"James P. Hogan - Martian Knightlife" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hogan James P)

genuine claim discounted by association. The usual course, therefore, was to spread the word quietly,
through channels known to be reliable to specialized interest markets, selected influential individuals,
and relevant departments of the serious scientific journals.
That was where people like June came in. A huge amount of space existed out thereтАФthe toroidal
volume of the Belt alone was a trillion times that of the sphere bounded by the MoonтАЩs orbit around
Earth, with ten billion asteroids over a hundred miles in diameterтАФand nobody could keep abreast of
everything that was going on. But she had particular areas that she followed and a healthy list of
clients who benefitted from the leads, referrals, and inside information that she was able to provide.
As is so true with many facets of life, buying knowledge was a lot cheaper than payingтАФone way or
anotherтАФfor ignorance.
Seeing that Kieran was still absorbing the news, June commented, тАЬHeтАЩd been working along
similar lines on Earth, but it was all too tied up by restrictions and regulations. You know what itтАЩs
like there: everyone meddling and lobbying to prevent just about anyone else from doing anything.тАЭ
тАЬHm. I take it that when this gets out, our friend Leo can expect to be a wealthy man,тАЭ Kieran said
finally. тАЬInstant celebrity, in addition to whateverтАЩs in it for him from his deal with Quantonix.тАЭ He
sipped his wine. тАЬI assume theyтАЩve already got a principal lined up?тАЭ He meant a potential buyer who
had been waiting for a conclusive demonstration.
June nodded. тАЬThey had technical and financial people all over the place yesterday. ThatтАЩs why it
was so hectic.тАЭ
тАЬWho is it?тАЭ Kieran asked curiously.
тАЬThree Cs. They should have the deal tied up in the next day or two.тАЭ It was one of the names that
Kieran had expected. Three Cs was the popular term for Consolidated Communications Corporation,
one of the major trans-system carriers. It wasnтАЩt something that June would have disclosed to anyone,
but she and Kieran had known each other too long for melodramatics.
тАЬWell, I suppose theyтАЩd want to be sure of all those test results before they sign any big checks.тАЭ Kieran
drank and thought some more. His face creased into a parody of a smile as a macabre thought struck
him. тАЬIt would be a bit unfortunate if Leo gurgled and fell over now, though, wouldnтАЩt it? So what
happens when theyтАЩve got their people-transmitters up and running, do you think? Will they want
payment strictly in advance, just in case?тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt think thereтАЩd be much risk once itтАЩs offered commerciallyтАФno more than you accept with
the spacelines, anyway. And since this is the first experiment of its kind ever, theyтАЩre taking
insurance,тАЭ June said. тАЬThe original is being kept in a state they call stasis suspension in a vault in the
basement until the tests are complete. I gather he could still be resuscitated if the copy failed to
work.тАЭ
Kieran stopped, his fork poised in midair, just as he had been about to bite into a piece of
flounder. тАЬWhat? . . . Wait a minute. Run that by me again,тАЭ he invited.
тАЬTheyтАЩre keeping the original in a suspended state until everyoneтАЩs satisfied that the experiment
has succeeded.тАЭ
KieranтАЩs brow creased. тАЬBut that isnтАЩt the way itтАЩs supposed to work. In everything you see
everywhere, the original dematerializes as fast as the sent version is being assembled. There isnтАЩt any
original left to have any choice about. Its goneтАФpoof!тАФfrom here to there.тАЭ
тАЬYes, and thatтАЩs how itтАЩll be once itтАЩs proved and working. But right now, with this being the first
time everтАФтАЭ
тАЬWhoa, whoa! Slow down a minute.тАЭ Kieran shook his head. тАЬWhat youтАЩve just told me makes a
big difference. Never mind how itтАЩs usually depicted to the world. What youтАЩre saying is that
dematerializing the original isnтАЩt necessaryтАФitтАЩs not an inherent part of the process. Speeding things
up with some sleight of hand doesnтАЩt change it. It means thereтАЩs an overlap, when both of them
coexist.тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs not the way they see it,тАЭ June replied. тАЬAccording to the official description, the other one
isnтАЩt a functioning person any longer. All the processes that define a person have been extracted and reside in the