"C. Sanford Lowe & G. David Nordley - The Small Pond" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lowe C Sanford)

It happened slowly. The planetoid slowly split into two, then three, then five
pieces. Some of them seemed to be drifting off to the right, others not at all.
Liz, Cyan...
I saw, Cyan. It looks like part of it is still going to hit.
Wait.
Yes. There was a small delay on the shuttle trajectory to let the net go by. It
will be very close. Be ready to run for it. In the meantime, perhaps you would wish
to settle whatever you need to settle. I’ve opened the net back up to David.
She didn’t think they would make it. Thank you, very much, Cyan, for
everything. Thank you.
Two hours, forty minutes. A message to Mom, of course. To Captain
Katherine Avonford on whatever starship she may be flying to wherever. Mom.
You’ve probably heard what happened off the media. By the time you read this, I
will have become so much interstellar gas flowing out of the Lacaille 9352 system.
Perhaps we will run into each other. I’ll say something general about how I feel
about this—it’s not really bad at all. I’ve let go. I’m accepting it, at peace with it,
even in a strange way, looking forward to the experience. I always wanted to be
important, to make a mark, to be remembered. But I’d rather have stayed around
for the party. I forgot how so many of history’s legends bought fame with their
lives. Martyrdom isn’t worth it. Tell everyone that. Martyrdom isn’t worth it.
And to Hilda. I made a mess of it, Sis, but I got it done. Enjoy the physics.
And to so many others.
She looked at David, silent, concentrating on his own good-byes.
They reached the edge of the landing field.
Five minutes. Death hurtled toward them. It was huge now, a constellation of
comets with a single coma falling toward the horizon, visibly moving, passing what
brightest stars still shone through its vapors. One by one, they slipped below the
horizon.
Time to impact?
The first contact has occurred.
A sudden glow lit the horizon. Then a ghostly curtain began to spread from
some point below it, like an aurora, but a thousand times brighter. Jets of debris and
gasses tangent to the globe of Martin at the impact point moved at tens of kilometers
per second.
Heart in her throat, she sent a last message to Cyan. I guess this is it. Thanks
for trying.
 Wait.
Hang in there, Liz. The shuttle’s almost down and it will take several
minutes for the blast wave to reach you. But be ready for five gees flat on your
back in the airlock.
Shuttle on approach, be prepared to board.
She looked up and the deep blue of its jets lanced down from the sky. She
reached over and grabbed David.
“Time to go.”
“Go yourself. It’s hopeless.”
“Come on, we’ve got to try.”
While David lingered in awe of its horrible beauty, Liz grabbed his arm and
gave it a tug.
“Come on! Run for the shuttle!” It settled down fifty meters from them, its
hot exhaust flapping their Martin suits.