"Edward M. Lerner - Part II of IV - A New Order of Things" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lerner Edward M)

T'bck Fwa is the long-time trade agent to humanity of the Unity: the intelligent species of Alpha
Centauri A (popularly, the Centaurs). Unity authorities have ordered him to search for human
antimatter and interstellar-drive research. His diligent data mining long ago revealed a
clandestine human antimatter program on Himalia--and now a K'vithian starship has made
Jupiter its destination. T'bck Fwa suspects a human/K'vithian conspiracy.

Most humans have forgotten, or at least forgiven, a half-century-earlier inter-species crisis. Art is
not among them. The "Snake Subterfuge" involved a trapdoor hidden in licensed Snake
biocomputer technology, potentially compromising most human infrastructure. That crisis ended
when Pashwah was convinced that one corporation's extortion plans must not be allowed to
undermine overall inter-species relations. The biocomputer vulnerability has long been removed.

Art's suspicions grow, as most of Victorious remains hidden from closely chaperoned human
visitors. Chung finally begins to share Art's doubts when Mashkith gives Corinne an exclusive
onboard interview. The accident en route has destroyed the starship's antimatter production
equipment. Unless the UP provides antimatter for the return flight, Victorious is stranded.
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CHAPTER 11

Bose-Einstein Condensate: the fifth phase of matter, after solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Albert Einstein
first theorized the Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) phase in 1924, building upon pioneering work of
Satyendra Nath Bose, but the existence of BECs went undemonstrated until 1995.

A BEC consists of like atoms cooled to a few billionths of a degree Kelvin above absolute zero. Fallen
into the lowest possible energy state, bosons (particles with zero or integral spin, such as pions, alpha
particles, and individual atoms) effectively lose their individual identities, exhibiting coherence like
photons--also bosons--in a laser beam. In quantum-dynamic terms, all particles in the BEC share a
common wave function. BECs can be used to confine matter at extremely high densities.

--Internetopedia
****
The social pleasantries didn't last long, even by Art's minimalist standards.

"Reviewing your infosphere, I would guess you use BECs," said Rashk Keffah. She was a junior officer,
an engineer, and stocky for a K'vithian. She was also the sole surviving expert aboard Victorious in the
safe handling of antimatter.

Pashwah Two, like her parent, consistently declined to explain Snake body language. Art's and Eva's
translator, Joseph Conrad 213, was still learning on the job, but Joe had no such reservations. "Did you
notice the two eye blinks? That was a sneer."

The fourth and final biologic at the table was Rashk Lothwer, who shot his crewmate a look. (No
comment from Joe, so the glance meant what it did among humans: surprise and/or "Watch it.") More
than a crewmate, in fact. The entire ship's complement of Victorious appeared to be in clan Arblen Ems.
Arblen Ems Rashk Lothwer, Mashkith's chief lieutenant, was of the extended Rashk family. Were he and
Keffah cousins? Brother and sister? Unknown.

They were alone in the officer's wardroom of the UP cruiser Actium, the Snakes seated on tall stools
fabricated for them from ship's stores. Hidden fans raced to vent the strong, pungent odor of sulfur
dioxide, traces of which had adhered to the visitors' pressure suits.