"James White - SG 04 - Ambulance Ship" - читать интересную книгу автора (White James)

Murchison was getting the Corps medic to tell them about the things he had done
wrong. As an e-t pathologist she was used to non-specialists interfering and
complicating her job, and it was necessary that she discover as much as possible
about the beingтАЩs original condition before the changes or additional damage
caused by inexpert examination-no matter how well-intentioned-had been
introduced. She was finding out all that she needed to know quietly and without
giving offense, as if she was Prilicla in human form.
But as Brenner continued talking it became increasingly clear that he had
made few, if any, mistakes, and a fair proportion of ConwayтАЩs professional
admiration was being diverted towards the Lieutenant.
..... After I sent the preliminary report and we were on our way,тАЭ Brenner
was saying, тАЬI discovered two small, rough areas on the black stuff covering the
creature-a small, circular patch at the base of the neck, right here, and an
oval patch, a little larger, which you can see on the underside. In both these
areas the black stuff is cracked but with the cracks filled, or partly filled,
by more of the stuff, and a few of the barnacles in these areas have been
damaged as well. This is where I took my specimens.тАЭ
тАЬMarking the places you took them from, I see,тАЭ said Murchison. тАЬGo on,
Doctor.тАЭ
 тАЬYes, maтАЩam,тАЭ said the Lieutenant, and went on. The black material seems
to be a near-perfect insulator-it is highly resistant to heat, including that of
a cutting torch at medium power. At very high temperatures the area under test
formed a black ash which flaked away but showed no sign of softening or
cracking. The chips of shell from the damaged barnacles were not quite so heat-
resistant unless they happened to be covered by the black material.
тАЬThe black stuff was also resistant to chemical attack,тАЭ Brenner
continued, тАЬbut not the pieces of shell. When the chips were exposed to various
basic atmospheric types, the results seemed to indicate that they had not
originated on one of the exotic environments- methane- or ammonia- or even
chlorine-based atmosphere envelopes. Composition of the fragments seems to be
basic hydrocarbon material, and they did not react to short-term exposures to an
oxygen-rich mixture-тАЭ
тАЬGive me the details of the tests you made,тАЭ said Murchison, suddenly
becoming very businesslike and, although the Lieutenant did not know it, very
complimentary. Conway signaled Prilicla to come closer, leaving the professional
and amateur pathologists to get on with it.
тАЬI donтАЩt think the patient is capable of movement,тАЭ he told the
Cinrusskin. тАЬI donтАЩt even know if itтАЩs alive. Is it?тАЭ
PriliclaтАЩs limbs trembled as it steeled itself to make a negative reply
and by so doing, become just the slightest bit disagreeable. It said, тАЬThat is a
deceptively simple question, friend Conway. All that I can say is that it
doesnтАЩt appear to be quite dead.тАЭ
тАЬBut you can detect the emotional emanations from a sleeping or deeply
unconscious mind,тАЭ said Conway incredulously. тАЬIs there no emotional radiation
at all?тАЭ
тАЬThere are traces, friend Conway,тАЭ said the Cinrusskin, still trembling,
тАЬbut they are too faint to be identifiable. There is no selfawareness and the
traces which are apparent do not, so far as I am able to tell, originate from
the beingтАЩs cranial area-they seem to emanate from the body as a whole. I have
never encountered this effect before, so I lack sufficient information or