"The Clouds Of Saturn" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

pressure, low density, and moderate temperature was surprisingly Earth-like for
a world that orbited one-and-a-half billion kilometers from the sun.
Nor were those the only aspects of the Saturnian environment that were
Earth-like. With an overall density only 60% that of water and a diameter of
120,000 kilometers, SaturnТs surface gravity at the poles was only 16% greater
than Earth standard. The planetТs high rate of spin further reduced the
gravitational pull. As one approached the equator, centrifugal force subtracted
from gravity until it was slightly less than Earth-normal. Overall, a
comfortable environment for the refugees from the inner solar system.
The Saturnian day was an annoyingly short one, however. The planet rotated on
its axis every 10 hours and 40 minutes. Humanity had solved the problem by
adopting a diurnal rhythm that encompassed two complete revolutions of the
planet. Thus, each Saturnian СdayТ was 21.3 hours long and included two sunrises
and sunsets. The rising and setting of the sun divided the day into four parts
that corresponded roughly to morning, afternoon, evening, and night. To keep the
years straight, a calendar of 411 of the short Saturnian days had been adopted.
The system was not perfect, but it simplified the problem of adapting to an
alien world. Keeping accurate time was further complicated by the varying rates
at which the winds blew the cloud cities around the planet, and the progression
of seasons as the planet circled the sun once every 29.5 standard years.
Larson Sands thought of none of this as he made his way across the park that
fronted the hotel where he and his people were staying. SaturnТs gravity and
length of day were as natural to him as breathing, as was the elevated timbre of
human voices and other sounds transmitted through the cityТs helium-oxygen
atmosphere. Indeed, he had heard recordings that had been modified to simulate
what human voices would sound like in a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. The women
had all sounded like men and listening to the men had made his throat ache in
sympathy.
The hotel was the Saturn Royale, the best in Port Gregson. When one is bankrupt,
Sands reasoned, it is important to keep up appearances. Otherwise, the cityТs
authorities might begin to wonder ifSparrowHawk Тs crew could afford all the
port charges their ship was accumulating down in the landing bays. The secret to
keeping out of debtorТs prison was to ensure not only that the question was
never asked, but also that it was never even considered.
As he made his way across the spongy surface of the park, past trees anchored in
the light foam of their planters, LarsonТs thoughts were occupied by the coming
interview with Micah Bolin. If anything, the uneasy feeling Sands had
experienced in the bar was even greater now that he had had a chance to sober
up. Whatever Bolin wanted from him, it was obviously not a normal privateerТs
contract. Those were concluded in lawyersТ offices with bonus, penalty, and
non-performance clauses spelled out for both sides in dreary detail. This
furtive meeting in the bowels of the Port Gregson industrial district reeked of
something else entirely.
Larson found a lift and pressed the call button. Moments later he was dropping
swiftly toward the lower levels of the support truss. When he stepped out, he
found himself in an enclosed corridor deep in the heart of the city. This was a
warehouse district where cargo was sorted and stored. Port GregsonТs status as a
trading city meant that work never truly ceased in the giant warehouses, but
since Second Night was when most people slept, Larson Sands found the corridor
deserted.