"Eric Frank Russel - The Great Explosion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Eric Frank)

audience, bestowed a condescending nod upon the video cameras, cleared his
throat and gave forth.

"With this wonderful ship, the forerunner of many more to come, we are about to
establish authority over our faraway kith and kin in their interest as well as in
ours. While the opportunity exists and before it is too late we are going to create a
cosmic empire of enormous strength and vast magnitude." Cheers. "There is no
knowing what formidable antagonists our own lifeform may be called upon to
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meet at any time in the future and before that happens Earth must reclaim its own
so that we can present a common front to the foe. The galaxy contains a multitude
of hidden secrets some of which may prove perilous in the extreme when
revealed. Together we shall face them and defeat them as Terrans always have
done." Cheer. "United we stand, divided we fall. Now is the time to bring our
distant parts into unity with the mother world."

He continued in this strain for half an hour, yakitty-yak, yakitty-yak, punctuated
by applause. Typically he overdid it to the point of trying to convince himself of
the righteousness of his cause. He was full of sherry and in a garrulous mood. The
members of the audience grew restless, their cheers became strangled by
boredom. They had come solely to witness the ship's departure and this gabby fat
man was delaying the ship's departure and this gabby fat man was delaying the
event.

Eventually he finished with a gracious word of praise for God, waved to the
audience, bowed to the cameras, tramped up the last open gangway and entered
the ship. The airlock closed. A minute later a siren sounded. Without a sound or
any visible output of power the ship went up, slowly at first, then faster, faster. It
vanished through the clouds.

On board Tenth Engineer Harrison said to Sixth Engineer Fuller, "You heard that
speech. What if these kinfolk among the stars don't want to be loved by the
mother world?"

"Any reason why they shouldn't?" Fuller countered.

"Not that I can think of right now."

"Then why dig up imaginary worries? Haven't you got enough of your own?"

"Yes, I've got one," Harrison admitted. He was a small monkeyish man with
protruding ears. "My bike-I'd better tend to it."

"Your what?" exclaimed Fuller, gaping at him.