"Joe Haldeman - Tricentennial (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haldeman Joe)

"That radio stuff?"

"Right. Did you read the report?"

Connors looked into his glass. "Charlie, you know I don't have time to-
"

"Somebody read it, though."

"Oh, nighty-o. Good astronomy boy on my staff: he gave me a boil-down.
Mighty interesting, that."

"There's an intelligent civilization eleven light-years away-that's
`mighty interesting'?"
"Sure. Real breakthrough." Uncomfortable silence. V "Uh, what are you
going to do about it?"

"Two things. First, we're trying to figure out what they're saying.
That's hard. Second, we want to send a message back. That's easy. And
that's where you come in."

The Senator nodded and looked somewhat wary.

"Let me explain. We've sent messages to this star, 61 Cygni, before.
It's a double star, actually, with a dark companion."

"Like us."

"Sort of. Anyhow, they never answered. They aren't listening,
evidently: they aren't sending."

"But we got-"

"What we're picking up is about what you'd pick up eleven light-years
from Earth. A confused jumble of broadcasts, eleven years old. Very
faint. But obviously not generated by any sort of natural source."

"Then we're already sending a message back. The same kind they're
sending us."

"That's right, but---21

"So what does all this have to do with me?"

"Bo, we don't want to whisper at them-we want to shout! Get their
attention." Leventhal sipped his wine and leaned back. "For that, we'll
need one hell of a lot ` of power."

"Uh, nighty-o. Charlie, power's money. How much are you talking about?"