[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.. It was Hinkel's turn to sit speechless. "Your equipment, both the portables
and that ghastly heavy big job, bear an unfortunate likeness to ray
projectors. Which, in a sense, they are. The Murrin are no doubt as unfamiliar
with our technology as we are with theirs. Witness that insane assemblage of
angles out on the plain. Yet it seems to carry them from star to star. "Our
exchange of language has been hampered by the lack of experience and trained
people on our side. However, it is now sufficient to permit several things.
One of these is this first official meeting, a big deal with the Murrin. Among
the details they suggested be implemented was the obvious one of neither group
carrying or presenting weapons." "If that's the case," said Hinkel slyly,
"then how do you explain your objection to our shooting angles by complaining
that they'd interfere with your 'line of fire'?" "As stated, neither group
will display weaponry. At no time will the Reykjavik's lasers be in evidence.
I'd bet that the Murrin ship is far better armed. The important thing is that
no portable weapons be visible. For psychological and practical
reasons." "Granting all your reasoning, which I do not, isn't the import of
this moment, the need to have everyone on earth a part of it, enough to
outweigh a few ethereal maybes on your part?" "There are other reasons." "Name
one!" Hinkel snapped. Cleve allowed his voice a bit more customary bark, and
Vandermeer winced. "All right! Let's suppose just suppose that I permit you
to telecast the whole business, from start to whatever finish, from close-in?
We know little of Murrin technology. We know even less of their psychology and
sociology, of what they might regard as proper and what they might interpret
as offensive. Might they not be curious as to your functioning on the
periphery of the encounter? 74 Space Opera "Disregarding, for the moment, an
infinitude of possibilities of alien reactions ranging from spirit-stealing,
to unimaginable phobias, let's say that they perceive exactly what you and
your crew are doing." "If they're half as clever as you seem to think they
are, they ought to," said Hinkel. "So," said Cleve, leaning back and in his
chair, "consider this. Telecasting or otherwise recording or broadcasting such
a meeting could violate any number of formal taboos, rules of protocol,
ambassadorial dignity. Need I go on? It's happened on Earth, before. Why
couldn't it happen here, worse?" "You mean," said Hinkel, "our broadcasting
the meeting might insult them somehow?" "I don't know, Hinkel. I don't know.
Look, for the last time, please try to understand my position our position."
Vandermeer noticed that long grooves had appeared in the soft wood of the
pencil the commander was holding. "This is the first meeting between mankind
and another intelligent race. From what my improvised linguist and philologist
and part-time amateur xenologist tell me, that's not the case with the Murrin.
Apparently they have encountered at least two other space-going races prior to
finding us. You see? They have an established procedure for this! We don't.
We'll be judged not only according to how we act, but how we act in comparison
to at least two other intelligent species. We haven't the same basis for
establishing common ground that they have. If we only had one thing completely
in common, everything else could proceed in logical sequence. But we don't. So
we must take care to do the right thing at every second, until that first
commonality is established. The most crucial moment in the human race's
history, sir!" "Precisely why it must be simulcast," said Hinkel. "Precisely
why I cannot permit the risk of turning this into a circus!" Hinkel was
honestly shocked. 75 WITH FRIENDS LUCE THESE ... "Circus! Do you have the
infernal gall to sit there and call the 25th Hour the highest-rated newscast
for five consecutive years, winner of over a hundred prizes for journalistic
excellence a circus1?" "Goddamn it! I just said it, didn't I? Yes, and with a
special vote for exceptional cretinism to the lead elephant!" Hinkel rose with
great dignity. "I see." His voice approached a verbal equivalent of zero
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Kelvin. "Thank you, Commander, for making your feelings in this matter
perfectly clear. Good day." He left. Cleve snapped the abused pencil in two
and threw the halves at the ceiling. "Well, that tears it!" he said. "I could
instruct engineering not to allow his people transfer facilities for Earthside
beaming, sir," offered Vandermeer hopefully. Cleve rubbed both eyes, tiredly.
"No, no ... let's not be so overt, Lieutenant. Let him contact his influential
friends. If the idiots, dirtside, think he should be allowed to cover this
meeting, they deserve whatever results result. I pray the Murrin react
favorably. No, better they don't react at all! Now go away. Oh, here . . ." He
handed Vandermeer the script Hinkel had given him. "I can do one thing. Find a
Disposall, Lieutenant, and file this. Discreetly, of course." "Yes, sir." The
Murrin, as the scrambled videocasts revealed, were a large, ursoid race,
clearly mammalian. They resembled the terran brown bear in a fortunate number
of respects. Fortunate, because it alleviated Hinkel's first fear. Namely,
that the extrasolar visitors would turn out to be ten-foot-wide spiders with
slavering fangs and green eyes. Fuzzy aliens inspired little xenophobia. The
Murrin had been on the homeward leg of a normal exploring trip. They'd been
examining the 76 Space Opera planets of the sol system one by one. While
circumnavigating Saturn, they'd passed close to Titan while the Reykjavik was
passing information toward Mars station. They had presented nothing but a
friendly continence since the initial contact. Still, Cleve reflected, there
was no mistaking the cautious, defensive approach the aliens had used, coming
in low over the horizon and with little warning. A carefully developed
military tactic, using mountains as cover. While they might be all for
exchanging dirty stories over a beer, they weren't quite ready to hail the
terrans as long-lost lodge brothers. Perhaps they were just naturally
cautious. On the other hand, it was conceivable that someone had taken a
potshot at one of them before. In any case, they'd dropped in on the Rey
before anyone could have loaded even a blowgun. Which was just as well. So the
two ships squatted across the narrow valley from each other while the amateur
linguists on the ;' Reykjavik and the professional ones on the alien
ship tried to talk turkey with the help of several miles of electronic
circuitry. .> Being prepared for the chance of happening onto an-.;.;"
other intelligent race, the Murrin acquired basic Eng-|. lish a good
deal faster than the terrans could pick up j guttural Myll, The aliens
had given every indication of \ being highly pleased at discovering
another intelligent species (if a bit blase about the whole thing).
Particularly in such an otherwise unpromising system, thought Cleve as he [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
.. It was Hinkel's turn to sit speechless. "Your equipment, both the portables
and that ghastly heavy big job, bear an unfortunate likeness to ray
projectors. Which, in a sense, they are. The Murrin are no doubt as unfamiliar
with our technology as we are with theirs. Witness that insane assemblage of
angles out on the plain. Yet it seems to carry them from star to star. "Our
exchange of language has been hampered by the lack of experience and trained
people on our side. However, it is now sufficient to permit several things.
One of these is this first official meeting, a big deal with the Murrin. Among
the details they suggested be implemented was the obvious one of neither group
carrying or presenting weapons." "If that's the case," said Hinkel slyly,
"then how do you explain your objection to our shooting angles by complaining
that they'd interfere with your 'line of fire'?" "As stated, neither group
will display weaponry. At no time will the Reykjavik's lasers be in evidence.
I'd bet that the Murrin ship is far better armed. The important thing is that
no portable weapons be visible. For psychological and practical
reasons." "Granting all your reasoning, which I do not, isn't the import of
this moment, the need to have everyone on earth a part of it, enough to
outweigh a few ethereal maybes on your part?" "There are other reasons." "Name
one!" Hinkel snapped. Cleve allowed his voice a bit more customary bark, and
Vandermeer winced. "All right! Let's suppose just suppose that I permit you
to telecast the whole business, from start to whatever finish, from close-in?
We know little of Murrin technology. We know even less of their psychology and
sociology, of what they might regard as proper and what they might interpret
as offensive. Might they not be curious as to your functioning on the
periphery of the encounter? 74 Space Opera "Disregarding, for the moment, an
infinitude of possibilities of alien reactions ranging from spirit-stealing,
to unimaginable phobias, let's say that they perceive exactly what you and
your crew are doing." "If they're half as clever as you seem to think they
are, they ought to," said Hinkel. "So," said Cleve, leaning back and in his
chair, "consider this. Telecasting or otherwise recording or broadcasting such
a meeting could violate any number of formal taboos, rules of protocol,
ambassadorial dignity. Need I go on? It's happened on Earth, before. Why
couldn't it happen here, worse?" "You mean," said Hinkel, "our broadcasting
the meeting might insult them somehow?" "I don't know, Hinkel. I don't know.
Look, for the last time, please try to understand my position our position."
Vandermeer noticed that long grooves had appeared in the soft wood of the
pencil the commander was holding. "This is the first meeting between mankind
and another intelligent race. From what my improvised linguist and philologist
and part-time amateur xenologist tell me, that's not the case with the Murrin.
Apparently they have encountered at least two other space-going races prior to
finding us. You see? They have an established procedure for this! We don't.
We'll be judged not only according to how we act, but how we act in comparison
to at least two other intelligent species. We haven't the same basis for
establishing common ground that they have. If we only had one thing completely
in common, everything else could proceed in logical sequence. But we don't. So
we must take care to do the right thing at every second, until that first
commonality is established. The most crucial moment in the human race's
history, sir!" "Precisely why it must be simulcast," said Hinkel. "Precisely
why I cannot permit the risk of turning this into a circus!" Hinkel was
honestly shocked. 75 WITH FRIENDS LUCE THESE ... "Circus! Do you have the
infernal gall to sit there and call the 25th Hour the highest-rated newscast
for five consecutive years, winner of over a hundred prizes for journalistic
excellence a circus1?" "Goddamn it! I just said it, didn't I? Yes, and with a
special vote for exceptional cretinism to the lead elephant!" Hinkel rose with
great dignity. "I see." His voice approached a verbal equivalent of zero
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Kelvin. "Thank you, Commander, for making your feelings in this matter
perfectly clear. Good day." He left. Cleve snapped the abused pencil in two
and threw the halves at the ceiling. "Well, that tears it!" he said. "I could
instruct engineering not to allow his people transfer facilities for Earthside
beaming, sir," offered Vandermeer hopefully. Cleve rubbed both eyes, tiredly.
"No, no ... let's not be so overt, Lieutenant. Let him contact his influential
friends. If the idiots, dirtside, think he should be allowed to cover this
meeting, they deserve whatever results result. I pray the Murrin react
favorably. No, better they don't react at all! Now go away. Oh, here . . ." He
handed Vandermeer the script Hinkel had given him. "I can do one thing. Find a
Disposall, Lieutenant, and file this. Discreetly, of course." "Yes, sir." The
Murrin, as the scrambled videocasts revealed, were a large, ursoid race,
clearly mammalian. They resembled the terran brown bear in a fortunate number
of respects. Fortunate, because it alleviated Hinkel's first fear. Namely,
that the extrasolar visitors would turn out to be ten-foot-wide spiders with
slavering fangs and green eyes. Fuzzy aliens inspired little xenophobia. The
Murrin had been on the homeward leg of a normal exploring trip. They'd been
examining the 76 Space Opera planets of the sol system one by one. While
circumnavigating Saturn, they'd passed close to Titan while the Reykjavik was
passing information toward Mars station. They had presented nothing but a
friendly continence since the initial contact. Still, Cleve reflected, there
was no mistaking the cautious, defensive approach the aliens had used, coming
in low over the horizon and with little warning. A carefully developed
military tactic, using mountains as cover. While they might be all for
exchanging dirty stories over a beer, they weren't quite ready to hail the
terrans as long-lost lodge brothers. Perhaps they were just naturally
cautious. On the other hand, it was conceivable that someone had taken a
potshot at one of them before. In any case, they'd dropped in on the Rey
before anyone could have loaded even a blowgun. Which was just as well. So the
two ships squatted across the narrow valley from each other while the amateur
linguists on the ;' Reykjavik and the professional ones on the alien
ship tried to talk turkey with the help of several miles of electronic
circuitry. .> Being prepared for the chance of happening onto an-.;.;"
other intelligent race, the Murrin acquired basic Eng-|. lish a good
deal faster than the terrans could pick up j guttural Myll, The aliens
had given every indication of \ being highly pleased at discovering
another intelligent species (if a bit blase about the whole thing).
Particularly in such an otherwise unpromising system, thought Cleve as he [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]