"Jack McKinney - Kaduna Memories" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

"Nonsense," Nasst said, whirling on him.

"An explosive-device," a second suggested.

"A destructive parcel," said a third.

"I would urge universal deanimation," from the leader once more.

"Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense," the Inheritor countered, caught up in a short-lived fugue. "And / will be
the sole counselor of deanimation." He glanced about the cabin, showing everyone the command glower
Thaish had withered under moments before. "ReanimateтАФall of you."

Thaish noted worriedly that while he had barely attained a Level Two Submergence, most of his peers
were deep enough to be partially cocooned. Yet another talent he would have to perfect if he ever hoped
to rise above node status.

"Respond now," Nasst ordered the unseen nodes in Interface Assist. "Does that ship possess sufficient
energy to fulfill our needs or not?"

"It does, Inheritor Major" came several strained voices in unison.

"And can we safely access that energy or not?"

"We can, Inheritor Major."

"And is that ship responding to our commands or not?"

The nodes fell silent.

Nasst's lips quivered. "I asked, is that ship respondтАФ"

"In a manner of speaking, Inheritor Major," a single node returned. Thaish smiled in instant recognition of
the voice: It was Barish, his supplemental and cache-mate.

"In what manner of speaking, node?" Nasst demanded.

Barish hesitated. "More accurately," she said finally, "it isn't the ship that is responding, but something
inside it!"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Nugget," Mika said over her shoulder, "but I can't seem to overrideтАФyou see, there it
goes again."

Nugget, scratching at a month's growth of wiry black beard, upended himself to peer at the plasma
tabletop readout. One hand tethered him to the alloy console grip; the other held a bulb of lukewarm
coffeeтАФan Ethiopian roast sweetened with honey, his preferred drink.

Mika's recent exchanges with the ship's neural net processor were on display, a boxed and color-coded
vertical column of abbreviated commands and responses filling the left side of the screen. In amber
opposite ran a recounting of the artificial intelligence's private workings, a heuristic array of options,
negations, and decision-loops.