[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
technology that your people use, taking advantage of the magnetic surface that you have placed under
your floors. There are magnetic cylinders that I can carry to act as treads, when necessary."
"Okay, but why the three-dimensional ellipse, or whatever you call that shape."
"Because it is obviously desirable to have a minimal frontal area with respect to one's volume. This shape
permits that from a wide range of angles."
"I won't argue with you," I said. "What's your power supply?"
"A muon-exchange fusion bottle, much as you use, but considerably smaller and somewhat more
powerful. Alas, it is not as compact as the one on the Mitchegai ship you captured. This was the best that
we could do."
"I see. And the space drive?"
Agnieshka was pouring something milky-looking into his bowl.
"A simple cesium ion engine, much like yours, but smaller and more efficient. It enables a thrust of
forty-two Gs, and is quite comparable to those in your tanks. It runs down the center of the vehicle," he
said.
"And your weaponry?"
"The same Disappearing Gun that we gave you plans for. It is mounted internally to the right. We are
capable of mounting a wide variety of weapons externally, but for space combat, one gun should be
sufficient."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Perhaps. Your craft doesn't appear to have much armor," I said.
"This is indeed true. But armor is not effective against the Disappearing Gun, or indeed against the rail
guns that your people have used in the past. Surely, the only purpose for the armor on your vehicles was
to protect the inhabitants of your craft from their own weapons. The Disappearing Gun is safe for
everyone except those that it is aimed at, so we dispensed with the armor."
"Interesting." I asked, "Will your people be working with an artificial intelligence?"
"Most definitely. Your people are masters at that art form. We have been able to tailor the package to fit
into the confines of the hull, but no other improvements were possible, that we could see. We also have
full Dream World capability and are able to operate at combat speed, when needed. The electronic
people will increase our fighting efficiency considerably. Also, they are so very pleasant to talk with. We
enjoy being around them. Oh my! I do believe that I have made a social error! Mickolai, I would like to
introduce you to my friend and my ship, Belladonna. Belladonna, this is our planetary commander,
General Mickolai Derdowski."
Belladonna and I said the usual formal words to each other. Then I said, "But as to enjoying our metal
ladies' company, I expect that the feeling is mutual. So what you have here is something approximately
equivalent to one of our tanks, but much smaller."
"Yes, but being much smaller, we will be much harder to hit," he said. " 'We're pressing on with each
new ship, less weight and larger power. We'll have the Loco Engine soon, and thirty miles an hour!' "
"You are quoting Kipling, one of my favorite poets!"
"Indeed, I have been making a very thorough study of your human culture, and Rudyard Kipling is
certainly one of my favorites, also."
"I'll drink to that. And to him!"
Agnieshka poured him another bowlful of something. I wish that I knew where he put it all.
When it was time for Bellor to go, he started to return to his small space ship, but his coordination was
way off. At one point, he tried to move all three of his right legs at the same time, and fell over.
"Well, my friend," I said. "It seems that I finally know what your limit is in alcohol!"
"It is indeed true that I have overindulged, to my considerable embarrassment, but it was not the alcohol
that subverted the control of my legs. Ethanol is only a healthy food to people of my sort. It was rather
the inordinate amount of various sugars in some of your potables, some of which have a certain
physiological effect on those of my race. Fructose in particular. Without stepping over the bounds of
good taste, may I ask if you could you perhaps assist me to my vehicle?"
"Are you sure that you can drive?"
"I am sure that I cannot," Bellor admitted. "However, Belladonna is fully functional, and she will take me
home quite safely."
"As you wish." I picked him up, swearing that he weighed less than all the booze that he had drunk, and
put him back in the small pool of water in his tank. Once he managed to get all of his legs inside, the lid
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
closed, and the little black ship went home.
Agnieshka, who always seemed to know what I was thinking, said, "Remarkable creatures!"
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
FROM CAPTURED HISTORY TAPES,
FILE 1846583A ca. 1832 a.d.
BUT CONCERNING EVENTS OF UP TO
2000 YEARS EARLIER
Wrapping It Up
Kren spent the rest of the day collecting up heads and decapitated bodies and sending them down into
the tunnel for resurrection, that is to say, to be eaten alive by young carnivores who would soon have
their brains taken over by the person that they had just eaten.
The colonel's insignia on his shoulders was a great help in getting the troops to obey him. Never once did
he have to kill one of them to encourage the others.
Bronki and Dol were wearing armor with captain's insignia that Kren had arranged for. They set up a
surgery in one of the basements, and with the help of a dozen shanghaied soldiers, performed well over a
thousand questionably legal operations on slaughtered civilians. Many of them were members of the
former nobility hereabouts, but some of them were merely servants who had gotten in the way. Kren
decided that he might as well have them all. There were plenty of young carnivores. With the right
conditioning, he was sure that he could make most of them into willing slaves.
When they ran out of heads and decapitated bodies, the duke's men started slaughtering the nobility who
had been captured, but not yet killed. Many of them were still in their eating stupors, and never did wake
up.
Bronki ran into over a dozen of the nobility who had once been friends of hers, since in five thousand
years, you meet a lot of individuals. With a bit of trickery, and some help from Dol, she managed to send
these down for resurrection with their brains intact, having quietly cautioned them to act as if they were
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]