"Emil Petaja - The Path Beyond The Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Petaja Emil)

He poured a liberal dollop into her snifter and a larger one into his own.
He sat closer to her and took a firm, brotherly hold of her free hand to stop
it from trembling.
тАЬTell me what happened. This Trog, I presume, is he. And now Trog is
after you. That it?тАЭ
She nodded, shivering. тАЬI'd better start at the beginning.тАЭ
тАЬAlways a good idea.тАЭ
тАЬThis is probably the only chance I'll get before Trog kills me. To tell
someone who can help, I mean.тАЭ
тАЬNow, now!тАЭ
The surging desperation spilled out of her more strongly than ever. тАЬIf I
could only make you understand how universally important all this is! Your
jobтАФstarplot all the political and business byplay that's going on in the
Intergalactic CongressтАФit's all so pitifully insignificant compared toтАФтАЭ
тАЬTrog?тАЭ
тАЬWhat he means to do. Don't look at me like that, Jon Wood. I mean,
cock your eyebrow as if I were non compos or something.тАЭ
тАЬI was only thinking that, brought up by your science-renegade father in
some cult or other, on some Lost Believer planetтАжтАЭ
She unleashed a tormented sigh. тАЬIf only you weren't so pigheaded!
I'mтАФI'm so very alone in all this. Father's old friend Calvin Grey can't leave
the Reader or the mountain.тАЭ
тАЬTrog's after him, too?тАЭ
тАЬIt's not necessary. Calvin's bedridden, dying. He's over ninety.
Somebody has to stay with the Reader and keep contact with BarrecrithтАФтАЭ
тАЬWait a minute! You're way ahead of me! Barrecrith?тАЭ
тАЬThat's the planet of the Lost Believers. The ones who left Earth and
then every other known colony in our galaxies because they were
persecuted everywhere they went for being Believers in the Pattern. About
fifty years ago. You've heard about it. Nobody knows where Barrecrith is
except that it is farther outтАФmuch fartherтАФthan any other Congress ships
have ever traveled.тАЭ
тАЬLet's back up just a little. You said the Believers were persecuted
everywhere they went. Maybe. But there's another point of view. They were
always meddling, forever trying to tell the real scientists what to do. The
stars said, тАШDon't do this; do that!тАЩ тАЭ
тАЬIf you saw someone about to fall off a cliff in a heavy fog, wouldn't you
try to stop him?тАЭ
Jon swigged and moved back to the bar for another drink. He grimaced
at the driving fog outside the bell-shaped window.
тАЬAll right, let's drop that particular ball. Let me see. Your persecuted
Believers found themselves a lost planet way out someplace, leaving the
rest of the far-flung human race to stew in their own abysmal ignorance of
cosmic patterns or whatever. But your father, the ex-distinguished Dr.
Laurent Trine, stayed behind with his old buddy Calvin Grey and his
curly-headed little daughterтАФтАЭ
тАЬI wasn't born yet, obviously. Yes, Father stayed behind to perfect the
Star Reader.тАЭ
тАЬSo called because it reads the stars,тАЭ Jon said, grinning.
тАЬYes. It's not only an incredible computer designed to chart the personal