"Michael McCollum - Maker 2 - Procyion Promise" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

phenomenon also protected the starship from harm. Since the radiation of its wake was limited to the
mere crawl that is light speed,Promise left its deadly wake far behind in the instant of its creation.

There was a time, however, whenProcyonтАЩs Promise would lose its immunity to the titanic forces that its
speed had unleashed. For, as soon as the ship slipped below light speed, the trailing wake would wash
over it like a wave over a hapless surfer. In that instant, the starship would be engulfed in radiation
equivalent to that encountered during a Class I solar flare.

тАЬEveryone ready for breakout?тАЭ Braedon asked over the command circuit. Around him, a dozen
crewmen were monitoring the shipтАЩs subsystems against the day when they might have to fly home
without the computerтАЩs assistance.

тАЬAll ready, Captain,тАЭ Calver Martin, BraedonтАЩs executive officer answered from his console on the
starboard side of the bridge.

Braedon nodded. Several seconds later, the computer began the countdown.тАЬTen seconds ... five ...
four ... three ... two ... one ... breakout!тАЭ

Braedon felt a tiny lurch. That was all. There was a moment of silence, followed by two hundred voices
cheering over the shipтАЩs intercom system.

тАЬBreakout complete. Secure from breakout stations.

тАЬAll Department Heads report status and damage.тАЭ Braedon reached out and touched a control on his
instrument panel. A green status light lit up immediately, and the voice that had so recently echoed from
the annunciators spoke quietly in his ear.

тАЬYes, Robert?тАЭ

тАЬWe seem to have made it, PROM .WhatтАЩs our status?тАЭ

The computer answered almost before he had finished the question. тАЬWe are green across the board. I
am still calculating a precise breakout point. Initial observations place us approximately six billion
kilometers from Sol. We will need twelve hours to achieve intrasystem velocity.тАЭ

тАЬHow fast are you applying the brakes?тАЭ
тАЬI am holding deceleration at 7000 meters-per- second-squared. Do you wish to order a
change?тАЭ Braedon hesitated momentarily. The figure cited was 650 times the force of
gravity on Alpha. Should the internal compensators fail, two hundred crewmembers would
be turned instantly to a thin red paste spread evenly over every interior surface facing Sol.
Unfortunately, that was an unavoidable hazard. To back down from light-speed at one
Alphan gravity would take most of a year.
тАЬNo change in programmed deceleration,тАЭ he said.

тАЬUnderstood,тАЭ PROManswered.

тАЬIs it safe to unshutter?тАЭ Braedon asked one of the technicians seated directly in front of him.

тАЬThe radiation storm peaked five seconds ago and is now declining as predicted, Captain,тАЭ the man said
without taking his gaze off his instruments. Stand by...тАЭ There was a ten second period of silence,