"C. Sanford Lowe & G. David Nordley - The Small Pond" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lowe C Sanford)

THE SMALL POND
by C. Sanford Lowe and G. David Nordley




Being a big fish may be attractive, but can have correspondingly big
disadvantages...

****

Chapter 1
In the Solar SystemтАЩs Kuiper Belt,
9 May 2250
тАЬReturn? Return!? But we just got here! NobodyтАЩs even been down to the
surface yet!тАЭ
The surface floated in front of Liz Avonford, forbidding, mysterious. She put
a hand on the MarsdenтАЩs observation window as if to touch the unknown planetoid
below them. It drew her to it with a force far greater than its negligible gravity.
Salim shook his head firmly. тАЬOrders from Dr. DeRoot. We have to go back.
Besides, we didnтАЩt tell them we were going to land. I think Vitus DeRoot would
rather someone else be the first on the surface. This is the biggest thing found in the
Solar System in the last centuryтАФitтАЩs over 300 kilometers across! ItтАЩs historically
important. The institute would want to be involved in the landfall decision. WeтАЩve
got a big fish here, and we arenтАЩt expected to be catching big fish. We should get
permission.тАЭ
тАЬNuts!тАЭ she said. At 3007 AUтАЩs from Sol, it was her call. тАЬIтАЩm going down
for a couple of hours at least. WeтАЩre too far out to be calling back to headquarters.
It would take a month to get permission.тАЭ
тАЬThirty-four days, sixteen hours,тАЭ the Marsden added, helpfully. тАЬ25 August
2250.тАЭ
тАЬLook, they didnтАЩt say so in so many words,тАЭ Salim said, тАЬbut...тАЭ
тАЬNuts to the politics! I found it. And IтАЩm going to be the first one down.тАЭ
Silence. She was the expedition commander and the legal authority in place,
unless Salim or someone relieved her. And they would not do so over this; no one
had expressly ordered her not to make landfall.
Liz grabbed the doorjamb and projected herself across the deck to the nearest
excursion vehicle. She checked herself smartly with a hand slap on the cockpit rim,
pivoting her legs onto the seat. A quick visual showed the standard equipment was
all present, including a helmet and coveralls in the wire mesh locker behind the
pilotтАЩs station.
тАЬActivate and close up,тАЭ she ordered the module.
Two hours later, she was on the planetoidтАЩs surface, leaving the first human
footprints on its regolith of coal-black cosmic dust.
She crouched slowly to keep her feet on the ground and set an analyzer on the
surface.
тАЬHow old?тАЭ she queried.
The display inside her helmet projected 7.219 gigayears.
тАЬSalim, this thing is older than the Solar System! Over seven billion years! It
didnтАЩt come from here!тАЭ