"Eric Frank Russel - The Ultimate Invader" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Eric Frank)

THE ULTIMATE INVADER
by Eric Frank Russell

CHAPTER I

THE little ship, scarred and battered, sat on the plain and cooled its tubes and
ignored the armed guard that had sur-rounded it at a safe distance. A large, bluish
sun burned over-head, lit the edges of flat, waferlike clouds in brilliant purple. There
were two tiny moons shining like pale specters low in the east, and a third was diving
into the westward horizon.
To the north lay the great walled city whence the guard had erupted in irate haste.
It was a squat, stark conglomeration of buildings in gray granite, devoid of tall
towers, sitting four-square to the earth. An unbeautiful, strictly utilitarian place
suitable for masses of the bumble living in subservience to the harsh.
At considerable altitude above the granite mass roamed its aerial patrol, a number
of tiny, almost invisible dots weaving a tangle of vapor-trails. The dots displayed the
irritated rest-lessness of a swarm of disturbed gnats, for their pilots were
uncomfortably aware of the strange invader now sitting on the plain. Indeed, they
would have intercepted it had that been possible, which it wasn't. How can one
block the path of an unexpected object moving with such stupendous rapidity that
its trace registers as a mere flick on a screen some seconds after the source has
passed?
Upon the ground the troops kept careful watch and awaited the arrival of someone
who was permitted the in-itiative that they were denied. All of them had either four
legs and two arms or four arms and two legs, according to the need of the moment.
That is to say: the front pair of under-body limbs could be employed as feet or
hands, like those of a baboon. Superior life does not establish itself by benefit of
brains alone; manual dexterity is equally essential. The quasi-quadrupeds of this
world had a barely adequate supply of the former compensated by more than
enough of the latter.
Although it was not for them to decide what action to take against this
sorry-looking object from the unknown, they had plenty of curiosity concerning it,
and no little apprehen-sion. Much of their noseyness was stimulated by the fact that
the vessel was of no identifiable type despite that they could recognize all the seventy
patterns common to the entire galaxy. The apprehension was created by the sheer
nonchalance of the
visitor's arrival. It had burst like a superswift bullet throng] the detector-screen that
enveloped the entire planet, treate+ the sub-stratosphere patrols with disdain and sat
itself dowi in clear view of the city.
Something drastic would have to be done about it, on tha point one and all were
agreed. But the correct tactics woudc be defined by authority, not by underlings. To
make up hi; own mind one way or the other was a presumptuous task no one of
them dared undertake. So they hung around in dip; and behind rocks, and scratched
and held their guns ant hankered for high brass in the city to wake up and come runтАв
p
ing.
In much the same way that planetary defenses had been brought to nought by
bland presentation of an accomplished fact, so were the guards now disturbed by
being confronted with an event when none were present who were qualified to cope.
Giving distant sluggards no time to make up their minds and spring into action, the