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

out of the miniboat into the larger ship's airlock. The mother sprang forward
toward her baby; the bearded father blocked her way, pulling her gently
back with him into the ship's cabin. Then he went back and closed the
miniboat hatch, firming it airtight.
тАЬMy baby! My little Jon!тАЭ
The father pushed the crying woman back into the cabin so that he
could lock the ship's hatch; he gave a casual glance in the forevid at the
enormous, angry red sun boiling down on them. Only after the miniboat was
well on its way did the father permit himself a shivered sigh of relief and an
outward sign of human compassion for his frantic wife.
When he touched her, she pulled away, choking.
тАЬYou're cold as ice! You don't care, Johann!тАЭ
тАЬCare?тАЭ He smiled obliquely and took hold of her shaking shoulders. тАЬI
care, Rosemary. There just hasn't been time for dramatics. We had to get
our boy away before thatтАЭтАФhe gestured behind them at the forevidтАФтАЬpulls
us into it. We're goners. We'll never see Barrecrith again. But it must not
happen to Jon! Jon can't die! He's too important!тАЭ
тАЬI don't understand.тАЭ
He gripped her hands. тАЬI know. You've tried hard, but it's not in you to
understand. But you gave all of us Jon. Think how wonderful that is! Jon is
the oneтАФand Jon is ours!тАЭ He kissed her forehead, then impulsively pulled
her to him. She collapsed onto his tunic, bewildered, lost in the meshes of
an intolerable grief.
After a moment, Johann flicked off the forevid so that they need not see
their nemesis. He drew the weeping woman to the rearvid where they could
just see the miniboat become another blink of light in the black
oceanтАФthen vanish.
тАЬHe's so small! In all that blackness!тАЭ
тАЬJon will be fine. He will be picked up. His ship's Mayday call will send
out signals for help automatically every half hour as long as necessary. The
fuel, the air are adequate for him. The nippled feeders will move down
automatically every four hours. In a matter of days he'll be in the middle of
a major star lane. Someone is sure to pick him up, fetch him back to Earth.тАЭ
тАЬEarth.тАЭ She spoke the word unfamiliarly, as if it represented something
lost and strange to her.
Together they strained their eyes into the star-pricked velvet of space
as if hopeful of another glimpse of the vessel that tore their son away from
them and death.
тАЬAre you sure we did the right thing, Johann?тАЭ
тАЬI'm sure.тАЭ
тАЬWhat if somehow no one does pick him up? Think of the agony he'll
suffer when the food is goneтАФand the waterтАФand the air. What if some
terrible alien ship finds him first?тАЭ
тАЬShhhh.тАЭ He embraced her tenderly. тАЬIt won't happen like that. It can't.
It's not in the Pattern.тАЭ
 тАЬYou're always so sure!тАЭ she cried.
His eyes reproached her. He pointed out into the emptiness scythed
through with bits of bright energy. His blue eyes blazed with prophetic
certainty.
тАЬYou've tried to be a Believer for my sake, but something in your DNA