"E. E. Doc Smith - Lensman 1 - Triplanetary" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

Since Arisia was Earth-like in composition, atmosphere, and climate, the Arisians were at that time
distinctly humanoid. The Eddorians were not. Eddore was and is large and dense; its liquid a poisonous,
sludgy syrup; its atmosphere a foul and corrosive fog.

Eddore was and is unique; so different from any other world of either galaxy that its very existence was
inexplicable until its own records revealed the fact that it did not originate in normal space-time at all, but
came to our universe from some aliens and horribly different other.

As differed the planets, so differed the peoples. The Arisians went through the usual stages of savagery
and barbarism on they way to Civilization. The Age of Stone.
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The Ages of Bronze, of Iron, of Steel, and of Electricity. Indeed, it is probable that it is because the
Arisians went through these various stages that all subsequent Civilizations have done so, since the spores
which burgeoned into life upon the cooling surfaces, of all the planets of the commingling galaxies were
Arisian, not Eddorian, in origin. Eddorian spores, while undoubtedly present, must have been so alien that
they could not develop in any one of the environments, widely variant although they are, existing naturally
or coming naturally into being in. normal space and time.

The Arisians - especially after atomic energy freed them from physical labor- devoted themselves more
and ever more intensively to the exploration of the limitless possibilities of the mind.

Even before the Coalescence, then, the Arisians had need neither of space- ships nor of telescopes. By
power of mind alone they watched the lenticular aggregation of stars which was much later to be known
to Tellurian astronomers as LundmarkтАЩs Nebula approach their own galaxy. They observed attentively
and minutely and with high elation the occurrence. of mathematical impossibility; for the chance of two
galaxies ever meeting in direct, central, equatorial-plane impact and of passing completely through each
other is an infinitesimal of such a high order as to be, even mathematically, practically indistinguishable
from zero.

They observed the birth of numberless planets, recording minutely in their perfect memories every detail
of everything that happened; in the hope that, as ages passed, either they or their decedents would be
able to develop a symbology and a methodology capable of explaining the then inexplicable
phenomenon. Carefree, busy, absorbedly intent, the Arisian mentalities roamed throughout space-until
one of them struck an Eddorian mind.

***



While any Eddorian-could, if it chose, assume the form of a man, they were in no sense man-like. Nor,
since the term implies a softness and a lack of organization, can they be described as being amoeboid.
They were both versatile and variant. Each Eddorian changed, not only its shape, but also its texture, in
accordance with the requirements of the moment. Each produced extruded members whenever and
wherever it needed them; members uniquely appropriate to the task then in work. If hardness was
indicated, the members were hard; if softness, they were soft. Small or large, rigid or -flexible; joined or
tentacular - all one. Filaments or cables; fingers or feet; needles or mauls - equally simple. One thought