"Vinge Vernor & William Rupp - Just Peace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vinge Vernor)

mistake in not revealing that fact upon landing. He had thought that all his dire warnings about the
colonistsтАЩ common peril would be enough to get cooperation. The situation was all the more ludicrous
since he had seen how real the danger of core collapse was.

==========

тАЬMartha, do you know what I discovered during my survey?тАЭ

тАЬNo.тАЭ She sounded faintly puzzled by this sudden-change in topic.

тАЬIn one hundred fifty years or so there will be another core tremor, about as serious as the one you call
the Cataclysm. You people simply donтАЩt have time to fight among yourselves. Your only option is to
cooperate, to develop a technology advanced enough to ensure your survival.тАЭ

тАЬI seeтАж Then the Special Weapons Group are fools as well as murderers. We should be working
together to win the Ontarian war, so we can put all our resources into preparing for the next Cataclysm.тАЭ

Chente wondered briefly if he were hallucinating. He tried again to explain. тАЬI mean the war itself must be
ended; not through victory, but simply through an end of hostilities. You need the Ontarians as much as
they need you.тАЭ

She shook her head stubbornly. тАЬChente, you donтАЩt realize what a ruthless, hedonistic crew the Ontarian
rulers are. Until theyтАЩre eliminated, New Providence will go on bleeding, so that no steps can be taken to
protect us from the next Cataclysm.тАЭ

Chente sighed, realizing that further argument would get him nowhere: he knew his own planetтАЩs history
too well. He changed the subject "Are there any settlements on the Fragge?"

тАЬNo cities, but there is at least one village about five hundred kilometers southeast of here. ItтАЩs in the
single pocket of arable land thatтАЩs been discovered on the Fragge.тАЭ

тАШThat doesnтАЩt sound too bad. If we start out before dawn, we may be able to avoid OswaldтАЩsтАФтАЬ

тАЬChente, between here and wherever that village is, thereтАЩs not a single plant or animal we can eat
without poisoning ourselves.тАЭ

тАЬYouтАЩd rather take your chance with Oswald?тАЭ
тАЬCertainly. ItтАЩs obvious that not everyone aboard the Diligence was in on this.тАЭ

тАЬMartha, I think we can make it through to that village.тАЭ He felt too dizzy to explain how. тАЬWill you come
along?тАЭ

Even in the darkness, he thought he felt a certain amount of amusement in her answer. тАЬVery wellтАж I
could hardly return to the Diligence alone, anyway. It would give away the fact that youтАЩre out here
somewhere.тАЬ Her hand brushed briefly across his shoulder.

==========

They started inland at the morningтАЩs first light, following along the bottom of one of the innumerable tiny
ravines cut through the black rock. A temporary but good-sized stream ran down the middle so that they