"Andre Norton - Ross Murdock 03 - The Defiant Agents" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

the controls of the ship had taken the men, and, when rewound, it had almost
miraculously returned them to Earth with a cargo of similar tapes found on a
world which might have been the capital for a government comprised of whole
solar systems. Tapes -- each one was the key to another planet. And that
ancient galactic knowledge was treasure such as humans had never dreamed of
possessing, though many rightly feared that such discoveries could be
weapons in hostile hands. Tapes chosen at random had been shared with other
nations at a great drawing. But each nation secretly remained convinced
that, in spite of the untold riches it might hold as a result of chance, its
rivals had done better. Right at this moment, Ashe knew there were Western
agents trying to do at the Russian project just what Camdon had done there.
However, that did not help in solving their present dilemma about Operation
Cochise, now perhaps the most important part of their plan. Some of the
tapes were duds, either too damaged to be useful, or set for worlds hostile
to humans lacking the special equipment the earlier star-traveling race had
had at its command. Of the five tapes they now knew had been snooped, three
would be useless to the enemy. But one of the remaining two . . . Ashe
frowned. One was the goal toward which they had been working feverishly for
a full twelve months. Their assignment was to plant a colony across the gulf
of space -- a successful colony -- later to be used as a steppingstone to
other worlds . . .
"So we have to move faster." Ruthven's comment reached Ashe through his
stream of memories.
"I thought you required at least three more months to conclude personnel
training," Waldour observed. Ruthven lifted a fat hand, running the nail of
a broad thumb back and forth across his lower lip in a habitual gesture Ashe
had learned to mistrust. As the latter stiffened, bracing for a battle of
wills, he saw Kelgarries come alert too. At least the colonel more often
than not was able to counter Ruthven's demands.
"We test and we test," said the fat man. "Always we test. We move like
turtles when it would be better to race like greyhounds. There is such a
thing as overcaution, as I have said from the first. One would think" -- his
accusing glance included Ashe and Kelgarries -- "that there had never been
any improvising in this project, that all had always been done by the book.
I say that this is the time we must take the big gamble, or else we may find
we have been outbid for space entirely. Let those others discover even one
alien installation they can master and -- " his thumb shifted from his lip,
grinding down on the desk top as if it were crushing some venturesome but
entirely unimportant insect -- "and we are finished before we really begin."
There were a number of men in the project who would agree with that, Ashe
knew. And a greater number in the country and Alliance at large. The public
was used to reckless gambles which paid off, and there had been enough of
those in the past to give an impressive argument for that point of view. But
Ashe, himself, could not agree to a speed-up. He had been out among the
stars, shaved disaster too closely because the proper training had not been
given.
"I shall report that I advise a take-off within a week," Ruthven was
continuing. "To the council I shall say that -- "
"And I do not agree!" Ashe cut in. He glanced at Kelgarries for the quick
backing he expected, but instead there was a lengthening moment of silence.