Robert A Heinlein - Orphans of the Sky

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UNIVERSE
The Proxima Centauri Expedition, sponsored by the Jordan Foundation in
2119, was the first recorded attempt to reach the nearer stars of this galaxy.
Whatever its unhappy fate we can only conjecture.—Quoted from The
Romance of Modern Astrography, by Franklin Buck, published by Lux
Transcriptions, Ltd., 3.50 cr.
„THERE’S A MUTIE! Look out!“
At the shouted warning, Hugh Hoyland ducked, with nothing to spare. An
egg-sized iron missile clanged against the bulkhead just above his scalp with
force that promised a fractured skull. The speed with which he crouched had
lifted his feet from the floor plates. Before his body could settle slowly to the
deck, he planted his feet against the bulkhead behind him and shoved. He
went shooting down the passageway in a long, flat dive, his knife drawn and
ready.
He twisted in the air, checked himself with his feet against the opposite
bulkhead at the turn in the passage from which the mutie had attacked him,
and floated lightly to his feet. The other branch of the passage was empty.
His two companions joined him, sliding awkwardly across the floor plates.
„Is it gone?“ demanded Alan Mahoney.
„Yes,“ agreed Hoyland. „I caught a glimpse of it as it ducked down that hatch.
A female, I think. Looked like it had four legs.“
„Two legs or four, we’ll never catch it now,“ commented the third man.
„Who the Huff wants to catch it?“ protested Mahoney.
„I don’t.“
„Well, I do, for one,“ said Hoyland. „By Jordan, if its aim had been two inches
better, I’d be ready for the Converter.“
„Can’t either one of you two speak three words without swearing?“ the third
man disapproved. „What if the Captain could hear you?“ He touched his
forehead reverently as he mentioned the Captain.
„Oh, for Jordan’s sake,“ snapped Hoyland, „don’t be so stuffy, Mort Tyler.
You’re not a scientist yet. I reckon I’m as devout as you are; there’s no grave
sin in occasionally giving vent to your feelings. Even the scientists do it. I’ve
heard ‚em.“
Tyler opened his mouth as if to expostulate, then apparently thought better of
it. Mahoney touched Hoyland on the arm. „Look, Hugh,“ he pleaded, „let’s get
out of here. We’ve never been this high before. I’m jumpy; I want to get back
down to where I can feel some weight on my feet.“
Hoyland looked longingly toward the hatch through which his assailant had
disappeared while his hand rested on the grip of his knife, then be turned to
Mahoney. „OK, kid,“ he agreed, „It’s along trip down anyhow.“
He turned and slithered back toward the hatch, whereby they had reached
the level where they now were, the other two following him. Disregarding the
ladder by which they had mounted, he stepped off into the opening and
floated slowly down to the deck fifteen feet below, Tyler and Mahoney close
behind him. Another hatch, staggered a few feet from the first, gave access
to a still lower deck. Down, down, down, and still farther down they dropped,
tens and dozens of decks, each silent, dimly lighted, mysterious. Each time
they fell a little faster, landed a little harder. Mahoney protested at last, „Let’s
walk the rest of the way, Hugh. That last jump hurt my feet.“
„All right. But it will take longer. How far have we got to go? Anybody
keep count?“
„We’ve got about seventy decks to go to reach farm country,“ answered
Tyler.
„How d’you know?“ demanded Mahoney suspiciously.
„I counted them, stupid. And as we came down I took one away for
each deck.“
„You did not. Nobody but a scientist can do numbering like that. Just because
you’re learning to read and write you think you know everything.“
Hoyland cut in before it could develop into a quarrel. „Shut up, Alan. Maybe
he can do it. He’s clever about such things. Anyhow, it feels like about
seventy decks—I’m heavy enough.“
„Maybe he’d like to count the blades on my knife.“
„Stow it, I said. Dueling is forbidden outside the village. That is the Rule.“
They proceeded in silence, running lightly down the stairways until increasing
weight on each succeeding level forced them to a more pedestrian pace.
Presently they broke through into a level that was quite brilliantly lighted and
more than twice as deep between decks as the ones above it. The air was
moist and warm; vegetation obscured the view.
„Well, down at last,“ said Hugh. „I don’t recognize this farm; we must have
come down by a different line than we went up.“
„There’s a farmer,“ said Tyler. He put his little fingers to his lips and whistled,
then called, „Hey! Shipmate! Where are we?“
The peasant looked them over slowly, then directed them in reluctant
monosyllables to the main passageway which would lead them back to their
own village.
A brisk walk of a mile and a half down a wide tunnel moderately crowded with
traffic: travelers, porters, an occasional pushcart, a dignified scientist
swinging in a litter borne by four husky orderlies and preceded by his master-
at-arms to clear the common crew out of the way. A mile and a half of this
brought them to the common of their own village, a spacious compartment
three decks high and perhaps ten times as wide. They split up and went their
own ways, Hugh to his quarters in the barracks of the cadets, young
bachelors who do not live with their parents. He washed himself and went
thence to the compartments of his uncle, for whom he worked for his meals.
His aunt glanced up as he came in, but said nothing, as became a woman.
His uncle said, „Hello, Hugh. Been exploring again?“
„Good eating, Uncle. Yes.“
His uncle, a stolid, sensible man, looked tolerantly amused. „Where did you
go and what did you find?“
Hugh’s aunt had slipped silently out of the compartment, and now returned
with his supper which she placed before him. He fell to; it did not occur to him
to thank her. He munched a bite before replying.
„Up. We climbed almost to the level-of-no-weight. A mutie tried to crack my
skull.“
His uncle chuckled. „You’ll find your death In those passageways, lad. Better
you should pay more attention to my business against the day when I die and
get out of your way.“
Hugh looked stubborn. „Don’t you have any curiosity, Uncle?“
„Me? Oh, I was prying enough when I was a lad. I followed the main passage
all the way around and back to the village. Right through the Dark Sector I
went, with muties tagging my heels. See that scar?“
Hugh glanced at it perfunctorily. He had seen it many times before and heard
the story repeated to boredom. Once around the Ship, pfft! He wanted to go
everywhere, see everything, and find out the why of things. Those upper
levels now: if men were not intended to climb that high, why had Jordan
created them?
But he kept his own counsel and went on with his meal. His uncle changed
the subject. „I’ve occasion to visit the Witness. John Black claims I owe him
three swine. Want to come along?“
„Why, no, I guess not—Wait! I believe I will.“
„Hurry up, then.“
They stopped at the cadets’ barracks, Hugh claiming an errand. The Witness
lived in a small, smelly compartment directly across the Common from the
barracks, where he would be readily accessible to any who had need of his
talents. They found him leaning in his doorway, picking his teeth with a
fingernail. His apprentice, a pimply-faced adolescent with an intent
nearsighted expression, squatted behind him.
„Good eating.“ said Hugh’s uncle.
„Good eating to you, Edard Hoyland. D’you come on business, or to
keep an old man company?“
„Both,“ Hugh’s uncle returned diplomatically, then explained his errand.
摘要：

UNIVERSETheProximaCentauriExpedition,sponsoredbytheJordanFoundationin2119,wasthefirstrecordedattempttoreachthenearerstarsofthisgalaxy.Whateveritsunhappyfatewecanonlyconjecture.—QuotedfromTheRomanceofModernAstrography,byFranklinBuck,publishedbyLuxTranscriptions,Ltd.,3.50cr.„THERE’SAMUTIE!Lookout!“At...

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