"Murray Leinster - First Contact (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Leinster Murray)

teeth. Tommy Dort said meditatively:
тАЬDтАЩyou know, sir, I saw something like this on a liner of the EarthтАФMars run once, when we
were being located by another ship. Their locator beam was the same frequency as ours, and every
time it hit, it registered like something monstrous, and solid.тАЭ
тАЬThat,тАЭ said the skipper savagely, тАЬis just whatтАЩs happening now. ThereтАЩs something like a
locator beam on us. WeтАЩre getting that beam and our, own echo besides. But the other shipтАЩs
invisible! Who is out here in an invisible ship with locator devices? Not men, certainly!тАЭ
He pressed the button in his sleeve communicator and snapped:
тАЬAction stations! Man all weapons! Condition of extreme alert in all departments
immediately!тАЭ
His hands closed and unclosed. He stared again at the visiplate, which showed nothing but
a formless brightness.
тАЬNot men?тАЭ Tommy Dort straightened sharply. тАЬYou meanтАФтАЭ
тАЬHow many solar systems in our galaxy?тАЭ demanded the skipper bitterly. тАЬHow many planets
fit for life? And how many kinds of life could there be? If this ship isnтАЩt from EarthтАФand it
isnтАЩtтАФit has a crew that isnтАЩt human. And things that arenтАЩt human but are up to the level of deep-
space travel in their civilization could mean anything!тАЭ
The skipperтАЩs hands were actually shaking. He would not have talked so freely before a
member of his own crew, but Tommy Dort was of the observation staff. And even a skipper whose
duties include worrying may sometimes need desperately to unload his worries. Sometimes, too, it
helps to think aloud.
тАЬSomething like this has been talked about and speculated about for years,тАЭ he said
soffly. тАЬMathematically, itтАЩs been an odds-on bet that somewhere in our galaxy thereтАЩd be another
race with, a civilization equal to or further advanced than ours. Nobody could ever guess where -
or when weтАЩd meet them. But it looks like weтАЩve done it now!тАЭ
TommyтАЩs eyes were very bright.
тАЬDтАЩyou suppose theyтАЩll be friendly, sir?тАЭ
The skipper glanced at the distance indicator. The phantom object still made its insane,
nonexistent swoops toward and away from the Lianvabon. The secondary indication of an object at


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eighty thousand miles stirred ever so slightly.
тАЬItтАЩs moving,тАЭ he said curtly. тАЬHeading for us. Just what weтАЩd do if a strange spaceship
appeared in our hunting grounds! Friendly? Maybe! WeтАЩre going to try to contact them. We have to.
But I suspect this is the end of this expedition. Thank God for the blasters!тАЭ
The blasters are those beams of ravening destruction which take care of recalcitrant
meteorites in a spaceshipтАЩs course when the deflectors canтАЩt handle them. They are not designed as
weapons, but they can serve as pretty good ones. They can go into action at five thousand miles,
and draw on the entire power output of a whole ship. With automatic aim and a traverse of five
degrees, a ship like the Lianvabon can come very close to blasting a hole through a small-sized
asteroid which gets in its way. But not on overdrive, of course.
Tommy Dort had approached the bow-quartering visiplate. Now he jerked his head around.
тАЬBlasters, sir? What for?тАЭ
The skipper grimaced at the empty visiplate.
тАЬBecause we donтАЩt know what theyтАЩre like and canтАЩt take a chance! I know!тАЭ he added
bitterly. тАЬWeтАЩre going to make contacts and try to find out all we can about themтАФespecially where
they come from. I suppose weтАЩll try to make friendsтАФbut we havenтАЩt much chance. We canтАЩt trust