/* The end of the fantastic story is published.
*/
10.
In search of sympathy, Roman wandered into Varka's cabin.
The girl, in a gloomy mood, sat on the bed and read the printout of the second interview.
Did you come to play? she suggested.
"Yeah," the pilot said happily.
— Rook h9-a9-tau-12.
— Pawn d4-d5-alpha-5.
How did it go, in your opinion?
- Terrible.
— Knight g6-f8-omicron-4.
— Rook a9-a7-psi-10.
- And what did you dislike the most?
— Are you familiar with the Schwartzman method?
- Нет.
“I got to know you along the way. It's quiet horror. I don’t understand how Yuri can use such a technique - it is absolutely raw. Firstly, it allows the possibility of impromptu, and secondly, it insists on introducing the most absurd concept possible. If you heard what Yuri was carrying: gravitational clots, the edges of the clot melted from the heat of the prominence, the skin merged with the muscles into a single organism. Damn it!
From an excess of feelings, Roman shook his head.
— Pawn d7-d6-phi-9.
- Especially since Yuri and Shvartsman's methodology followed carelessly. Several of his sentences explicitly allowed for alternative thinking. During the interview, we walked on the edge of the razor, but he did not notice anything, in my opinion.
— Are you saying that you understand autanasia better than a professional contactee?
“It looks better,” Roman admitted.
“Report to the management,” the clever Varka advised. “Civilization of the seventeenth type after all.
— Pawn a2-a4-beta-12.
— Are you cowardly?
The novel jumped up in earnest:
“Do you realize that it’s unethical to report over the head of your immediate superior?!
- Why are you yelling at me? If you don't want to, don't report. By the way, I was absent from the interview itself - I have no idea what you and the Sirians talked about and according to what methodology. If you remember, I was sent home at the last moment. I didn't even read the printout.
- What am I doing here?
— Pawn a4-a5-theta-2.
“This is Yuri's individual decision,” Roman clarified. — Logically, by the way. There are two Sirlyans, and there should be two earthlings.
“Maybe it was you who suggested it to Yuri!”
Roman looked at his friend in disbelief.
Why should I?
- I have no idea. To meet alone with his sirlyanka, perhaps.
— Knight g4-h6-tau-13.
- Silent means consent.
Here it dawned on Roman what Varya had said.
- What did you say? Who to meet???
- With a sirlyanka!
Roman glanced at Varka once more. Her cheeks flushed.
- With this girl who laughs out of place?
- Don't pretend that there are a lot of sirlyanki. She is one! He himself said - she's nothing like that.
Roman was completely taken aback.
“Are you jealous of me for the sirlyanka, or what?”
- Rhino f5-b8-gamma-10.
Tears appeared in Varka's eyes.
- I do not understand.
— And what's incomprehensible here? - hopelessly and somehow absurdly cried the girl. “Your sirlyanka is a laughing fool!”
She had never seen this before.
The dumbfounded Roman stretched out with hugs and consolations:
— Varya, come to your senses. In addition to me, there were two more men in the conference room: Yuri and this ... how is it ... Gril. The latter, by the way, is her legitimate male. Ask Yuri to take you to the next interview as the third number?
- Do not touch me!
“Varya, this girl and I belong to different space races!” We can't even have a common offspring...probably.
“Ah,” Varya sobbed bitterly, but in her own way, logically. - Have you and your sirlyanka already thought about joint children ?!
“Still, I don’t understand,” Roman said out of inertia.
- What else do you not understand?
“You said Rhino f5-b8-gamma-10.” Rhinos don't walk like that.
- They go!
- No, they don't! And don't you dare follow me!
The girl sobbed and rushed out of her own cabin.
“Varya, but rhinoceroses really don’t walk like that!” Roman called after him, but Varka had already run away.
Look for her now all over the starship!
11.
“Humanism” calls the Earth. "Humanism" evokes the Earth.
- Earth on the wire.
- I ask you to confirm the efficiency of the Schwartzman technique.
- "Humanism", I recently sent you a contactee. Barely found a free one. Is he not able to figure out his own methods?
“His qualifications are questionable.
- Send materials for transfer to space arbitration.
“Understood, Earth. I understood you.
12.
At the third interview, the earthlings were present in full force: Yuri agreed to take Varya as the third number.
“We settled on the historical period when patterns of chemical compounds began to form on Searle,” he began the interview when everyone settled down. Today I will tell you what happened next.
But Grill interrupted him:
- I propose a different plan of conversation. I would like to ask clarifying questions about gravitational clumps.
Roman noted that the Sirians become not only inquisitive, but also verbose.
— And why do you want it? Yuri asked in his usual way.
— Why are you asking about it?
Applause for the Sirian.
“You see, Greel, we are an ancient space civilization that has communicated with countless peoples inhabiting all the edges of the galaxy. We have rich contact experience. I propose to follow the planned communication plan. Then we will answer your questions.
“Does the oldest age of your civilization have anything to do with the order in which questions are dealt with?”
“I could explain,” said Yuri, backed into a corner by the persistence of his opponent, “but you won’t understand, due to the infantile underdevelopment of your intellect. The result of understanding depends on the order of explanations. However, if you insist, we can watch a video about religious wars on your planet.
“Religious wars don’t interest me.
- Are some gravitational clots more important to you?
- Yes.
- May I ask you why?
- According to you, Searle was formed from gravitational clots. Moreover, you did not observe the very moment of formation.
We arrived later.
- Why did you decide that Searle was formed from gravitational clots?
“We have drawn a logical conclusion by analogy, by observing millions of other planets…
Roman listened to Yuri's bickering with the Sirians and prayed that this time the difficult one would carry him, and humanity along with it. Varka also kept quiet, examining her manicured nails.
“And they all formed from gravitational clumps?” Greel insisted.
- The overwhelming majority, - Yuri held the defense.
- That is, not all?
- Yes.
— What then is another mechanism of planet formation?
- Not much. Planets can form as a result of the collision of celestial bodies with each other ...
…which, in turn, are formed from gravitational clumps? Grill suggested.
- Something like this. I am not a physicist, it is difficult for me to describe universal processes in mathematical formulas.
Rela laughed out loud.
- It turns out that the primary formation of planets occurs exclusively from gravitational clots. But in this case it is meaningless to talk about the method of education: one can only talk about the primary or secondary nature of education. At the same time, the very concept of gravitational clots is deciphered through the concept of gravitational density, which, in turn, is not deciphered at all ...
- Decrypted! Yuri was outraged. - Just, not being a specialist in physics, I can not give the necessary definition.
- It does not make sense. Even if the necessary definition were found, it would require a subsequent definition, then in turn a subsequent one, and so on ad infinitum. This made me laugh. Your concept of knowledge will always be either incomplete or cyclical.
The Earthlings, who had not expected such a long tirade from the Sirlian girl, were taken aback for a moment.
Varya was the first to jump up:
— With her laugh, the Sirlian female attracts attention to herself.
The Sirlyanka turned an insolent glance at Varya.
- With his remark, the earthly female wants to humiliate the Sirlian. Why? I have a guess about this.
Greel rose from his chair and said:
We are tired with the female. Please send us home.
Will you come to the next meeting? Yuri asked, also getting up.
He was visibly taken aback.
- Yes.
For every “yes” uttered by Greel, Rila reacted in a certain way. At the last yes, Grill stood, so the sirlyanka had to reach out. And suddenly Rila left Gril, ran up to Roman and put her hand on the top of his head, then ruffled his hair. The earthlings froze in amazement.
- This is too much! Varya burst out.
"Sorry, I couldn't help it," Rila giggled.
“Please return us to Searle immediately,” Greel demanded and suddenly smiled, for the first time during the acquaintance.
13.
“Humanism” calls the Earth. "Humanism" evokes the Earth.
- Earth on the wire.
— Authanasia becomes unpredictable. The transcript of the interview is attached. I ask you to transfer the materials to the conflict commission.
- Something not shared, "Humanism"?
- It is advisable to replace the contactor.
- Your request will be considered in the conflict commission.
“Understood, Earth. I understood you.
14.
— How to understand this, Roman?
With these words, Yuri, dark and with a drooping jaw, grabbed Roman by the shoulder.
- What is this? Roman asked, freeing himself from the grip.
“You pretend to be an innocent lamb, but I know everything.
"Yes, I sent a message to the conflict commission, if that's what you mean," the pilot said coldly. - It is my right. It's great that you were informed of this in a timely manner.
- And what caused your appeal to the conflict commission?
- The way autanasia goes.
- Something is wrong?
A frank conversation was unavoidable, of course.
"What's wrong, Yuri?" You yourself do not find that typical reactions are far away? The Sirians freely discuss with us, and at the same time they look more than convincing. They are getting smarter every minute, although it should be the other way around. It's not normal! This is fraught with unpredictable consequences!
- Do you notice any changes that characterize the absence of autanasia? Similar to those that Irakli Abazadze neutralized at the cost of his life?
- No, but…
Genuine bitterness, which Yuri felt, spilled over from the banks and flooded the horizon.
- Why such excitement? Why was it necessary to apply to the conflict commission? Burning with righteous hatred towards me?
— Authanasia passes with errors.
— In what, in the absence of a pronounced negative dynamics, do you see mistakes?
“Yuri, you can’t have discussions with the Sirians!” Roman yelled.
As soon as Roman lost his temper, Yuri noticeably calmed down.
- Can.
- It is forbidden! It is forbidden!
- You can, if the discussion is of a forced nature ... And why are you so excited, in fact? Is it because I had to argue with the Sirians because of your bug at the first interview?
- What other bug?
Roman's chest went cold.
"Did you really think I wouldn't listen to the tape of the first interview?" Did they really hope that I would not notice the word “preference” you used, which is a little inappropriate in this situation? Here it is, the initial mistake that I had to clear up!
- In comparison with your mistakes, directly prohibited by the instructions, this is a trifle!
- Oh really? Your excitement proves that you perfectly understand and realize everything. Should have waited for a professional contactor!
I followed instructions!
— Is that how? Did you also fuck the woman according to the instructions?
Roman flared up and grabbed the enemy by the breasts.
It's none of your business who I fuck!
“I’m the commander here, I care about everything. And Humanism is not a family starship, for your information.
For a moment they came to their senses, pushed each other away and retreated. However, the conversation was far from over.
“My relationship with Varya has nothing to do with it,” Roman said, breathing heavily and trying to remain calm.
“What has it got to do with it… Let it be known to you that during contacts with civilizations of the eighth type, sexual relations are strictly prohibited on a space ship!”
“The Sirlian civilization is not of the eighth, but of the seventeenth type!”
- And you, having no clearance, do you understand how the eighth type differs from the seventeenth?
- Imagine!
Why did they screw up the first interview? Were you too smart? We hurried to start autanasia, in the hope that the commander would not be sent and you would be left on the starship alone with the woman. And when they did send me, did they decide to blame the stranger on their own bug?
- There was no bug!
“Roman, you don’t have security clearance and you did a terrible first interview. Fortunately, the latest Schwartzman technique I used smoothed out the situation, although not completely.
- This is called "smoothed the situation" ?! Yes, the Sirians are getting out of control before our eyes! You, with your idiotic Schwartzman technique, make mistakes every minute of a conversation.
Yuri narrowed his eyes, as if he was about to offer something worthwhile.
- What do you have against the Schwartzman technique? Have you even met her?
- Imagine getting acquainted. It's underdeveloped, in my opinion.
"Shove your amateurish conviction up your ass, and deep down!" - happily advised the contact.
You wake them up! Remember Abazadze!
"By the way," said Yuri. - I gave you an order to review the video about the feat of Abazadze? Did you fulfill it?
- No, but…
Yuri beamed from his own foresight.
“Well, my patience has run out. For a long time I turned a blind eye to how you interrupted me during interviews, interfered with my work. I did not blame you for the mistake made during the first interview. At your request, I allowed Varvara to work as the third number, although there was no need for her participation. However, you did not appreciate my sincere kindness and tact, and now my patience has snapped. Everything, Roman - you are suspended from interviews.
“Please, but this does not solve the problems of the seventeenth type civilization.
“And that is no longer your concern.
Yuri left, and Roman stood with clenched fists for a couple of minutes.
"Cretin! Cretin! Cretin! burst from his cold chest.
15.
The video has started. A warning label in the corner of the screen read: “Exclusively for Earthlings. Representatives of other space civilizations are strictly prohibited from viewing.”
The announcer read:
“Irakli Abazadze was twelve years old. The boy was born an orphan and lived in a small mountain village all alone. There was no one even to milk the cow - I had to do everything myself. At the same time, Irakli was registered with the village council as an operator for changing the current reality - an antiologist.
One morning, when the boy came to the barn, he found ten teats on a cow's udder. How so? Heraclius clearly remembered that his cow had four teats. At the same time, his cow stood in the barn, and no other, but with ten teats. Spatial scanning showed that the nipples did not grow on their own: the reality change was forced to actualize from the star sector 17-85. Shortly before the events described, a civilization of the seventeenth type was discovered in this sector, but this was found out later.
There were no signals from other operators: the antiological abilities of all earthlings, with the exception of Heraclius, were disabled.
Remaining the only antiologist for all mankind, Heraclius entered into an unequal battle with an unknown, but clearly hostile force. The battle went on for thirty-three and a half hours without interruption. When the rescue team arrived at the mountain village, everything was over: the reality-altering attack was repulsed. The boy, exhausted to the limit by inhuman stress on the psyche, was barely breathing. The efforts made by the rescuers did not yield results. Save Heraclius, unfortunately, failed.
Mankind has paid dearly for the experience. In addition to the brave Irakli Abazadze, who died the death of the brave, many useful technologies were lost: nuclear circular saws, portable precipitation stimulators, inertialess telekinesis skills, and much, much more.
In order to prevent the tragedy from happening again, it was decided to subject all discovered civilizations of the seventeenth type to immediate autanasia, reducing their intelligence to an acceptable level. If this proved impossible, people should leave the star sector forever.
The video was entirely staged, and even well done.
Here is a ten-year-old boy from a mountain village laughing contagiously... playing with friends... milking a cow... Suddenly, with surprise, he discovers extra nipples on a cow's udder. Close-up of a tense, boyish face with beads of sweat rolling down it.
The sun sets behind the mountain, but the boy continues to sit in the barn, trying to fight off the hostile attempts of aliens to change earthly reality.
In the morning, rescuers burst into the barn of a small mountain village. Too late: the twelve-year-old hero dies in their arms. Nearby, a milk cow bellows, with four teats on her udder, as it should be.
Combat starships rush from the Earth into outer space. Their task is to find and neutralize a hostile civilization of the seventeenth type. In the cabins of starships, among the portraits of other respected people, hangs a portrait of Irakli Abazadze, an antiologist who gave his young life for the well-being of all mankind.
16.
“Hello,” Varya said, entering the wheelhouse.
Roman raised his head and found that the girl's chin was painted yellow, like the Sirians.
- Wow! he froze. - Why are you wearing makeup?
Do you like Roma?
After the tantrum, Varka looked somehow too calm, almost inhibited.
"I don't even know."
- I think it's beautiful.
- Well, beautiful means beautiful.
“No worse than the sirlyanka,” Varya prompted.
- That's what you're talking about! Roman agreed.
"Put your hand on your head?" It’s like I’m her,” the girl suggested humbly.
- Put.
Varka went up to Roman and put her hand on the top of his head. Then she said:
- I'm your female.
- Is it true? Roman rejoiced.
“If you want, you can take both of us.
- Both of whom?
“Me and Rilu.
I wonder if Varka is playing the fool or is she crazy? Then I guessed: psychosis motivated by jealousy. So Roman decided to be calm and loving.
“Very noble of you,” he said. “It remains for Rilu to ask if she wants to.
Rila won't refuse. Otherwise, why would she ruffle your hair?!
- Don't worry about your hair.
- Почему?
— I am suspended from participation in further interviews. You will work with Yuri number two. I won't see the Sirians again.
Why did Yuri remove you? asked Varka, momentarily forgetting her own troubles.
Roman's fists clenched involuntarily.
Because he's a cretin!
- Have a fight?
“That's not swearing, that's something worse. I sent a message to the conflict commission.
The girl narrowed her eyes.
- Did you cheat?
- Yes. He demanded to replace the contactor. Yuri didn't like it.
- Who will like it?
“And now,” Roman finally got excited, “this idiot accuses me of failing autanasia.” Although in fact he flunked the autanasia. Yelling that the mistake went from the first interview. Psycho crazy!
Perhaps you are both wrong. There is no change in reality, why panic?! After that incident with Abazadze, none of the civilizations of the seventeenth type has awakened. And there were plenty of them put to sleep - several thousand, in my opinion.
"Shall we wait until he wakes up?"
- Nobody wakes up.
“I hope you're right,” Roman agreed, cooling down. - Shall we finish the game?
— Three-dimensional chess?
“Yeah, well,” said Roman. - What else?
- I have a headache.
- As you wish.
- Let's start a new game - in two dimensions.
Roman was even more surprised. He and Varka never descended to two-dimensional chess.
— In two dimensions, this prehistoric primitive? Are you serious?
"Seriously," the girl nodded.
- Come on, if you want. Who plays white?
- You start.
— Pawn e2-e4.
— Pawn e7-e5.
— Pawn f2-f4.
“No, sorry, I can’t play,” Varya sobbed. - I remember how the sirlyanka ruffled your hair, and everything in me seems to turn over.
And walked away, unfortunate.
17.
The fourth interview took place without Roman's participation.
After it ended and the Sirians left Humanism, Roman printed out the official record. The document, after the introductory data, read:
“Chudinov Yuri: At today's meeting we will talk ...
Greel: First, I wanted to ask a few questions.
C: Maybe after...
G: No.
C: Okay, go ahead.
G: Are you the oldest civilization in the galaxy?
C: Yes.
G: And the most powerful civilization in the galaxy?
C: Yes.
G: What does that mean?
C: Well, well… We reached Searle on the starship you are on board. Don't these technologies impress you?
G: No.
C: But you don't have such technologies!
G: Yes, they are not. However, we are not impressed by such technologies.
C: But... Isn't that a fact worthy of respect?
G: Possibly. However, respect has nothing to do with your supposed antiquity and power.
C: You've only touched a billionth part of our technology. You can't even imagine...
G: Why?
C: Why what?
G: Why should I present your powerful technologies if they do not impress me?
C: Respect at least.
G: Your technologies do not interest me, I have no idea about them, but should I respect them?
C: Yes.
G: Earthlings have significant problems with logic.
C: Why?
G: You claim to be the oldest and most powerful civilization in space on the basis that you have technology that we don't have. I do not find a causal relationship between these statements.
C: We had more time to create advanced technologies, so we are the oldest and most powerful. It is obvious.
G: It's far from obvious. If we have not created technologies throughout our existence, then we could not get ahead of you in this aspect. Therefore, the presence of technology, no matter how powerful, does not prove anything. Sorry, but I don't see the point in further communication.
C: What? [pause] Can't you see? Why don't you see?
G: We are creators.
C: Creators of what?
G: Worlds.
C: You are ordinary biological beings, just like us.
G: You are lying. It is difficult for me to pronounce it, because before meeting the earthlings, the possibility of a lie did not occur to us. The Sirians do not lie to each other, we did not even have such a concept before we met you. What did you use. In the course of communication, you tried to make significant adjustments to our worldview, and, consequently, to the world around us. The world has become worse after your attempts, you had to roll it back. This required preparation and took some time - hence our subsequent meetings - but on the whole the work was completed successfully. I do not see the point in communicating with you, earthlings, because I cannot trust the information I receive from you. The only positive thing is that we have learned about the existence of targeted lies. With this paradox we intend to live on: to roll back and it would be the greatest stupidity. With you, biological beings from planet Earth, I say goodbye. The creators of worlds should not fall into dependence on their creations.
C: You will say goodbye to us when we want it. You can't imagine our power...
Rila: [laughter]
C: What, what else?
R: Varvara, you have a wonderful Syrlan make-up. Roman appreciated it?
Zyablova Varvara: None of your business!
R: Your reaction is so predictable.
G: Makeup is beautiful. Yellow color suits females.
Z: Thank you.
C: Dear Sirians, there was a misunderstanding between us. I suggest that we meet again and discuss everything in detail. We, representatives of two powerful space civilizations...
G: How, are we powerful too? We don't have your starships, we don't have an interpreter from alien languages and everything else that you boast about. We only have Searle. Where I ask you to return us immediately.
18.
Breathing hatred towards each other, they collided in the corridor.
“What is the name of the person who ruined the autanasia of the seventeenth type of civilization?” Yury asked, darkened.
- Fool? Roman suggested.
Such a person is called a traitor.
At this phrase, the contactee's jaw came to life and moved to the side.
- And what happened?
— Don't you know?
— I know, I read the printout of the interview. You really screwed up autanasia. Congratulations. In accordance with the Extraterrestrial Encounter Instructions, paragraph 256, we must immediately leave the place of contact. All commanded ... The fullness of power is returning to me, "Humanism" is preparing to fly away.
“It's not so simple, Roman, it's not so simple,” Yuri blocked the road. “I have carefully listened to the recording of the first interview conducted under your direction. You didn’t just talk to the Sirians, you didn’t just talk…
“What do you think I did?”
— You exchanged secret signs.
The pilot opened his mouth.
— Are you sick?
- Didn't expect to get to the bottom? - in a hurry, with sparkling eyes, the contactee laid out the cherished. “Now I’m finishing deciphering, and when I’m done, everything will fall into place. I asked you the name of the person who screwed up the autanasia to give you one last chance to repent. But you did not take advantage of this opportunity.
“You are an incurable lunatic!”
“However, your motivation is clear even without deciphering,” Yuri continued. “Your leadership before my appearance, waiting for the arrival of a new contactee, sexual revelry on an empty spaceship, rejection of the latest Schwartzman technique - everything adds up to a tight knot, doesn’t it?
- What other knot?
- Tight.
Roman shook his head.
“No, why should I listen to this nonsense?!
“You entered into a criminal conspiracy with the Sirians to remove me from the starship, and almost succeeded. If I had not guessed your intentions by analyzing the course of events. It happened belatedly, but it happened. Subtle game, Roman, extremely subtle. But you can't beat me.
- You're paranoid.
Yuri nodded in agreement.
“That’s what the Sirians say: paranoia. This is the best proof of your coordinated actions. Pierced?
— I read the printout, there is no such phrase. You provoke me.
- They said after the conversation, before the flight, so it was not included in the printout. They called me a complete paranoid. And do not pretend to be surprised. I have a psychological education, I can see right through you. Accusing me of chronic psychosis was planned and carried out by you with the direct participation of our - more precisely, your - Sirian friends.
Some thought had been pounding in Roman's skull for a long time, like a sledgehammer, but could not break out.
“And how long ago did you come to the conclusion that I was an agent of the Sirlian civilization?” At the end of the last interview?
- Into the hole!
Roman trembled with anger and made a decision.
- Get ready to take off. From now on, this star sector is banned.
"I'm still in command here!"
- Not anymore. And they never were.
— No, I am!
The contactee pulled his hands towards Roman.
"Get out of my way, idiot," the pilot croaked.
He stepped forward, bumped into Yuri who was waving his arms, and punched him in the chest, knocking him aside.
19.
Varya was found in the negotiation room. The girl was in a melancholy mood - this was evident from the Syrlyan make-up. She hasn't washed it off since the first time she tried it.
What do you think about the last interview? Roman asked.
They refused to communicate.
- Yes, I know. But why?
Varya shrugged her shoulders.
— Fools.
The novel did not specify who.
So it's a fiasco?
— Complete.
The fiasco looked really complete and unconditional.
"Humanism" will have to be evacuated. From now on, this stellar sector is forbidden for mankind.
“Evacuate,” Varya agreed in an indifferent tone.
— So screw up the procedure! I hope this idiot's career is over. Unfortunately, my biography is spoiled.
- Are you upset?
- You ask.
“You will never see your sirlyanka again.
“Ah,” said Roman. You are all about this...
“Kiss me, please,” the girl asked in a trembling voice.
- You are welcome.
They kissed.
- Crap! exclaimed Roman, thawing a little. - Dirty in your makeup.
He ran his hand over his chin. There were yellow stripes on the palm.
“He didn’t bother you before,” Varya said.
Roman did not understand.
Who didn't interfere?
- Makeup.
The thought struck again from inside his skull. She couldn't get out.
Varya looked at Roman intently.
- What are you doing?
A thought is running through my head, but I can't grasp it.
I haven't been myself lately either.
“I’ll grab it now, and we’ll immediately take off from orbit,” Roman promised.
They were silent.
Will we have time to finish playing chess?
- In what, in three- or in two-dimensional?
- Doesn't matter. Let's go to XNUMXD. In three-dimensional I can’t - I forgot the position of the figures.
"I'll remind you," Roman wanted to say, but suddenly realized that he didn't remember the position either.
It's strange, me too.
“Too much has fallen on us,” Varya said.
- Yes, probably.
They looked at each other and joined hands, as if in a moment of danger or tenderness.
“My head is spinning because of this autanasia,” Roman said, trying to calm the girl, and at the same time himself. “However, everything is over. We return to square one, as if there was no civilization of the seventeenth type. And Sirle wasn't there either.
The planet hovered in the portholes like a cold yolk, interspersed with portraits of Leonardo da Vinci, Copernicus, Dostoevsky, Mendeleev and the young Irakli Abazadze. Only one partition looked orphaned - because of Varya's portrait turned upside down.
Roman went to the wall and turned the portrait right side up. The Sirians will not appear here again - there was no point in hiding the blue sky from them.
He took a step back to admire, and cried out in astonishment. In the photograph, instead of the earth's blue sky, the yellow Sirlian sky shone, and against its background Varya smiled in yellow Sirlian make-up.
20.
“Humanism” calls the Earth. "Humanism" evokes the Earth.
Hello, Earth is listening!
- They're waking up! They are waking up!
- Who is waking up? I do not get it.
— Type seventeen civilization on Searle. Authanasia failed. They woke up and attacked reality, but first our psyche. We were unable to diagnose the change in reality in time, because we were pretty stupid. Now the changes are clear.
- Well, you, damn it, give!
Source: habr.com