"Laurence M. Janifer - Count Down" - читать интересную книгу автора (Janifer Laurence M)

colonization or exploration. Yank the human race right back to Earth. If you want to step out in favor of
thatтАФ"
"Moonbase," Sam Murin said. "Dall, why not get the rocket to Moonbase and start it to Thoth from
there? It'd get rid of the numbers problem, wouldn't it?"
"It would, Sam," Freeman said, "except for another numbers problem. It would be approximately
three times as expensiveтАФand despite what the Dichtung says every time a new budget item for Rocket
and Interplanetary Flight Group comes along, there just isn't that, kind of available credit for the asking."
Murin nodded very slowly. "Nor likely to be," he said. "According to research and interview groups,
and spot eavesdrop checks, the public has had about as much spending for `cold, empty, airless, useless
space'тАФI quote a recent speech by one of our Opposition friendsтАФas they're going to stand.
Nevertheless, contingency fundsтАФ"
"Are useful for many things, Sam," Freeman said. "But not for anything this big. Contingency funding
is like petty cash; immensely useful, but you can't draw on it indefinitely, or to any large extent."
Prater looked up suddenlyтАФstruck, obviously, by what Prater considered an idea. "But the
Opposition . . . I mean, if they did get in, if we went ahead and the government did fall on this issueтАФif
they got in, I meanтАФwell, they wouldn't stay in office forever, you know."
"They wouldn't have to, to do the damage we're talking about." There were times, Freeman reflected,
when he seemed to be teaching a primary school. Remotely, he imagined that everyone, probably, felt the
same now and again. Still . . . "Give them two yearsтАФand I think they'd have two years without much
troubleтАФand we'd have to start over again from scratch. No probe program, no proto-colony, nothing in
this area at all would last two years without real support. AndтАФwe'd have to start over again with the
people, too, Prater." He looked over at Murin. An authentically calm man, Freeman thought, and
wondered whether or not he envied the quality.
"Two years is a long time," Murin agreed, on cue. "People forget. They have to be educated, or
reminded . . . well, find your own word for it . . . all over again. They have to be re-convinced. And God,
if any, has no more idea than I do whether, after two years, re-convincing would be in the least possible.
It isn't the sort of question you can expect Information to answerтАФwe deal only in very immediate
futures."
"Well, thenтАФ" Harcourt began heavily.
"Well, then, we have to send the Roubins," Freeman cut in. "Except that we can'tтАФwhich is where
this talk began."
Harcourt nodded. Judicious. Thinking it over. "WithтАФit occurs to meтАФyour fond acquaintance
Richard Hamsun in command. Dall, it irritates me to have to work for that man's successтАФ"
"It isn't his success, and there's nothing really irritating about him," Freeman said as mildly as he knew
how. "He's the best availableтАФand he knows itтАФwhich is why he was invited to the Year Day Gala. I
took some care to introduce myself to him then, and to make as sure as I could that he remembered me.
Admittedly, he has an unfortunate habit of saying what he thinks . . . but he is the best available, and the
success won't be his, or mine, or yours. The success will belong to the human race. We need to spread
outтАФ"
"I remember Hamsun's speech," Harcourt snapped. "It hadn't occurred to me that you'd had one of
your staff write itтАФor written it yourself."
"I didn't." Quite tiring, Freeman told himselfтАФexhausting, in fact. Also, necessary. "It's just that
the proposition is sufficiently obvious to occur to more than one person."
"Perfectly obvious," Harcourt said.
"And every surveyтАФam I right, Sam?тАФmakes it more and more evident we're stalled. The Roubins
has to leave within a six-hour period. We have that much leewayтАФbut all of it falls on Friday. Friday,
June 13th, in the year 2113. Which puts a curse on the shipтАФfor all I know, on Thoth, on Hamsun, and
on the entire program; I wouldn't put anything at all past the quasi-rational hysteria a good superstition
can work up. The people won't stand for the curse." "Damn it," Harcourt exploded, "it's perfectly
ridiculous!"