"Continuing Time - 98 - Lord November" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moran Daniel Keys)

Devnet System is notable for two things; and its small colony of Novembri is not
one of them. There are twelve Gates at Devnet, twelve entry points into the web
of spacelace tunnels that link the stars together. In 2677, over five hundred
years after the end of the war with the Sleem, humanity knows of only two larger
clusters: the system in which the planet Domain is located has thirteen; and a
black hole, near the Galactic Core, has thirty-one.
The other notable thing about Devnet is the tunnel its Third Gate opens upon.
Its Third Gate opens on one of the four ridiculously long tunnels humanity knows
of in the Continuing Time. Its transit time is eight years, and it connects
Devnet System with a red dwarf on the other side of the Galactic Core, sixty
thousand light years from Earth.
The Shivering Bastard broke into real space through Devnet SystemТs First Gate.
Bodhi, awaiting the event in the relative comfort of the BastardТs observation
bubble, had an inhumanly brief impression of impossible glare, and then found
himself enveloped by blackness. The impression of glare had not come from his
organic eyes, but from the tap the Shivering Bastard used to feed him
information.
WELL, said Bodhi, THAT WAS INTERESTING.
The Shivering Bastard said, YES. WE THINKЧ
The observation bubble cleared. Bodhi looked upon a universe shifted blue in one
direction, red in another. Though different stars were visible, and odd patches
of space glowed bright blue with the stepped-up infrared from warm dust clouds,
it did not otherwise look much different from what he was used to; in the
direction of his travel stellar radio waves shifted up into visible light, and
stellar gamma radiation, chasing him from behind, dropped down into his visible
spectrum.
ЧWE WERE HIT WITH A HELL OF A LASER. The Bastard paused, and then said, OR
PERHAPS NOT.
Already two million klicks away from DevnetТs First Gate, heading inSystem at
near lightspeed, the Shivering BastardТs scopes peered backward. Bodhi examined
their red-shifted image, transmitted via his tap directly into his forebrain,
with interest.
Parabolic mirrorsЕnine of them; Bodhi had no way of guessing their size.
ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED KLICKS IN DIAMETER, said the Bastard. WE THINK WE KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE SHIPS THE NOVEMBER GUARD SENT THROUGH.
At the focal points of the nine parabolic mirrors sat DevnetТs First Gate; where
the reflections of those mirrors met was a region hotter than the surface of
most stars. A ship coming through the Gate at the usual velocity of only a few
hundred kilometers per hourЕBodhi shivered at the thought.
The picture came clear slowly, ShipТs scopes sought the positions of the other
eleven Gates, and found eleven of the twelve basking in the warmth of DevnetТs
mirrored regard. Only one Gate was not so protected; and BodhiТs instant
guessЧthe Third Gate, opening on the ridiculously long tunnelЧwas correct.
YES, said the Bastard, perhaps guessing BodhiТs guess; she knew him well.
WHOEVER DID THIS CAME A LONG WAY FOR IT. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GALAXY.
PERHAPS, said Bodhi. OR PERHAPS THEY JUST WANT US TO THINK SO. LETТS PROCEED
INSYSTEM FOR NOW. WE STILL DONТT KNOW WHATТS HAPPENED TO UGLY.
InSystem, a small Marslike planet, Ugly-On-A-Ball, orbited Devnet itself at a
distance of one hundred and sixty-five million kilometers. Three centuries of
terraforming had not changed Ugly much. The air was breathable by humans, but