"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 19 - The Quillian Sector" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

snare it, he would have known exactly where to apply the
compound which would hold it fast.

An insectтАФwhy not a man?

He said, "We know that Dumarest is among the worlds of the
Rift. That is a probability of ninety-nine percent. We have
checked the course of each vessel leaving relevant worlds and
have agents alerted at each port of call. All precautions have
been taken."

And still they hadn't proved enough. Like a ghost, Dumarest
had vanished, aided by the unpredictable, riding his luck until
even those searching for him had begun to doubt their powers.

"The Rift," said Yoka. "A good place for a man to hide." Too
good. A section of space in which suns burned close and worlds
were plentiful. An area in which opposed energies created
dangerous vortexes and regions in which matter itself could
cease to exist. A place in which planets rested in isolation in
whirls of dust, rolled hidden in masses of interstellar gloom,
hung like glittering gems in a web of destructive forces. A
haystack in which a wisp of straw could so easily be lost.

Irae lifted his eyes from the bowl of flowers and turned like a
scarlet flame to where Yoka stood respectfully waiting. "Your
conclusions?"

"Based on all available data, the probability of capturing
Dumarest at this time is fifty-three percent. Not until he is
located can we hope to gain information on which to base a
more favorable prediction."

"Fifty-three percent?"

"Low," admitted Yoka, "but I said 'capture,' not 'discover'. The
probability of spotting him is higherтАФseventy-six percent."

"Eighty-seven point five," corrected Irae. "You are too
conservative. Even if he is now in space he must eventually land
and when he does, an agent could spot him."

"If the man is at the right time, at the right place." Yoka had
the stubbornness of age. "It comes to a matter of logistics. In
order to maintain surveillance at every probable port of call at all
appropriate times, we need the services of an army of men. Add
to that the probability that he is on a planet and, unless he
makes a move, locating him will be far from easy. And we must
check all worlds." He ended, "In the Rift they are many."