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| 3001 The final Odissey |
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Страница 20 из 91 `That`s a very complicated story. I wish my old friend Dr Khan was here to explain it to you -- but he`s on Ganymede, curing any remaining True Believers he can find there. When all the old religions were discredited -- let me tell you about Pope Pius XX sometime -- one of the greatest men in history! -- we still needed a word for the Prime Cause, or the Creator of the Universe -- if there is one...` `There were lots of suggestions -- Deo -- Theo -- Jove -- Brahma -- they were all tried, and some of them are still around -- especially Einstein`s favourite, "The Old One". But Deus seems to be the fashion nowadays.` `I`ll try to remember; but it still seems silly to me.` `You`ll get used to it: I`ll teach you some other reasonably polite expletives, to use when you want to express your feelings...` `You said that all the old religions have been discredited. So what do people believe nowadays?` `As little as possible. We`re all either Deists or Theists.` `You`ve lost me. Definitions, please.` `They were slightly different in your time, but here are the latest versions. Theists believe there`s not more than one God; Deists that there is not less than one God.` `I`m afraid the distinction`s too subtle for me.` `Not for everyone; you`d be amazed at the bitter controversies it`s aroused. Five centuries ago, someone used what`s known as surreal mathematics to prove there`s an infinite number of grades between Theists and Deists. Of course, like most dabblers with infinity, he went insane. By the way, the best-known Deists were Americans -- Washington, Franklin, Jefferson.` `A little before my time -- though you`d be surprised how many people don`t realize it.` `Now I`ve some good news. Joe -- Prof. Anderson -- has finally given his -- what was the phrase? -- OK. You`re fit enough to go for a little trip upstairs... to the Lunar Level.` `Wonderful. How far is that?` `Oh, about twelve thousand kilometres.` `Twelve thousand! That will take hours!` Indra looked surprised at his remark: then she smiled. `Not as long as you think. No -- we don`t have a Star Trek Transporter yet -- though I believe they`re still working on it! But you`ll need new clothes, and someone to show you how to wear them. And to help you with the hundreds of little everyday jobs that can waste so much time. So we`ve taken the liberty of arranging a human personal assistant for you Come in, Danil.` Danil was a small, light-brown man in his mid-thirties, who surprised Poole by not giving him the usual palm-top salute, with its automatic exchange of information. Indeed, it soon appeared that Danil did not possess an Ident: whenever it was needed, he produced a small rectangle of plastic that apparently served the same purpose as the twenty-first century`s `smart cards`. `Danil will also be your guide and what was that word? -- I can never remember -- rhymes with "ballet". He`s been specially trained for the job. I`m sure you`ll find him completely satisfactory.` Though Poole appreciated this gesture, it made him feel a little uncomfortable. A valet, indeed! He could not recall ever meeting one; in his time, they were already a rare and endangered species. He began to feel like a character from an early-twentieth-century English novel. `You have a choice,` said Indra, `though I know which one you`ll take. We can go up on an external elevator, and admire the view -- or an interior one, and enjoy a meal and some light entertainment.` `I can`t imagine anyone wanting to stay inside.` `You`d be surprised. It`s too vertiginous for some people -- especially visitors from down below. Even mountain climbers who say they`ve got a head for heights may start to turn green -- when the heights are measured in thousands of kilometres, instead of metres.` |
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