"Michael McCollum - Gibraltar earth" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

equatorial plane. I will see to it that the weather directorate cooperates. What problems are there in
turning it into a base of operations?тАЭ

тАЬWeтАЩll need to duplicate High StationтАЩs laboratory facilities, of course, and man them with specialists. If
we start moving people and equipment from High Station, someone will talk.тАЭ

тАЬThen we donтАЩt do it. You can useMagellan тАЩs specialists for most things. Those extra scientists we
need, we will recruit here on Earth. Same with the equipment. That way no one will have enough view of
the full picture to realize what is going on. To further obscure things, haveMagellan тАЩs flight plan pulled
from the Sky Watch computer. We may not be able to obscure the fact that the ship is home, but by
God, we can make it difficult for anyone trying to find it.тАЭ

Bartok scribbled a note on the face of his pocket computer before continuing. тАЬThen there is the problem
of the people who were killed. WeтАЩve notified their next of kin.тАЭ

тАЬAny problems?тАЭ

тАЬThe families are in shock at the moment. I think we can handle them well enough if they start to ask too
many questions. The scout pilot was independently wealthy. So is her brother. He is at headquarters right
now making inquiries into how his sister died.тАЭ

тАЬI suppose you have arranged a plausible cover story.тАЭ

Bartok nodded. тАЬMy assistant is explaining to him that his sister ran into an errant piece of space junk.
That should satisfy him. We will also send someone to help with the funeral arrangements. I figure if we
are helpful enough, he will soon give up rooting around for details.тАЭ

тАЬIt sounds like you have things well under control, Anton. Now, then, what do you make of the fact that
these aliens attacked our scout and starship without warning?тАЭ

тАЬObviously, theyтАЩre warlike.тАЭ

тАЬI thought species who have achieved interstellar travel were supposed to be long past the war stage. In
fact, I once wrote a thesis to that effect.тАЭ

тАЬApparently, your thesis is in need of revision.тАЭ

тАЬThey must be very confident,тАЭ she mused. тАЬThe speed with which they attacked the scout indicates that
they didnтАЩt considerMagellan a threat.тАЭ

тАЬHow could they know whether it was or wasnтАЩt?тАЭ Bartok asked. тАЬTheyтАЩd never seen a human ship
before.тАЭ

тАЬParanoid?тАЭ

тАЬPossibly. Still, the fact that they attacked us without provocation is less disturbing than what our people
found onboard that derelict. You saw the bodies. Did they look like the same species to you?тАЭ

тАЬNo, of course not.тАЭ