fall behind and the ship coast over the abrupt, bright highlands around Banachiewicz Crater.
On the money, he decided. A moment later, Gar Rustov, his copilot, confirmed their orbit against the
groundside navigation beacons.
Chase studied the twisted, colorless, alien surface, a country of lights and shadows: all blacks and whites
and grays. As the ship crossed the ridge between the Marginal and Smythe Seas, the white and gray