"Bc05" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niven Larry & Pournelle)

"We don't have to foresee everything," Jessica said.
"You're talking past each other." Aaron Tragon stood. "I beg your pardon for speaking out of turn, but don't you see it? Governor Moskowitz is concerned that when an unexpected danger appears, we won't be able to decide what to do in time, and while it is unlikely that the delay will destroy the colony, it might. Isn't that it, sir?"
"Yes, exactly."
"But here there is no possible danger to the entire colony," Aaron said. "The people who go to the mainland may be in danger if they are careless, but the colony won't be . . . Actually, to be callous for a moment, if there's something so dangerous on the mainland that the only way to find out about it is to have the entire expedition killed, that knowledge alone is worth the price! It will make the colony safer, not less safe. Wouldn't you agree?"
Aaron waited a moment, and when Zack didn't answer, nodded politely and took his seat.
"Arrogant little snot," Mary Ann said.
"I thought he was quite reasonable," Cadmann said.
"You would."
"Not that there is that much danger," Jessica was saying. "We've been to the mainland dozens of times now. We even take the children to the highlands. And in all that time, the only dangers have been grendels, and we know how to deal with those."
"I'm still worried," Zack said.
"Name the danger."
Zack shook his head. "You know I can't. Call it Avalon Surprise. We couldn't have named grendels, but they were real."
"But you learned how to fight grendels," Jessica said, "and you taught us. By the way, thank you. From all of us Second-"
There was a murmur of approval. "Well said," Aaron shouted.
"But Zack, you knew it would be dangerous before you left Earth," Jessica said. "But you came. You couldn't ask if we wanted to come-"
"We did think about that, you know," Zack said.
"Yes, sir, we learned all that in school," Jessica said. "And we're not sorry you brought us. But it's our world too, and we want to know more about it. Don't we?"
Another chorus of young voices in enthusiastic approval.
"Except I want a shopping mall!" someone shouted. Everyone laughed.
"And we're learning," Jessica went on. "The eel is important because it's a reminder that we won't always have an artificially simple ecology here. We still don't know when grendels came to this island. We don't even know if these were normal grendels! Maybe they were-"
"Supergrendels?" Chaka said. He grinned.
"Or stunted, stupid weak grendels," Jessica said.
"My God," Rachael Moscowitz said. "That's a horrible thought!"
"So we go find out," Jessica said. "And now's as good a time as any. A highland base with expeditions into the lowlands. Now. This year."
A swell of applause, and not only from the Second.
"Count me out." That too came from where the Second were seated, to be answered by catcalls. "Aww, poor baby-"
"Who staffs that base?" Zack had lost and knew it. "Who plans this expedition?"
"We can work that out," Jessica said. She looked meaningfully at Cadmann. "We're not fools, Governor. We want your advice."
"But not our leadership," Zack said quietly. "That's plain enough."
"We want that too, unless your leadership means doing nothing without your orders."
"We just want you to be safe-"
"If you wanted to keep us safe, you could have stayed on Earth!"
Mary Ann stood. Cadmann looked at her in surprise. Mary Ann almost never spoke at meetings.
She didn't wait to be recognized, but no one said anything. Certainly Jessica wasn't going to interrupt her. "Why do you think it was safe on Earth?" Mary Ann demanded. "It wasn't safe. Not even in the best neighborhoods. You must know that. We brought recordings."
"Mom-"
"It wasn't," Mary Ann said. "You think of Earth as some kind of paradise lost? An Eden? It was a horrible place, where all the education in the world wouldn't save you from losing your job, and there was nowhere you could go without graffiti, and smutty drawings, and criminals, and people demanding handouts and accusing you of being a criminal if you didn't give them something. Where . . . Jessica, it's safe here, really safe, but it wasn't safe on Earth. That's why we came here!"
There were murmurs of agreement from the First.
"Well, Mom, you make Earth sound more dangerous than the mainland."
"It was," Cadmann muttered. "We forgot that."

"It's still the end of the debate, amigo," Carlos said. "Jessica still wins."
"Yeah," Cadmann said. "And we'll have to plan it."
"What you mean 'we,' paleface?"
"We've got some time, though," Cadmann said. "First they go look at the mines, initiate the Grendel Scouts. Time enough for serious planning when they get back."
Jessica thanked the audience and made her way back to her father. She quietly touched his shoulder. "Thanks, Dad. Mom."
Cadmann put his arms around Mary Ann and Sylvia, drawing them in close. Mary Ann chuckled. "If I know your father, you might be taking that thanks back in a few days. He's going to put you through the wringer."
"I wouldn't want it any other way."
"Jessica-can you and Justin come up for dinner?" Mary Ann brushed a strand of blond hair out of her eyes. "It would be nice to have a family dinner. We've been gone, and you'll be going over to the mainland . . ."
"Not tonight," Jessica said apologetically. "This is going to be big news at Surf's Up. I think that I need to be out there tonight."
Sylvia looked up at Cadmann. "How long do you think it will take to set up a lowland expedition?"