"Robert A. Metzger - Cusp" - читать интересную книгу автора (Metzger Robert)

To April, John, and Alex

Acknowledgments
So many within the SF community were instrumental in the shaping and fine-tuning of this book. Their
generosity of time and insight was nothing short of amazing. I will forever be grateful to them and most
eager to pay forward this debt. In alphabetical order, to those who helped transform a manuscript into
the book you hold in your hands, I wish to thank: Al Attanasio, Greg Bear, Greg Benford, David Brin,
Jim Brown, Richard Curtis, Tom Easton, Henry Gee, Ed Greenwood, Wil McCarthy, Jack McDevitt,
Larry Niven, Mike Resnick, Rob Sawyer, William Taylor, and F. Paul Wilson. Any foolishness found in
these pages solely rests on my shoulders in spite of the thoughtful input of these wonderful writers and
readers.

Special thanks go to my first and last readers. To my wife April, my first reader and editor, mere words
are inadequate to express my gratitude. Not only did she do her best to purge my overuse of the smile
and the twitch, but was wise enough to understand that when I had that faraway look in my eye and
could not string coherent words together, I was in writing mode and cut me the sort of slack that only a
loving wife is capable of. And to Susan Allison, my last reader and editor at Ace. She truly took this
book to heart, working with me in a collaborative manner that I think is quite a rare thing these days, and
was all that a writer could want in an editor.

Thanks to all of you.

1 light-year 9,461,000,000,000 kilometers

1 light-month 788,000,000,000 kilometers

1 light-day 25,000,000,000 kilometers

1 light-hour 1,080,000,000 kilometers

1 light-minute 18,000,000 kilometers

1 light-second 308,000 kilometers

1 light-millisecond 308 kilometers

1 light-microsecond 308 meters

1 light-nanosecond .308 meters

1 light-picosecond .000308 meters



1000 meters = 1 kilometer = 0.625 miles

2031
An arc of flame erupted from the setting Sun.

Dr. Jesper Kristensen whispered, and his Ocs obeyed; the thin film transceivers implanted in his eyes