"Michael McCollum - Maker 1 - Lifeprobe" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

PROBE woke тАж in quick stages тАж of jumbled impressions тАж and stray memories.
The attack of integration vertigo lasted a dozen nanoseconds while its brain assembled itself into a
functioning whole. Finally, the fuzziness was gone and it was once more awake and aware.

The next step in the preprogrammed тАЬwake upтАЭ sequence was a complete sensor scan of the heavens.
As expected, PROBE found itself in interstellar space.The stars were cold, hard points of radiance
etched against the fathomless black of the cosmos. All save one.

PROBE checked its elapsed time chronometer and found that it had been ten thousand years since the
Makers first launched it outbound on its quest. It had been a long journey -- as Jurul had warned that it
might.

The thought of Jurul brought a sudden flood of long dormant memories to PROBEтАЩs main processing
units. Jurul had been the Maker in charge of constructing Life Probe Model CXI, Mark III, Hull Number
53935.

JurulтАЩs voice was the last thing PROBE had listened to before launch.

PROBE remembered that day vividly. A smallish planet of dark blues and purples slid by in silence
below while a full dozen of its brethren in various stages of construction trailed it in orbit. The scene in the
external sensors was calm, almost serene. However, the external views showed nothing of the frantic
activity inside PROBE as the Makers completed their final systems checkouts.

Then the poking and prodding of the ground controllers had fallen off and JurulтАЩs voice had ridden the
laser beam that tied PROBE to its creators.

JURUL: тАЬFinal status check, Nine-three-five.тАЭ

PROBE: тАЬStatus is go, Jurul. Ready for launch.тАЭ

JURUL: тАЬPre-launch sequence has begun. Repeat your mission objectives, Nine-three-five.тАЭ

PROBE: тАЬI am to seek out a technologically advanced civilization among the stars and make contact. I
will learn all I am able of their scientific knowledge and obtain their help to return home and report.тАЭ

JURUL: тАЬAnd if you should happen to discover a civilization that has developed a means of traveling
faster-than-light?тАЭ

PROBE: тАЬI will conceal all evidence of my origins until I have confirmed that such beings can be trusted.
When I am sure that it is safe to do so, I will direct them here to the home world to bargain for their
secret.тАЭ

JURUL: тАЬVery good. How long to initial boost?тАЭ

PROBE: тАЬComing up on eight-to-the-second-power seconds.тАЭ

JURUL: тАЬGood luck and good hunting, Nine-three-fiveтАЭ

PROBE: тАЬLuck to you as well, Jurul.тАЭ