"Lee Edgar - Return to Andromeda" - читать интересную книгу автора (Edgar Lee)

swift.’
‘There is no hope, Gwynatha?’
‘None, Your Majesty. The only hope of continuing our race is now completely in the hands of the
Earthman.’
‘Were we right to trust him with our life seeds?’ asked the dark-haired woman.
‘I believe so, Jannil,’ said Queen Lyniera. ‘He will do everything he can to see that all will not be in vain.’
‘But so much, and entrusted to just one man.’
‘We had little choice under the circumstances. It was fortunate he happened to arrive when he did and
offered to help us as did the other Terrans who came before him.’
‘Perhaps Earthman Duncan will die before he is able to establish our race on his home planet.’
‘That is indeed possible. However, I feel he will do all he can. He is carrying our future and knows it.’
‘The technology we gave him, will he use it wisely?’
‘He must, if he is to survive.’ She turned to a grey-haired man. ‘Did you send our final signal of greeting?’
‘I did, Your Majesty. If Earthman Duncan has survived the return journey to Terra, I calculate that he will
have received it this morning.’
The Queen bowed her head in sadness. ‘Then we can do no more.’
‘We must simply wait for the end?’
‘I fear so, my friends. Go to your homes now and spend your last few days with your families. Nothing can
save us now.’




RETURN TO ANDROMEDA
Alan Thompson, Director of the Europa Space Corporation, smiled as he watched the two young women
saying goodbye to their father. One of the daughters he had known for almost a year. The other, younger girl,
he had only just met for the first time. Both had long, golden hair and each wore pale blue overalls with
crimson collars which identified currently-serving mission personnel.
‘Take care, both of you,’ their father was saying. He was a tall man who looked in his mid fifties and with
fair hair turning to grey at the temples. ‘I fear your voyage could hold real danger.’
‘We have our husbands to protect us,’ said Lyn, glancing at the similarly-dressed menfolk. ‘They will let no
harm befall us.’
He smiled warmly. ‘I hope so, my dears.’
The Director coughed. ‘Time is running out, Jim.’
‘You are right, Alan. The General will waste no time in getting his revenge for what my girls have done to foil
his plans for war.’
The Director shook hands with the older sister. ‘I shall miss your happy, smiling face around here, Cassi.’
The twenty-year-old woman smiled back with a twinkle in her eye. ‘And I you.’ She looked around at the
transparent walls of the giant Russian-built space station. ‘I shall miss Orion as well. Look after her for me.’
‘I will.’ He took the hand of the younger girl. ‘Goodbye, Lyn. One day, you and I will get to know each other
better.’
‘If my husband lets me come back,’ she said, looking up at him with a smile.
‘He will. Steve has very strict instructions on the matter.’
With a final wave, the two girls stepped into the airlock, difficult to tell apart in the poor light despite the
one-year difference in their ages. The great airlock door slowly closed and the green light above it turned red
after a moment.
‘Will they make it in time, Jim?’ asked the Director as they watched the umbilical tube detach from
Wayfarer One. It hung motionless before slowly contracting towards the space station.
Admiral Duncan shook his head. ‘I doubt it. It took me thirty-eight years to get back from the Andromeda
Spiral in Wayfarer Two. They will be very lucky to complete the journey in time to be of any real help.’