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

The Earthman didnтАЩt respond directly. тАЬMayor Flaggon, whatтАЩs the weather like along the Heavenraker
chain this time of year?тАЭ

The mayor looked to an aide, who said, тАЬIn late spring? Well, there are no hurricanes likely. Matter of
fact, the Heavenrakers rarely get any bad storms. But the underground 'weather' is something else again.
Freetown alone loses three or four ships a year out thereтАФsmashed by tsunamis as they sail close to
shore.тАЭ

тАЬIn that case IтАЩd prefer to go by aircraft.тАЭ

Balquirth shrugged amiably. тАЬThen I must leave you to the clutches of Mistress Blount. I donтАЩt have a
single flier in port, and Mayor Flaggon doesnтАЩt have a single flier in his state."

тАЬYour concern is appreciated in any case, Bossman. Citizen Blount, IтАЩd like to discuss my plans in more
detail with your people.тАЭ

тАЬTomorrow?тАЭ She seemed close to a triumphant smile.

тАЬFine.тАЭ Vicente began to sit down, then straightened. тАЬOne more thing. According to the starshipтАЩs
computer, all nine communications bombs are missing from their storage racks up on the hill.тАЭ

In order to generate ultrawave distortions matter must needs be annihilated. Chente referred to the
specially constructed nuclear bombs whose detonation could be modulated to carry information at
super-light speeds. Such devices lacked the тАЬbandwidthтАЭ to transmit the pattern pf a human
beingтАФEarthтАЩs government used the tiny star that orbited Jupiter where Callisto had once been for that
job. Nevertheless, each of the communication bombs could be set to generate the equivalent of ten
megatons of TNT, so they could do considerable damage if they were not hoisted into space prior to
use.

The silence lengthened. Finally Chente said coldly, тАЬI see. Your nation-states are playing strategic
deterrence. ThatтАЩs a dangerous game, you recall. It cost Earth more than three hundred million lives a few
centuries back. Your colony is in enough trouble without it.тАЭ

His listeners nodded their agreement, but Chente sawтАФwith a sick feelingтАФthat his words were no more
than platitudes to them.

==========

The New Providencian airship Diligence flew south for a day and a half before it reached the first of the
Heavenrakers. Chente saw a small village and a few farms in a sheltered bay near the coast, but the rest
of the island was naked black rock. This was the first stop on a tour that would take them over 2,700
kilometers to the East Fragge, the Greenland-sized island that had once been the eastern end of the
largest New Canadian continent. Chente had chosen this course since he wanted a baseline of
observations along the planetтАЩs equator, and the Heavenrakers were the most convenient landmasses
stretching along such a path. The survey went quickly, thanks to the help of the islanders, though they
seemed happy only when the Diligence and its guns were preparing to depart.

Three days later the dirigible hung in the clear blue sky over the west coast of the Fragge. All around
them thunder sounded. For hundreds of kilometers along the coast they could see tiny rivulets of