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

followed by: тАЬIt is now safe to unshutter.тАЭ
тАЬDo so. Continue to monitor. Inform me of any deviations from nominal,тАЭ Braedon ordered.

тАЬOrder acknowledged and understood.

Braedon keyed for the comm circuit that connected him to his executive officer. тАЬSet the watch, Mr.
Martin.тАЭ

The Exec acknowledged the order. Seconds later, the heavy metal covers slid silently back into their
recesses, and the light of the universe flooded in for the first time in a week. It was a universe much
changed from that which Captain Braedon was used to seeing in the night sky back home.

He smiled as he remembered the last time he and Cecily had packed his three-centimeter reflector to the
top of RandallтАЩs Ridge for a night of stargazing. Sol had been low on the horizon, an unblinking point of
yellow light burning brightly in spite of the aurora that danced across the sky. They had taken turns staring
through the eyepiece at the Mother-of-Men, watching it until it streamed below the horizon. A few
minutes later, the swiftly moving point of light that was the partially constructedProcyonтАЩs Promise had
climbed into view in the east. They had watched that until it too was out of sight. Then they had zipped
their sleeping bags together and made love in the cold mountain air.

Construction onPromise had been completed seven months later. And here he was twelve light-years
away, staring at the same yellow point of light.

Except this time, it was no mere point and decidedly not yellow! The star of mankindтАЩs youth was now
an eye searing, actinic blue-white. It was as though old Sol had suddenly blown his top, surging out with
supernova violence to steal the lives of his children. In fact, it wasPromise тАЩs breakneck speed that
caused the sunтАЩs rays to be blue shifted so violently. All the stars in the sky were shifted likewise and their
positions distorted by the relativistic effects of the starshipтАЩs speed.

Braedon reached out and punched for his executive officer again.

тАЬYes, Captain?тАЭ

тАЬWhatтАЩs the tally on breakout?тАЭ

тАЬNo apparent damage, sir. We have spot-checked the radiation dosimeters. No problem there, either.
The shielding appears adequate.тАЭ

тАЬVery good, Mr. Martin. I am going off watch to get some sleep. You do the same as soon as you have
the second officer briefed.тАЭ

тАЬYes, sir.тАЭ

#

Twelve hours later, Robert Braedon was back in his command couch, watching a much more normal Sol
grow slowly larger overhead in the bridge viewdome. A magnified view also decorated the viewscreen in
front of him. In that view, Sol was a bright yellow ball with three tiny sunspots arrayed across its face. A
small planet could be seen transiting across the face of the Sun as well.