"Larry Niven- William Proxmire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niven Larry)

Andrew set his cup down very carefully. He said, тАЬNo, of course not.,,

тАЬIтАЩm retired now, but people still owe me favors. I want a ride. One trip.
What would it cost?тАЭ

Andrew hadnтАЩt had enough coffee yet. He didnтАЩt feel fully awake. тАЬI have to
think Out loud a little. Okay? Mass isnтАЩt a problem. You can go as far back
as you like if . . . mmm. LetтАЩs say under sixty years. Cost might be twelve,
thirteen million if you could also get us access to the proton-antiproton
accelerator at Washburn University, or maybe CERN in Switzerland. Otherwise we
тАЩd have to build that too. By the way, youтАЩre not expecting to get younger,
are you?тАЭ

тАЬI hadnтАЩt thought about it.тАЭ

тАЬGood. The theory depends on maneuverings between event points. You donтАЩt
ever go backward. Where and when, Senator?тАЭ

William Proxmire leaned forward with his hands clasped. тАЬPicture this. A Navy
officer walks the deck of a ship, coughing, late at night in the 1930s.
Suddenly an arm snakes around his neck, a needle plunges into his buttocksтАФтАЭ

тАЬThe deck of a ship at sea?тАЭ

Proxmire nodded, grinning.

тАЬYouтАЩre just having fun, arenтАЩt you? Something to do while jogging, now that
youтАЩre retired.тАЭ

тАЬPut it this way,тАЭ Proxmire said. тАЬI read the article. It linked up with an
old daydream of mine. I looked up your address. You were within easy running
distance. I hope you donтАЩt mind?тАЭ

Oddly enough, Andrew found he didnтАЩt. Anything that happened before his
morning coffee was recreation.

So dream a little. тАЬDeck of a moving ship. I was going to say itтАЩs
ridiculous, but it isnтАЩt. WeтАЩll have to deal with much higher velocities. Any
point on the EarthтАЩs surface is spinning at up to half a mile per

second and circling the sun at eighteen miles per. In principle I think we
could solve all of it with one stroke. We could scan one patch of deck, say,
over a period of a few seconds, then integrate the record into the program.
Do the same coming home.тАЭ

тАЬYou can do it?тАЭ

тАЬWell, if we canтАЩt solve that one we canтАЩt do anything else, either. YouтАЩd be
on a tight schedule, though. Senators whatтАЩs the purpose of the visit?тАЭ