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

identical to the one they saw now. Intellectually they might accept the idea of duplicative transport, but
historians had assured Chente that without a lifetime of experience no one could really accept such a
thing. To his audience Chente was a man come back from the dead. Perhaps he could take advantage of
this fear.

тАЬI will be brief, as most of you will have heard this speech before.тАЭ There was an uneasy movement and
various exchanges of glances. Bossman Pier seemed the only one left with a smile on his face. тАЬYour
planet is undergoing a core collapse. A century ago a core tremor sank half a continent and virtually
destroyed your civilization. Recently Earth has been able to reestablish communications with the starship
on the hill behind Freetown. The link we have established is a tenuous one and you canтАЩt expect material
aid. But Earth does have knowledge it can place at your disposal. Ultimately the core collapse will
proceed to completion, and about ten million тАШCataclysmsтАЩ worth of energy will be released. If this
happens all at once, no life above the microbe level will be left on the planet. But, if it happens uniformly
over a million-year period, you would never even be aware of the change. From the frequency of
earthquakes, you know that the latter possibility has already been ruled out. My mission is to discover
where between these two extremes the truth lies. For it is entirely possible that a future Cataclysm will be
powerful enough to wreck your civilization as it is now, yet mild enough so that with adequate
forewarning and preparation you can survive.тАЬ

Flaggon bobbed his head. тАЬWe understand, sir. And, as we did with your predecessor, we will
cooperate to the limit of our resources.тАЭ
==========

Chente decided to pounce on the double meaning in FlaggonтАЩs inept phrasing. тАЬYes, IтАЩve heard about the
splendid help you gave my predecessor. He is dead, IтАЩve been told.тАЭ He waved down FlaggonтАЩs
stammered clarification. тАЬLadies and gentlemen, someone among you killed me. That was an act that
threatened all of New Canada. If I am killed again, there may be no more replacements, and you will
face the core collapse in ignorance.тАЭ Chente wondered briefly if he hadnтАЩt just invited his assassination
with that last threat, but it was too late to retract it.

The distressed Flaggon again pledged his help. Both Balquirth and Martha Blount chorused similar
promises.

тАЬVery well. IтАЩll need transportation for an initial survey. From my discussion with the shipтАЩs computer
before this banquet, IтАЩve decided that the best place to start is the islands that were formerly the peaks of
the Heavenraker Mountains.тАЭ

Martha Blount came to her feet. тАЬCitizen Quintero, one of our NavyтАЩs finest dirigibles is tied down here
at Freetown. We could be ready to go in twenty-two hours, and it wonтАЩt take more than another day to
reach the Heavenraker Islands." On the other side of the horseshoe, Balquirth cleared his throat noisily
and stood up. Martha Blount rushed on. "DonтАЩtтАж donтАЩt make the same mistake the first Quintero did.
He accepted Ontarian hospitality rather than ours, only to the on an Ontarian ship."

Chente looked at the Bossman.

тАЬHer story is true, but misleading,тАЭ Balquirth said easily. He had the air of someone telling a lie that he
expected no one to believeтАФ or else a self-evident truth that needed no earnest protestations to support
itself. тАЬThe first Quintero had the good judgement to use Ontarian transportation. But his death occurred
when the ship we assigned him was attacked by the forces of some other state.тАЭ He looked innocently
across the table at Martha Blount.