"Edward M. Lerner - RSVP" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lerner Edward M)

RSVP
by Edward M. Lerner


M ission Commander Green waited, ill at ease, beneath the hot glare of the media lights.
Life was simpler on the bridge of his starship. Nervously, he shifted his weight from one leg to
the other. His palms were cold and clammy.

Flashing cameras heralded the entry of the committee into the hearing room. Anxious
spectators fell silent. The lawmakers took their places, arranged files, set out their portable
computers, poured glasses of water. Anticipating the crack of the gavel, Green took the
center chair at the witness table, his crew seating themselves behind him.

He recited his oath. Cameras flashed anew as he gave his prepared statement. Using videos
from the recent mission, he recounted the familiar events. The hearing would explore the
details, but the evidence seemed incontrovertible.

Yet despite the mountain of data that informed their recommendation, he felt he had
somehow failed.

The chairperson began the questioning. "Commander, did your mission follow the agreed-upon
protocols?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"More than once?"

"All the protocols. Repeatedly, and in various sections of the planet." He had been so sure of
a different outcome. "Time and again, for years."

"Including overflights and interviews with random natives?"

"Yes," Green agreed. "Those were among our procedures. We also flew by and alongside their
primitive conveyances."

After keying a note, the chairperson changed topics. "Commander, tell us about the
natives."

"Ma'am, their settlements are widely distributed. Their largest population centers almost
reach the size of small cities. A few regions exhibit capabilities analogous to an early
industrial stage of development."

Query followed query as legislators took their turns. He had thought himself emotionally
prepared for reliving the experience. He'd been wrong.

Memories inundated him. The primitive craft that enigmatically ignored or turned to flee from
the mission's aerospace planes. Aborigines who crashed their vehicles in irrational panic. The
natives who lapsed into hysteria or unconsciousness at the mere sight of him. The
end-of-mission recourse to improvisation: Buzzing population centers. Hovering above
cultivated areas scribing elaborate patterns with a pressor beam.