"Stephen Goldin - Herds" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goldin Stephen)

After twenty Zartic lifetimes, a generation was born that
matched the Offasü ideal. When this generation had been raised
to maturity all remaining members of preceding generations
were put to death, leaving none but this new breed of Zarticku to
inherit the world.

These new creatures were substantially different from their
ancestors who had roamed free in ths forests of Zarti. They were
bigger, stronger and healthier. Their eyesight was keener. The
tough, matted hair that had been on their backs had become
thin armor plating. The little appendages at the shoulders that
had originally served to steady tree branches while eating had
been developed into full-grown arms, ending in six-fingered
hands with two opposable thumbs that could grasp and
manipulate objects. Their average lifespan had been doubled.
And, most importantly, they were far smarter than their
ancestors had been. Their intelligence level had been quadrupled
at the very least.

They also possessed a legacy from their predecessors. Stories
of the Offasü tortures had been passed down over the years by
word of mouth, with each generation adding its new tales of
horror. Stories grew in the retelling, and the mythos of Offasü
cruelty increased.

Now that they had apparently gotten what they wanted, the
Offasü proceeded to use—and abuse—their subjects. The
Zarticku became slaves to the older race, used in the most
menial and routine of tasks. They were chained to watch
machines that required no supervision, forced to take part in
rituals that served no purpose, made to disassemble machines
only so that other Zarticku could put them together again. They
could be hunted and killed for sport by the Offasü. Sometimes
they were pitted in arenas against wild animals or even others of
their own species. Although copulation was permitted, the
choice of mates was made by the Offasü, and followed no pattern
that was discernible to the Zarticku.

The period of slavery lasted for about a century. During this
time, the face of the planet changed. Every square inch of arable
land was turned to good use by the brutally efficient Offasü.
Cities arose, planned and engineered to perfection. Systems of
transportation and communication were universal.

Then one day the Offasü left. It was an orderly and
well-planned exodus, without a word spoken to the startled
Zarticku. One moment the Offasü had been running the world in
their usual brisk fashion, the next they calmly walked into their
enormous spaceships—which had sat dormant since the day of