"Delany, Samuel R - The Ballad Of Beta2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Delaney Samuel R)

cosmic equation even before its purpose was achieved.
Their contributions to the arts were entirely deriva-
tive—and they produced nothing else. All that re-
mains of them is a barbaric little settlement, if you
can call it that, which the Federation sentimentally
allows to exist out near Leffer VI. There are too
many cultures and civilizations just crying to be re-
searched to waste time poking through dozens of
chrome-plated eggshells, documenting the history
of a—a bunch of chauvinistic, degenerate morons.
And I don't care what anyone says, sir. That's all
they are!"

"Well," the professor murmured. "Well. You are
vehement on the subject." He glanced at the screen
on his desk, flicked a few notes across it, and then
looked sternly at Joneny. "I am not going to grant
your request, but I'll tell you why. In fact, I'll even

argue with you—because of your 'honors' status.
You say that the culture of the Star Folk was an
insignificant transitional factor, superceded before its
purpose was achieved. Why?"

"Because, sir," Joneny was prepared for that ques-
tion, "they left Earth for the stars in their ships
early in 2242, expecting to cruise through space for
twelve generations before reaching an uncertain des-
tination. They'd only been gone sixty years when
the hyper-space drive became a large-scale reality.
By the time the ten remaining-generation-ships ar-
rived in the Leffer System, Earth had already es-
tablished a going-business of trade and cultural ex-
change, which was already a hundred or so years
old, with scores of planetary systems. And it was
just as well, too, because the level of civilization
on the star-ships was at a primitive-barbaric stage
and the descendants of the proud Star Folk who
had left Earth with such exalted goals would nev-
er have been able to survive on alien planets, much
less make friendly contact with any of their cultures.
So the ten ships were herded into orbit around Lef-
fer, with the imbecilic remnants of their populations
allowed to dodder toward extinction. From all re-
ports, they are as contented as such creatures can
be; so I say leave them there. But I, personally, am
not interested in knowing much more about them."

Certain that he had made his point, he waited
for the professor's—perhaps reluctant—acquiescence