"E. E. Doc Smith - D' Alembert 9 - The Omicron Invasion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

became a haven for hardline Judaeo-Christian fundamentalists, Anares was settled by Oriental mystics,
and DelfтАФwell, no one from outside the planet ever had a clear idea what the Delfians believed in, but
they were quiet about their faith and seldom bothered others, so they were tolerated in the cosmopolitan
imperial society.

Still other worlds established their character only after settlement. The inhabited moon Vesa
became an empire-wide tourist attraction because of its exotic gambling parlors; Glasseye became the
symbol of transience and impermanence because of its inhabitants' fascination with newness. Becoming
different or unique was a way of establishing a reputation.

The planet Omicron was undistinguished as far as physical appearance and climate were
concerned. It came close to being a twin of Earth, circling a yellow star and having but one large moon.
The polar caps were suitably cold, the equatorial zone was suitably hot; there were deserts and rainforests,
mountains and plains, oceans and continents. The native lifeforms were distinctiveтАФas were the lifeforms
on every planetтАФbut none were so unusual they'd instantly bring the name Omicron to mind. The people
who had settled Omicron in the late 2300s were decent, hardworking folk from a variety of social and
religious backgroundsтАФhardly the fanatical types needed to create a public relations image. By the reign
of Empress Stanley Eleven the planetary population was approaching a hundred millionтАФa drop in the
bucket compared to Earth and other population centers, but still bigger than many other worlds.

Omicron's sole claim to fame was distance. At nine hundred and sixty-nine parsecs from Earth, it
was easily the most distant planet ever settled. Located at the outer rim of Sector Twelve, it represented
humanity's deepest penetration into the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. Omicron stood at the Empire's
edge, far removed from the bustle and furor of imperial civilization. The name Omicron conjured visions
of incalculable distance, as the phrase "the ends of the Earth" had done in earlier times.

Because it was so far away from the center of activity, Omicron was often a little behind the
times. Imperial fashions tended to reach it later, and gossip was usually wildly distorted by the time it
reached the outpost of civilization. The people of Omicron didn't mind; they were largely self-sufficient,
and viewed their separation from the mainstream of interstellar society as a form of independence. One
local wag had called Omicron "the wart on the end of the Empire's nose," and the citizens had adopted that
epithet with a perverse enjoyment.

In 2451, Empress Stanley Eleven was well past the second anniversary of her coronation, and
peace had returned to the Empire once more. The horror of the Coronation Day Incursion, that ruthless
attack upon Earth, was but an unpleasant memory in the minds of most people. The common man still
could not understand the precise circumstances that brought the raid about, nor did he know who the
Empress's enemies were. The palace had issued reassuring pronouncements, though, and the subsequent
years of tranquility had calmed the populace.

Only the upper echelons of imperial government remained concerned, because they alone knew
that the threat was far from over. The vast hidden conspiracy had made one direct assault against the
Service of the Empire six months after the coronation; when that failed, it was followed by an ominous
silence that made everyone more than a little nervous. A silent enemy is the worst of all.

None of these matters really bothered the citizens of Omicron. They were so far away from the
center of any action that it was hard for them to care. The wise and just reigns of Stanley Ten and Eleven
had numbed them to political reality. What did it matter who was on the Throne, they thought; Earth was
so far away that the administration had little impact on their daily lives.