"The Sails Of Tau Ceti" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

УAll very interesting, Boris,Ф one of the board members said. УBut what has all
of this to do with us?Ф
HunsackerТs response was to touch the cube control. The nova burst faded from
the screen, to be replaced by a modern holographic image. Again, the view was
centered on the same starfield. Tau Ceti was no longer a brilliant flame. The
central star had returned to the yellow spark that had preceded the nova. That
spark was surrounded by a milk-white ring of light. The ring marked the
outermost expansion of the gas cloud that had been ejected by the explosion two
centuries past. There was a new point of light in the hologram. Another yellow
spark had appeared just beyond the gas shell.
УWhatТs that?Ф Sharon Milos asked, pointing to the point.
УThat,Ф Hunsacker replied in triumph, Уis the reason for this meeting. This holo
was taken two weeks ago by the observatory on Luna. The spectrum is that of Sol,
with a slight Doppler shift toward the blue end of the spectrum.Ф Hunsacker
paused to let the import of what he had just said sink in. All around the table,
there were looks of perplexity that slowly turned to looks of wonder.
УA light sail!Ф Tory exclaimed, remembering the glint of sunlight she had seen
out the port of the Phobos ferry.
УA light sail,Ф Hunsacker agreed. УWeТve managed to triangulate it using the
telescope on Europa. It is two light months out, and moving in at five percent
of the speed of light. Its origin is almost certainly the Tau Ceti nova.Ф
УLadies and gentlemen, it would see that we are about to receive our first
visitor from another star!Ф
#
There was a stunned silence in the conference room for nearly a minute before
anyone spoke. When someone did, it was Carse Groschenko, the project comptroller
and a retired astronomer.
УNone of this has been on the news!Ф
УThat is the doing of my boss,Ф Sadibayan replied. УMinister De Pasqual has
requested that the Lunarians not announce their discovery until after I spoke
with you people.Ф
УAnd they listened to him?Ф
Sadibayan shrugged. УA considerable portion of Luna ObservatoryТs operating
budget is handled through my department. That made them amenable to the idea. I
must impress on each of you that this is a Lunarian discovery, and that it is
only right that they have the honor of announcing. What you learn here must not
go beyond this room. Agreed?Ф
A mutter of assent ran around the table. There was a tradition in science that
those who make great discoveries control the timing and method by which their
findings are made public. It was a tradition that had grown out of some notable
public relations disasters in the past.
УYouТre saying we are about to havealien visitors ?Ф Tory asked.
Sadibayan shook his head. УNot precisely. The vehicle will not be manned, except
possibly by corpses, not after 250 years in space. It may be a derelict cargo
pod blown away from Tau Ceti by the nova, or a message from the sentient species
that died in the nova!Ф
УThe urge to be remembered must be a powerful one,Ф Pierce muttered.
The revelations were coming too quickly. First, the shock of learning that
humanity was not alone in the universe, followed immediately by the realization
that the beings that built the light sail were dead. Tory had a sudden vision of