ZX Pilot #20 23 февраля 1998

Самиздат

Fantasy - A Tale Strugatsky "Way to Amalthea (continued).

   FICTION


Continued. Start see # 16, 17, 18, 19.


 CHAPTER II. PEOPLE OVER THE ABYSS


     1. CAPTAIN TELLS bad news,

    A flight engineer is not afraid


   Apparently, a large meteorite landed in the reflector, the 
symmetry distribution of traction on the surface of a 
paraboloid instantly broken, and Tahmasib "spun the wheel. In 
the control room alone captain of the Bulls had not lost 
consciousness. True, he has hit something about his head, then 
sideways for a while just could not breathing, but he managed 
to grab his arms and legs into a chair at which he threw the 
first push, and he clung, stretched, clambered up until in the 
end is not reached for control panel. Everything revolves 
around him with unusual rapidity. From above tumbled Zhilin and 
flew past, outstretched arms and legs. Bykov, it seemed that in 
Zilina not nothing was left alive. He bent his head to the 
control panel and carefully aim, pointing to the desired key.


   Kibershturman including accidental hydrogen, and the Bulls
felt a jolt, like a train stopped at full speed, only
much stronger. Bulls had expected this and struggling resisted
feet in the rack panel, so out of the chair went out. He
just went black eyes and a mouth full of crumbs with chipped
tooth enamel. "Tahmasib" leveled off. Then the Bulls took the 
ship ahead through a cloud of rubble stone and iron. On the 
screen tracking system struggled blue spikes. There were many 
very many, but the ship is no longer prowling - 
protivometeoritnoe the device was disabled and had no effect on 
kibershturman. Through tinnitus Bulls repeatedly heard the 
shrill "Pouk-shek-sh-sh", and each time it pour over ice steam, 
and he drew his shoulders and cringe in fear to the very 
console. Once something snapped, the expansion, behind his 
back. Then the signals the screen was smaller then even less, 
and, finally, did not become altogether. Meteorite attack was 
over. 

   Then the Bulls looked at the course recorder. "Tahmasib" 
fell. "Tahmasib" walked through the exosphere of Jupiter, and 
its rate was much smaller pie, and he fell on the shoulder of 
the helix. He lost speed during the meteor attack. When the 
meteorite attack the ship, dodging the course, always loses 
speed. So happens in the asteroid belt during ordinary flight 
Jupiter - Mars and Jupiter - the Earth. But there is not 
dangerous. Here, above Dzhupom, loss of speed meant certain 
death. The ship burned, crashing into the Earth's atmosphere 
monstrous planet - so was ten years ago with Paul Dungey. And 
if you do not burn, then fails to hydrogen abyss of no return - 
so happened, probably with Sergei Petrushevski earlier this 
year. 

   Escape could only be based on a photon engine.
Completely mechanically Bulls pressed corrugated key starter. 
But no light is not lit on the control panel. Reflector

was damaged and emergency automatic blocking an unreasonable 
order. "This is the end" - thought the Bulls. He carefully 
unfolded the ship and included at full capacity emergency 
engines. Fivefold Overload push him into a chair. This was the 
only thing he could do now - to reduce the rate of fall of the 
ship to minimum so as not to give him burn in the atmosphere. 
Thirty seconds He sat motionless, staring at his hands, quickly 
swelled from overload. Then he reduced the supply of fuel and 
congestion disappeared. Emergency engines will gradually slow 
down the fall - until enough fuel. A little bit of fuel. Anyone 
else ever Emergency missiles are not saved on Jupiter. Above 
Mars over Mercury, above the Earth - maybe, but not over the 
giant planets. 

   Bulls rose heavily and looked through the board. On the 
floor, including plastic debris, lay belly up mate Michael

Antonovich Krutikov.

   - Misha - called the Bulls somehow whisper. - You are alive, 
Michael? 

   They heard a scraping sound, and because the casing of the 
reactor crawled on Zhilin fours. Zhilin looked bad too. He 
thoughtfully looked at the captain, the navigator, on the 
ceiling and sat cross-legged. 

   Bulls selected for the remote and sat down next to the 
navigator haunches, barely bending at the knees. He touched the 
navigator the shoulder, and again called out:


   - You are alive, Michael?

   Michael Antonovich wrinkled face, and he was not opening his 
eyes, licked his lips.


   - Leshenka - he said faintly.

   - Do you hurt anything? - Asked the Bulls, and began to feel 
the navigator. 

   - Oh! - Said the navigator, and opened his eyes wide.

   - And here?

   - Y! - Said the navigator painful voice.

   - And here?

   - Oh, no! - Said the navigator, and sat down, resting his 
hands on the floor. His head bent to one side. - And where 
Vanya? - He asked. 

   Bulls looked back. Zhilin was not.

   - Vania - quietly called the Bulls.

   - Here, - said Zhilin because of the housing. I could hear it
dropped something and cursing in a whisper.

   - Ivan alive, - the Bulls navigator.

   - Well, thank God - said Michael Antonovich, and grasping
the shoulder, the captain rose to his feet.

   - How are you, Mischa? - Asked the Bulls. - In a state?

   - In the state - said uncertainly navigator, holding 
nego.Kazhetsya in the state. - He looked at Bykov wondering 
eyes and said: - What a tenacious man, Leshenka ... Oh, how 
tenacious! 

   - Y-yes, - said the Bulls is uncertain. - Zhivuch.Slushay, 
Michael ... - He paused. - Cause of our evil. We, my brother, 
falls. If you're in able to sit down and considered how and 
what. The calculator, in my opinion, survived. - He looked at 
his calculator. - However, see for yourself. 

   Michael Antonovich's eyes were quite round.

   - Falls? - He said .- Oh, that's it! Fall. Jupiter fall?

   Bulls nodded.

   - Ay-yay-yay! - Said Mikhail Antonovich. - Wow! Well. Now. I 
am now. 

   He stood there, blinking and moving his neck, then released
Captain and grasping the edge of the panel, limped to his seat.

   - Now I consider - he muttered. - Now.

   Bulls looked like he was holding his side, sits in a chair 
and makes himself comfortable. Chair was markedly skewed. Once 
settled, Michael Antonovich suddenly startled look on Bykov 
asked: 

   - But you slowed down, Alyosha? You slowed down?

   Bulls nodded and went to Zhilin, cracking shrapnel on the 
floor. On ceiling, he saw a small black spot, and another 
against the wall. These were the meteorite holes, covered 
smoloplastom.Vokrug spots were shaking big drops of settled 
water. 

   Zhilin was sitting cross-legged in front of the combine 
control of the reflector. Casing harvester was split in half. 
The interior of the combine looked bleak. 

   - What do you have? - Asked the Bulls. He saw that.

   Zhilin looked swollen face.

   - Details I still do not know - he said. - But it is clear 
that smithereens.


   Bulls sat down.

   - One meteorite hit - said Zhilin. - And twice I
drove here myself. - He pointed to where he entered, but this
was so evident. - Once at the beginning of his feet and then at 
the end of the head. 

   - Yes, - said Bykov. - This is no mechanism endure.
Put a spare set. And that's what. We fall.

   - I heard Alex Petrovich - said Zhilin.

   - Actually, - said the Bulls wistfully - what's the use in 
the control processor, if the reflector is broken? 

   - Or maybe not broken? - Said Zhilin.

   Bulls looked at him, smiling.

   - This carousel, - he said - can be explained only
two reasons. Or - or. Or somehow jumped out of focus
point of combustion plasma, or split off a large piece of the 
reflector. I I think that the reflector is broken, because 
there is no God and no one to move the point of combustion. But 
you still go ahead. Put a spare set. - He stood up and cocked 
his head, looked at the ceiling. - It is necessary More 
properly fix the holes. Down there a lot of pressure. 
Smoloplast push through. Well, that was me. - He turned to go, 
but he stopped and said quietly: - You're not afraid, fry? 

   School fry called freshmen and generally younger.

   - No, - said Zhilin.

   - Okay. Work - said Bykov. - Go for inspection of the 
spacecraft. You also have to remove the passengers from the 
shock. 

   Zhilin said nothing. He spent his eyes wide hunched back
Captain and suddenly saw a very close Varechka. Varechka was
column and slowly blinked his eyes bulging. She was all
blue with white speckles, and spikes on her face scared
bristled. This meant that Varechka very angry and
feels good. Jilin has already seen her once in a
state. It was on raketodrome Mirza Charlie month ago
when Yurkovski talked a lot about the amazing adaptability
martian lizards and proof Varechka dipped in a bath
boiling water.

   Varechka convulsive jaw and again closed the huge gray
mouth.

   - So what? - Asked softly Zhilin.

   From the ceiling fell down a big drop, and - so! - Fell on 
the splintered shell combine. Zhilin looked at the ceiling. 
Down there a lot of pressure, "Yes, - he thought - there is 
pressure in the tens and Hundreds of thousands of atmospheres. 
Smoloplastovye tube, of course, would push through. " 

   Varechka stirred again jaw jaws. Zhilin felt in
pocket, found the biscuits and threw it into the gaping maw. 
Varechka slowly sipped and stared at his glass eyes. Jilin sigh.


   - Oh, you poor guy - he said quietly.


To be continued ...