"James P. Hogan - Giants 3 - Giant's Star" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hogan James P)

"Greetings from Thurien to Earth, et cetera. Well, we made it. Too bad about the lousy
weather."
All movement around the craft ceased instantly. A total silence fell. One by one the heads
on every side jerked around and gaped at each other speechlessly as the message percolated
through.
This was a starship? The Shapieron had stood nearly half a mile high. It was like having a
little old lady show up at Tycho on a bicycle.
The forward passenger door opened, and a flight of steps unfolded itself to the ground.
All eyes were riveted to the open doorway. The UNSA people up front drew back slowly while Hunt
and his companions, with Heller and Packard a pace behind, moved forward to close in behind
Caldwell and then slowed to a halt again uncertainly. Behind them the expectant cameras focused
unwaveringly on the top of the steps.
"You'd better come on in," the voice suggested. "No sense in catching colds out there."
Heller and Packard exchanged bemused glances; none of their talks and briefings in
Washington had prepared them for this. "I guess we just ad-lib as we go," Packard said in a low
voice. He tried to summon up a reassuring grin, but it died somewhere on its way to his face.
"At least it's not happening in Siberia," Heller murmured.
Danchekker was fixing Hunt with a satisfied look. "If those utterances are not indicative
of Ganymean humor at work, I'll ac
cept creationism," he said triumphantly. The aliens could have warned them about the
ship's disguise, Hunt agreed inwardly, but apparently they had been unable to resist making a mild
joke out of it. And they obviously had little time for pomp and formality. It sounded like
Ganymeans, all right.
They began moving toward the steps with Caldwell in the lead while the UNSA people opened
up to let them pass through. Hunt was a couple of paces behind Caidwell as Caldwell was about to
step onto the first stair. Caldwell emitted a startled exclamation and seemed to be lifted off the
ground. As the others froze in their tracks, he was whisked upward over the stairway without any
part of his body seeming to touch it, and deposited on his feet inside the doorway apparently none
the worse for wear. He seemed a trifle shaken when he turned to look back down at them, but
composed himself rapidly. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he growled. Hunt was obviously next in
line. He drew a long, nil-steady breath, shrugged, and stepped forward.
A strangely pleasant and warm sensation enveloped him, and a force of some kind drew him
onward, carrying his weight off his legs. There was a blurred impression of the steps flowing by
beneath his feet, and then he was standing beside Caldwell, who was watching him closely and not
without a hint of amusement. Hunt was finally convinced-this was not a 1227.
They were in a fairly small, bare compartment whose walls were of a translucent amber
material and glowed softly. It seemed to be an antechamber to whatever lay beyond another door
leading aft, from which a stronger light was emanating. Before Hunt could take in any more of the
details, Lyn sailed in through the doorway and landed lightly on the spot he had just vacated.
"Smoking or nonsmoking?" he asked.
"Where's the stewardess? I need a brandy."
Then Danchekker's voice shouted in sudden alarm from out-#side. "What in God's name is
happening? Do something with this infernal contraption!" They looked back down. He was hanging a
foot or two above the stairway, flailing his arms in exasperation after having apparently come to
a halt halfway through the process of joining them. "This is ridiculous! Get me down from here!"
"You're crowding the doorway," the voice that had spoken before advised from somewhere
around them. "How about moving on through and making more room?" They moved toward the
inner doorway, and Danchekker appeared behind somewhat huffily a few seconds later. While
Heller and Packard were following, Hunt and Lyn followed Caidwell into the body of the craft.
They found themselves in a short corridor that ran twenty feet or so toward the tail