"Robert Reed - The Caldera of Good Fortune" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reed Robert)

The alien offered a soft chirp.

тАЬLetтАЩs go through the motions,тАЭ Crockett suggested. тАЬFor the sake of
law and custom, tell me your name.тАЭ

A moment passed, and another. Then the alien chirped again, and its
translator said, тАЬDoom.тАЭ

тАЬDoom?тАЭ

The translator spoke for itself. тАЬThat is my best approximation. But it
is imperfect, and I apologize.тАЭ

тАЬWhat language does the creature use?тАЭ

тАЬI cannot say.тАЭ

тАЬYou arenтАЩt free to name it?тАЭ

тАЬPerhaps I am. But my expertise feels incomplete.тАЭ

The cable car had been accelerating since leaving the station, riding
on a nanowhisker too small to be seen. Once and then twice again,
descending cars sped past them, brightly lit and filled with visitors and their
newfound friends. Crockett waved at his neighbors. Then he shut down his
carтАЩs lights, allowing the full effect of the sky to work on odd, silent Doom.

The brown dwarf was a flattened disk barely visible through the
vaporous clouds. But an inner moon lay far enough to one side to be
visibleтАФa rough orange and black blister of a world, chunks of its crust
melting and exploding outwards with a violence that only looked impressive.

тАЬYou know,тАЭ Crockett began. тАЬAll the computing power that goes into
these stars, the brown dwarf, and every major and minor moon...тАЭ

Then he consciously stopped talking.

After a long pause, his companion said, тАЬI am listening.тАЭ

тАЬThe Luckies have peculiar personalities. And a unique biology, as I
understand it. TheyтАЩre an old species, yet it took them a long timeтАФa billion
years, nearlyтАФto build starships. Not that they werenтАЩt interested in their
own sky. You see, their preferred habitat are these hot caldera lakes. Each
caldera had its own vantage point, its unique and distinct view of the stars.
And whenever different populations spoke, they spent a great deal of time
explaining what they could seeтАФstar for star; moon for moon.тАЭ

Doom did not speak. But the big eyes were gazing upward, at least
accidentally showing interest.
 тАЬYou probably know all this,тАЭ Crockett continued, тАЬbut during their