[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
a quarter of a mile away.
"Dr. Hunt," he acknowledged. "Good morning-or whatever it happens
to be at the present time in this infernal contraption."
"Hello, Professor," Hunt replied. "I've been having some thoughts
about the Ganymeans. There are one or two points I could use your
opinion on; could we meet somewhere for a bite to eat, say inside
the next half hour or so?"
"Very well. Where did you have in mind?"
"Well, I'm on my way to the restaurant in B section right now. I'll
be there for a while."
"I'll join you there in a few minutes." Danchekker cut off the
screen, emerged from the booth, and hauled himself back into the
corridor and along it to an entrance to one of the transverse
shafts leading "down" toward the axis of the ship. Using the
handrails, he sailed some distance toward the center before
checking himself opposite an exit from the shaft. He emerged
through a transfer lock into one of the rotating sections, with
simulated G, at a point near the axis where the speed differential
was low. He launched
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
himself back along another rail and felt himself accelerate gently,
to land thirty feet away, on his feet, on a part of the structure
that had suddenly become the floor. Walking normally, he followed
some signs to the nearest tube access point, pressed the call
button, and waited about twenty seconds for a capsule to arrive.
Once inside, he keyed in his destination and within seconds was
being whisked smoothly through the tube toward E section of the
ship.
The permanently open self-service restaurant was about half full.
The usual clatter of cutlery and dishes poured from the kitchens
behind the counter at one end, where a trio of UNSA cooks were
dishing out generous helpings of assorted culinary offerings
ranging from UNSA eggs and UNSA beans to UNSA chicken legs and UNSA
steaks. Automatic food dispensers with do-it-yourself microwave
cookers had been tried on Jupiter Four but hadn't proved popular
with the crew. So the designers of Jupiter Five had gone back to
the good old-fashioned methods.
Carrying their trays, Hunt and Danchekker threaded their way
between diners, card players, and vociferous debating groups and
found an empty table against the far wall. They sat down and began
transferring their plates to the table.
"So, you've been entertaining some thoughts concerning our Ganymean
friends," Danchekker commented as he began to butter a roll.
"Them and the Lunarians," Hunt replied. "In particular, I like your
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
idea that the Lunarians evolved on Minerva from terrestrial animal
species that the Ganymeans imported. It's the only thing that
accounts acceptably for no traces of any civilization showing up on
Earth. All these attempts people are making to show it might be
different don't convince me much at all."
"I'm very gratified to hear you say so," Danchekker declared. "The
problem, however, is proving it."
"Well, that's what I've been thinking about. Maybe we shouldn't
have to."
Danchekker looked up and peered inquisitively over his spectacles.
He looked intrigued. "Really? How, might I ask?"
"We've got a big problem trying to figure out anything about what
happened on Minerva because we're fairly sure it doesn't exist any
more except as a million chunks of geology strewn around the Solar
System. But the Lunarians didn't have that prob
lem. They had it in one piece, right under their feet. Also, they
had progressed to an advanced state of scientific knowledge. Now,
what must their work have turned up-at least to some extent?"
A light of comprehension dawned in Danchekker's eyes.
"Ah!" he exclaimed at once. "I see. If the Ganymean dviiization had
flourished on Minerva first, then Lunarian scientists would surely
have deduced as much." He paused, frowned, then added: "But that
does not get you very far, Dr. Hunt. You are no more able to
interrogate Lunarian scientific archives than you are to reassemble
the planet."
"No, you're right," Hunt agreed. "We don't have any detailed
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Lunarian scientific records-but we do have the microdot library.
The texts it contains are pretty general in nature, but I couldn't
help thinking that if the Lunarians discovered an advanced race had
been there before them, it would be big and exciting news,
something everybody would know about; you've only got to look at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl karpacz24.htw.pl
a quarter of a mile away.
"Dr. Hunt," he acknowledged. "Good morning-or whatever it happens
to be at the present time in this infernal contraption."
"Hello, Professor," Hunt replied. "I've been having some thoughts
about the Ganymeans. There are one or two points I could use your
opinion on; could we meet somewhere for a bite to eat, say inside
the next half hour or so?"
"Very well. Where did you have in mind?"
"Well, I'm on my way to the restaurant in B section right now. I'll
be there for a while."
"I'll join you there in a few minutes." Danchekker cut off the
screen, emerged from the booth, and hauled himself back into the
corridor and along it to an entrance to one of the transverse
shafts leading "down" toward the axis of the ship. Using the
handrails, he sailed some distance toward the center before
checking himself opposite an exit from the shaft. He emerged
through a transfer lock into one of the rotating sections, with
simulated G, at a point near the axis where the speed differential
was low. He launched
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
himself back along another rail and felt himself accelerate gently,
to land thirty feet away, on his feet, on a part of the structure
that had suddenly become the floor. Walking normally, he followed
some signs to the nearest tube access point, pressed the call
button, and waited about twenty seconds for a capsule to arrive.
Once inside, he keyed in his destination and within seconds was
being whisked smoothly through the tube toward E section of the
ship.
The permanently open self-service restaurant was about half full.
The usual clatter of cutlery and dishes poured from the kitchens
behind the counter at one end, where a trio of UNSA cooks were
dishing out generous helpings of assorted culinary offerings
ranging from UNSA eggs and UNSA beans to UNSA chicken legs and UNSA
steaks. Automatic food dispensers with do-it-yourself microwave
cookers had been tried on Jupiter Four but hadn't proved popular
with the crew. So the designers of Jupiter Five had gone back to
the good old-fashioned methods.
Carrying their trays, Hunt and Danchekker threaded their way
between diners, card players, and vociferous debating groups and
found an empty table against the far wall. They sat down and began
transferring their plates to the table.
"So, you've been entertaining some thoughts concerning our Ganymean
friends," Danchekker commented as he began to butter a roll.
"Them and the Lunarians," Hunt replied. "In particular, I like your
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
idea that the Lunarians evolved on Minerva from terrestrial animal
species that the Ganymeans imported. It's the only thing that
accounts acceptably for no traces of any civilization showing up on
Earth. All these attempts people are making to show it might be
different don't convince me much at all."
"I'm very gratified to hear you say so," Danchekker declared. "The
problem, however, is proving it."
"Well, that's what I've been thinking about. Maybe we shouldn't
have to."
Danchekker looked up and peered inquisitively over his spectacles.
He looked intrigued. "Really? How, might I ask?"
"We've got a big problem trying to figure out anything about what
happened on Minerva because we're fairly sure it doesn't exist any
more except as a million chunks of geology strewn around the Solar
System. But the Lunarians didn't have that prob
lem. They had it in one piece, right under their feet. Also, they
had progressed to an advanced state of scientific knowledge. Now,
what must their work have turned up-at least to some extent?"
A light of comprehension dawned in Danchekker's eyes.
"Ah!" he exclaimed at once. "I see. If the Ganymean dviiization had
flourished on Minerva first, then Lunarian scientists would surely
have deduced as much." He paused, frowned, then added: "But that
does not get you very far, Dr. Hunt. You are no more able to
interrogate Lunarian scientific archives than you are to reassemble
the planet."
"No, you're right," Hunt agreed. "We don't have any detailed
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Lunarian scientific records-but we do have the microdot library.
The texts it contains are pretty general in nature, but I couldn't
help thinking that if the Lunarians discovered an advanced race had
been there before them, it would be big and exciting news,
something everybody would know about; you've only got to look at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]