"George R. R. Martin -- Second Helpings" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin George R R)

possible, methods which include use of the ocean floor as well as its watery ceiling. The growth of
neptuneтАЩs shawl can be stimulated and encouraged until it covers every square meter of SтАЩuthlamтАЩs
salt-water surface. The snow-oats and tunnel-tubers you have in place remain optimal food species for
your frigid arctic regions. Your deserts have been made to bloom, your swamps have been drained and
made productive. All that might be done on land or sea is being attempted. There remains only the air. I
therefore propose the introduction of a complete living ecosystem into your upper atmosphere.
тАЬBehind me, upon the screen, you see the final link in this new food chain I propose to forge for you. This
huge dark creature with the black triangular wings is a Claremontine wind-rider, also called the ororo, a
distant analogue to better-known species such as the black banshee of High Kavalaan and the lashtail
manta of Hemador. It is a predator of the upper atmosphere, a glider and hunter, born aloft, a creature of
the winds that lives and dies in flight, never touching land or sea. Indeed, once having landed, such
wind-riders soon perish, as it is impossible for them to go aloft again. On Claremont, the species is small
and lightweight, its flesh reported to be tough and leathery. It consumes any birds with the misfortune to
venture into the altitudes it hunts, and also several varieties of airborne microorganisms, flying fungi, and
windborne slime-molds that I also propose to introduce into your upper atmosphere. I have produced a
genetically tailored wind-rider for SтАЩuthlam, with a wing-span of some twenty meters, the ability to
descend almost to treetop level, and nearly six times the body mass of the original. A small hydrogen sac
behind the sensory organs will enable the beast to maintain flight despite this greater body weight. With
your aircars and fliers, you will have no difficulty hunting and killing the wind-riders, and you will find
them an excellent source of protein.
тАЬIn the interests of full and complete honesty, I must add that this ecological modification will not be
without cost. The microorganisms, fungus, and slime-molds will reproduce very quickly in your skies,
having no natural enemies. The upper stories of your taller residential towers will be covered with mold
and fungus, and more frequent cleaning will be required. Most of the native SтАЩuthlamese birds and those
species you brought to this world from Tara and Old Earth will die out, displaced by this new aerial
ecosystem. Ultimately, the skies themselves will darken, you will receive significantly less sunlight, and
your climate will undergo a permanent change. I do not project this happening for some three hundred
years, however. Since you face disaster in a far shorter time if nothing is done, I continue to recommend
the course of action I have outlined.тАЭ
The newsfeed reporters leaped to their feet and began shouting questions. Tolly Mune was slumped and
scowling. First Councillor Cregor Blaxon was sitting quite still, staring straight ahead with a fixed smile on
his sharp, thin face, his eyes glassy.
тАЬA moment, if you will,тАЭ Haviland Tuf said to the turmoil. тАЬI am about to conclude. You have heard my
recommendations and seen the species with which I intend to redesign your ecology. Now, attend.
Assuming your High Council does indeed opt to deploy the meatbeast, the jersee-pod, and the ororo in
the ways that I have outlined, the ArkтАЩs computers project a significant improvement in your food crisis.
Observe.тАЭ
All eyes went to the telescreen. Even Tolly Mune craned her head around, and First Councillor Cregor
Blaxon, smile still firmly in place, rose from his seat and faced the screen boldly, his thumbs hooked into
his pockets. A grid flashed into place, a red line chased a green line across the display, and dates lined up
along one axis, population figures along the other.
The noise died.
The silence lingered.
Even way to the back, they heard Cregor Blaxon when he cleared his throat. тАЬAh, Tuf,тАЭ he said, тАЬthis
must be wrong.тАЭ
тАЬSir,тАЭ said Haviland Tuf, тАЬI assure you, it is not.тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs, ah, the before, isnтАЩt it? Not the after.тАЭ He pointed. тАЬI mean, look, all that eco-engineering, growing
nothing but these pods, our seas covered with neptuneтАЩs shawl, the skies growing darker with flying food,
meat-mountains in every cellar.тАЭ
тАЬMeatbeasts,тАЭ Tuf corrected, тАЬalthough I concede that тАШmeat mountainsтАЩ has a certain flair. You have a