"Alan Dean Foster - Flinx 11 - Running from the Deity" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

Commonwealth and civilization, but everything within his field of view. His mental field of view, he
reminded himself. Hence the need, however hopeless the notion of fighting something so immense and
alien, to find allies. Such as, just possibly, the primeval weapons platform that had for millennia
masqueraded as the tenth planet of the system known as Pyrassis.

Thinking of it made him want to go stand and soak beneath another shower.

A reaction as ineffectual as it was childish, he knew. He could no more wash away the distinct memory
of the evil he knew was out there than he could that of his troubled childhood, his subsequent erratic
maturation, and the pressure to succeed that had been placed on him by his good friends and mentors
Bran Tse-Mallory and the Eint Truzenzuzex. Just as with his unstable, if escalating and potentially fatal


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 Running

Talent, he could not wish such things away.

He stared out at the universe and the universe stared right back, indifferent. Exactly how was he
supposed to go about finding the wandering planet-sized Tar-Aiym device? The brilliant Truzenzuzex
and the insightful Tse-Mallory had been unable to give him much advice. Since he was the only one who
had experienced (or suffered, he corrected himself) mental contact with the machine, it was hoped that if
he deliberately went looking for it he might make such contact with it again. Strike up a casual
conversation with an all-powerful alien artifact, it was supposed.

And, he mused, in the unlikely event that he did? How to convince such a relic to participate in the
defense of the galaxy. Nothing of overweening importanceтАФjust your average galaxy, in which he, and
everyone he knew, happened to live. Reposing in the chair, he shook his head dolefully though there
were none present to note the gesture save Pip and ship.

тАЬI donтАЩt see how I can do what Bran and Tru asked,тАЭ he muttered aloud. He did not need to explain
himself. Ship-mind knew.

тАЬIf you cannot, then no one can,тАЭ it replied unhelpfully. As befitted its programming, it was doing its
best to be supportive.

тАЬA distinct and even likely possibility,тАЭ he murmured to no one and nothing in particular. He glanced in
the direction of the main readout. тАЬWeтАЩre still on courseтАФif you can call heading in a general direction
hundreds of parsecs in extent a тАШcourse.тАЩтАЭ

As usual, the Teacher sounded more relaxed when responding to specifics of ship operation than it did
when trying to understand the often unfathomable complexities of human thought and behavior.

тАЬWe have re-entered the Commonwealth on intent to cross vector three-five-four, accelerating in space-
plus on course to leave Commonwealth boundaries beyond Almaggee space, subsequent to entering the
Sagittarius Arm and the region collectively known as the Blight.тАЭ

The Blight, Flinx thought. Home to long-vanished species among whom were the ancient Tar-Aiym and
HurтАЩrikku. The Blight: an immense swath of space once flourishing with inhabited worlds much of
which had been rendered dead and sterile by the photonic plague unleashed by the Tar-Aiym on their