"Jack Vance - Sail 25" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vance Jack)

cadets could intervene he was gone.
Shortly thereafter Lynch and Ostrander succumbed to inanition, a kind of despondent helplessness:
manic-depres-sion in its most stupefying phase. Culpepper the suave, Ver-ona the pragmatic and von Gluck the
sensitive remained.
They spoke quietly to themselves, out of earshot of Henry Belt's room. "I still believe," said Culpepper, "that
somehow there is a means to get ourselves out of this mess, and that Henry Belt knows it."
Verona said, "I wish I could think so. . . . We've been over it a hundred times. If we set sail for Saturn or Nep-tune or
Uranus, the outward vector of thrust plus the out-ward vector of our momentum will take us far beyond Pluto before
we're anywhere near a trajectory of control. The plasma jets could stop us if we had enough energy, but the shield
can't supply it and we don't have another power source. . . ."
Von Gluck hit his fist into his hand. "Gentlemen," he said in a soft, delighted voice. "I believe we have sufficient
energy at hand. We will use the sail. Remember? It is bellied. It can function as a mirror. It spreads five square miles of
surface. Sunlight out here is thinтАФbut so long as we collect enough of itтАФ"
"I understand!" said Culpepper. "We back off the hull till the reactor is at the focus of the sail and turn on the jets!"
Verona said dubiously, "We'll still be receiving radiation pressure. And what's worse, the jets will impinge back on
the sail. EffectтАФcancellation. WeтАЩll be nowhere."
"If we cut the center out of the sailтАФjust enough to allow the plasma throughтАФwe'd beat that objection. As for the
radiation pressureтАФwe'll surely do better with the plas-ma drive."
"What do we use to make plasma? We don't have the stock."
"Anything that can be ionized. The radio, the computer, your shoes, my shirt, Culpepper's camera, Henry Belt's
whiskey. . . ."

8
The angel-wagon came up to meet Sail 25, in orbit beside Sail 40, which was just making ready to take out a new
crew.
 The cargo carrier drifted near, eased into position. Three men sprang across space to Sail 40, a few hundred yards
be-hind 25, tossed lines back to the carrier, pulled bales of cargo and equipment across the gap.
The five cadets and Henry Belt, clad in spacesuits, stepped out into the sunlight. Earth spread below, green and
blue, white and brown, the contours so precious and dear to bring tears to the eyes. The cadets transferring cargo to
Sail 40 gazed at them curiously as they worked. At last they were finished, and the six men of Sail 25 boarded the
carrier.
"Back safe and sound, eh Henry?" said the pilot. "Well, I'm always surprised."
Henry Belt made no answer. The cadets stowed their car-go, and standing by the port, took a final look at Sail 25.
The carrier retro-jetted; the two sails seemed to rise above them.
The lighter nosed in and out of the atmosphere, braked, extended its wings, glided to an easy landing on the
Mojave Desert.
The cadets, their legs suddenly loose and weak to the un-accustomed gravity, limped after Henry Belt to the
carry-all, seated themselves and were conveyed to the administration complex. They alighted from the carry-all, and
now Henry Belt motioned the five to the side.
"Here, gentlemen, is where I leave you. Tonight I will check my red book and prepare my official report. But I
believe I can present you an unofficial resume of my impres-sions. Mr. Lynch and Mr. Ostrander, I feel that you are ill
suited either for command or for any situation which might inflict prolonged emotional pressure upon you. I can-not
recommend you for space-duty.
"Mr. von Gluck, Mr. Culpepper and Mr. Verona, all of you meet my minimum requirements for a recommendation,
although I shall write the words 'Especially Recommended' only beside the names Clyde von Gluck and Marcus
Ver-ona. You brought the sail back to Earth by essentially fault-less navigation.
"So now our association ends. I trust you have profited by it." Henry Belt nodded briefly to each of the five and
limped off around the building.
The cadets looked after him. Culpepper reached in his pocket and brought forth a pair of small metal objects which
he displayed in his palm. "Recognize these?"