"C. Sanford Lowe & G. David Nordley - Loki's Realm" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lowe C Sanford)

Zhau had wanted someone he could completely rely on to ensure the Epsilon Eridani
impactor went on time, heтАЩd picked Weaver, as heтАЩd told me over a whisky at our
interview.
тАЬBad luck on Davra, though. SheтАЩs on ice already.тАЭ Weaver smiled and gave
me a wink. тАЬSo you do your research, heed that data, and plan for contingencies.
Those are survival traits out here.тАЭ
I took that as high praise. тАЬThank you, sir.тАЭ
тАЬWeтАЩll have you on ice tomorrow and youтАЩll wake up in the space colony
being built to house us at Epsilon Eridani. So settle in and make your calls today.тАЭ
I did so, but before turning in, I poked around the ship a bit. If things went
according to plan, this would likely be the last IтАЩd see of it.
****
Chapter 2
Aboard the Admiral Byrd,
in route to the Epsilon Eridani System,
9 November, 2272
I woke to a low-pitched thrum and a slight metallic taste in my mouth,
presumably a legacy of my cold sleep experience. Otherwise, I might have had an
afternoon nap. Our trip to Epsilon Eridani should be over, and I should be in some
kind of house or apartment in the great rugby-ball-shaped habitat that the robots had
been building for us, along with about a hundred other freshly thawed people. Every
second or so, I heard a distant hollow thumpтАФa construction device of some sort,
perhaps. I was not entirely motionless, but the accelerations were slight; had I not
been on a mattress, I doubt IтАЩd have felt anything.
I lifted my head and opened my eyes. The light level was quite low, but
enough for me to see that I was still in my stateroom aboard the Admiral Byrd.
тАЬAdmiral? Why am I not in the habitat? HavenтАЩt we made it to Epsilon
Eridani?тАЭ
Do you hear me satisfactorily?
тАЬAye, but not in my ears! What have ye done to me?тАЭ
YouтАЩve been given an implant. ItтАЩs a necessary safety item aboard a
starship. In a few days, youтАЩll be able to communicate subvocally on the local net,
but for now, continue to talk; this lets your chip learn the impulse patterns of the
nerves to your vocal cords.
I had just been getting used to the glasses! I blinked hard, shook my head, and
stretched to wake myself. Something had happened! I could complain about the
surgery later.
You have a message from Dr. Weaver.
тАЬAye?тАЭ
WeaverтАЩs voice sounded in my head. A very violent and entirely unpredicted
collision in the Epsilon Eridani system has increased the amount of meteoric
debris in the system by three or four orders of magnitude, two orders of magnitude
more than the array-building system had been designed to withstand. We will be
meeting in the Sphere Three Park at 1400 to discuss the situation and make plans.
тАЬWell!тАЭ They must have known this for some time, I thought. So much for my
arrangement. тАЬLetтАЩs see whatтАЩs out there. Forward view.тАЭ
I saw a glowing MedusaтАФa black disk surrounded by curling wavy streams
of light. It took me a few seconds to register what I saw with what I knew.
тАЬWeтАЩre in the shadow of this habitat?тАЭ
Yes, the Admiral answered. The outward end of the shell has been