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

him.Ф
УWho?Ф
УPraesert Sadibayan, the Underminister for Science in the Hoffenzoller
Administration, and his assistant. I want everyone to be on his or her best
behavior. Pierce out.Ф
УBronson out,ФTory replied absentmindedly.
A tube car deposited her at University Station half an hour later. Like most
Martian structures, the University of Olympus was mostly underground. It was
topped at ground level by a large surface dome anchored by cables woven from the
monomolecular filaments used in the construction of light sails. The most direct
route from the tube station to PierceТs office was through a series of
underground corridors. After nearly a year on Phobos, Tory decided to take a few
minutes longer and stroll through the dome.
The dome was home to University Park, a complex of pathways, flowerbeds, and
terrestrial shrubbery grown tall in MarsТs gravitational field. During the day,
the park was crowded with students hurrying between classes. It was no less
crowded at night, though less obviously so. After sundown, the surface dome was
lit in soft multicolored hues and suffused with herbal fragrance. That made it a
favored place for couples to seek solitude together. At the parkТs center
bubbled one of the few water fountains on Mars. The low gravity produced a
spectacular display while providing the growing plants with the humidity they
required.
As Tory reached the stairwell leading down into the astrophysics department, she
inhaled the fragrant air one last time. Classes had ended hours earlier, leaving
the corridors below deserted. Her Phobos boots made lonely clicking sounds on
the fused rock floor as she walked. The clicks echoed the length of the empty
halls. Turning into a side corridor, she noted light spilling through a
translucent office door at the far end.
УTory, thank God!Ф Pierce said when she knocked on his door. He was a balding
man with intense eyes and a manner to match. In his early fifties, the
astrophysicist was still a vibrant man. His enthusiasm was contagious,
especially where the Starhopper Project was concerned.
The office was as she remembered it. Printouts and record cubes were stacked
everywhere. One wall was filled with holograms showing Pierce and various
companions posed in front of well-known Earth landmarks. These were souvenirs of
his long hunt for money to fund the project.
УWhatТs going on, Dard?Ф
УWhat do you mean?Ф
УDonТt give me that innocent look. You would not have interrupted software
validation for anything less than a first rate emergency. You especially
wouldnТt have interrupted the work at HunsackerТs request unless you knew what
was going on.Ф
УGuilty as charged,Ф he said. УYouТre here to give a progress report.Ф
УWe file daily progress reports, weekly progress reports, and monthly overviews!
Would the board like hourly reports too?Ф
УTheyТre more interested in your personal perspective on the project. In your
position, you have a better feel for how things are going than anyone.Ф
УCanТt you even give me a hint?Ф As she asked the question, Tory was struck by
PierceТs expression. It was hard to imagine bad news coming from anyone with
that gleam in his eye. It was the same look a child wears on Christmas morning.