"Gould,.Steven.-.Helm" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gould Stephen Jay)

NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware
that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed'* to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this "stripped book."
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products 4 the author's imagination or are used fietit:iously.
HELM
Copyright (D 1998 by Steven Gould
All rights reserved. including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.
175 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 100 10
Tor Books oii the World Wide Web: http://\vwvv.tor.com
Tor' is a reg istered trademark of Toni Doherty Associates, Inc.
ISBN: 0-812-57135-@;
First --dition: April 1998 First mass market edition: February 1999
Printed in the Unitcd States of America
0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ACKNOWLEDCMLNTS
Thanks are due to my sempai, Ron Druva, for screening the aikido, scenes in this book for accuracy. Any mistakes that remain are my fault. More general and heartfelt thanks are due to all my teachers and fellow students at Southwestern Aikikai and in the Western Region of the United States Aikido, Federation.
Depending on the circumstance, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or empty as space.
_MORIHEI UESHIBA
Lemmuel de Laal (Deceased)
Landon de Laal (Deceased) & Carmen de Cantle (44)
Ricard de Laal
26
Dulan de Laal (52) & Lillian Saxe (Deceased)
Dillan de Laal
27
Dexter de Laal
24
Anthony de Laal
21
Leland de Laal
17
Lillian de Laal
I I
PROLOGUE
KATSU JIN KEN: THE SWORD THAT SAVES LIFE
They huddled on the floor, shoulder to shoulder, in a rock pocket off the main corridor, moving their heads carefully to avoid banging them on the low roof. A single low-wattage light shone down on dirty hands clutching notes and data screens. Unkempt hair floated above wrinkled brows and sunken cheeks. The fresh, sharp tang of acetic acid from caulk-covered cracks mixed with the ever-present smell of sweat, ammonia, and feces.
Those crowded into the corridor outside envied them. "Is the recorder on?" "Yes." "This meeting of the executive committee is in session. Minutes are accepted as filed. The only item on the agenda is the emigration vote."
A minor quake shook the rock slightly and Dr. Herrin stopped talking. Eyes widened and down the corridor somebody started screaming and thrashing around.
2 - STEVEN GOULD
Dr. Herrin ignored the noise and concentrated on her breathing.
She was sitting seiza, on her shins, composed, her shoulders relaxed, a sharp contrast to the others, who were sitting cross-legged or leaning back against the rough rock walls. Many of those clutched their knees and squeezed their eyes shut.
If the section was holed badly, there wasn't anything that could be done. There weren't enough pressure suits to go around. She hoped that the panic in the corridor wouldn't spread. They had to keep the pathway clear so that the emergency squads could get to smaller leaks-the ones that could be repaired.
The month before they'd lost forty-nine men, women, and children when a quake holed a corridor. Vacuum decompression is a violent death, and any death was hard to face after so many dead on Earth. Two of the cleanup crew went back to their niches and poisoned themselves.
The quake subsided and the screams down the hall died to violent sobbing.
Dr. Herrin continued. "There is high confidence in the accuracy of this data?"
Novato, a woman wearing a faded pair of NASA/ESA coveralls, nodded.
Herrin swallowed convulsively, then put her fingertips to her temples and closed her eyes. "Let's reiterate. She opened her eyes and held up five fingers. "The probe data is more than conclusive. Epsilon Eridani has an Earth-sized planet with a CO 2 nitrogen/water vapor atmosphere. The probe has initiated phase one seeding and initial results are excellentthe tailored bacteria are reproducing exponentially and already producing detectable oxygen. And, as you know, these results are twenty-five years old. Based on this data, current estimates indicate that by now, though there are still toxic levels of CO, the atmosphere is at least ten percent oxygen.
H E L M - 3
"However, in the hundred and thirty years it will take the ship to reach the system, the bacteria will finish the job. The atmosphere will be fully breathable. Resulting temperatures will be in the Earth-normal range. "These are not only encouraging results-they're optimal."