JК
World Of Ptavvs :: Нивен Ларри
Страница: 124 из 127"
"Listen," said Masney.
Faintly but clearly, the radio gave forth a rising and falling scream like an air raid siren.
"It's the Lazy Eight's distress signal," said Anderson.
Number Six was now a robot. The Heinlein 's drive controls now operated the singleship's drive, and Anderson pushed attitude jet buttons and pulled on the fuel throttle as he watched the Heinlein 's screen which now looked through Number Six's telescope. They had had to use the singleship, of course. A two-man Earth ship must be just what the ET desperately needed.
"Well, shall we take her down?"
Woody said, "Let's see if Lew's all right."
Anderson guided the singleship over to where the lead ship circled Pluto, turned off the drive and used attitude jets to get even closer. At last he and four others looked directly through the frosted, jagged fragments of Lew's control bubble. There were heat stains on the metal rim. Lew was there, a figure in a tall, narrow metal armor spacesuit; but he wasn't moving. He was dead or paralyzed.
"We can't do anything for him now," said Smoky.
"Right," said Luke. "No sense postponing the dreadful moment. Take 'er down."
The distress signal was coming out of a field of unbroken snow.
Anderson had never worked harder in his life. Muttering ceaselessly under his breath, he held the ship motionless a mile over the distress signal while snow boiled and gave him way. Mist formed on the Heinlein 's screen, then fog. He turned on an infrared spotlight, and it helped- but not much. Smoky winced at some of the things young Anderson was saying. Suddenly Anderson was silent, and all five craned forward to see better.
The Golden Circle came out of the ice.
Anderson brought the singleship down as gently as he knew how. At the moment of contact the whole ship rang like a brass bell. The picture in the screen trembled wildly.
In the ensuing silence, a biped form climbed painfully through the topside airlock in the Golden Circle . It climbed down and moved toward them across the snow.
The honeymooner was no longer a spaceship, but she made an adequate meeting hall- and hospital. Especially hospital, for of the ten men who faced each other around the crap table, only two were in good health.
Larry Greenberg, carrying a Thrintun spacesuit on each shoulder, had returned to find the Golden Circle nearly buried in ice. The glassy sheathing over the top of the ship was twenty feet thick.
"Listen," said Masney.
Faintly but clearly, the radio gave forth a rising and falling scream like an air raid siren.
"It's the Lazy Eight's distress signal," said Anderson.
Number Six was now a robot. The Heinlein 's drive controls now operated the singleship's drive, and Anderson pushed attitude jet buttons and pulled on the fuel throttle as he watched the Heinlein 's screen which now looked through Number Six's telescope. They had had to use the singleship, of course. A two-man Earth ship must be just what the ET desperately needed.
"Well, shall we take her down?"
Woody said, "Let's see if Lew's all right."
Anderson guided the singleship over to where the lead ship circled Pluto, turned off the drive and used attitude jets to get even closer. At last he and four others looked directly through the frosted, jagged fragments of Lew's control bubble. There were heat stains on the metal rim. Lew was there, a figure in a tall, narrow metal armor spacesuit; but he wasn't moving. He was dead or paralyzed.
"We can't do anything for him now," said Smoky.
"Right," said Luke. "No sense postponing the dreadful moment. Take 'er down."
The distress signal was coming out of a field of unbroken snow.
Anderson had never worked harder in his life. Muttering ceaselessly under his breath, he held the ship motionless a mile over the distress signal while snow boiled and gave him way. Mist formed on the Heinlein 's screen, then fog. He turned on an infrared spotlight, and it helped- but not much. Smoky winced at some of the things young Anderson was saying. Suddenly Anderson was silent, and all five craned forward to see better.
The Golden Circle came out of the ice.
Anderson brought the singleship down as gently as he knew how. At the moment of contact the whole ship rang like a brass bell. The picture in the screen trembled wildly.
In the ensuing silence, a biped form climbed painfully through the topside airlock in the Golden Circle . It climbed down and moved toward them across the snow.
The honeymooner was no longer a spaceship, but she made an adequate meeting hall- and hospital. Especially hospital, for of the ten men who faced each other around the crap table, only two were in good health.
Larry Greenberg, carrying a Thrintun spacesuit on each shoulder, had returned to find the Golden Circle nearly buried in ice. The glassy sheathing over the top of the ship was twenty feet thick.