第5部分(第1/7 页)

＇＇26＇＇　〃You　okay？〃　Beth　said。　〃You　look　pale。〃

〃I　didn't　know　anybody　was　talking　about　going　down　there。〃

〃Just　rumors；〃　Beth　said。　〃Get　some　rest；　Norman。　I　think　you　need　it。〃

THE　BRIEFING

The　ulf　team　met　in　the　briefing　room；　just　before　eleven。　Norman　was　interested　to　see　the　group　he　had　picked　six　years　before；　now　assembled　together　for　the　first　time。

Ted　Fielding　was　pact；　handsome；　and　still　boyish　at　forty；　at　ease　in　shorts　and　a　Polo　sport　shirt。　An　astrophysicist　at　the　Jet　Propulsion　Laboratory　in　Pasadena；　he　had　done　important　work　on　the　planetary　stratigraphy　of　Mercury　and　the　moon；　although　he　was　best　known　for　his　studies　of　the　Mangala　Vallis　and　Valles　Marineris　channels　on　Mars。　Located　at　the　Martian　equator；　these　great　canyons　were　as　much　as　twenty…five　hundred　miles　long　and　two　and　a　half　miles　deep…ten　times　the　length　and　twice　the　depth　of　the　Grand　Canyon。　And　Fielding　had　been　among　the　first　to　conclude　that　the　planet　most　like　the　Earth　in　position　was　not　Mars　at　all；　as　previously　suspected；　but　tiny　Mercury；　with　its　Earth…like　magnetic　field。

Fielding's　manner　was　open；　cheerful；　and　pompous。　At　JPL；　he　had　appeared　on　television　whenever　there　was　a　spacecraft　flyby；　and　thus　enjoyed　a　certain　celebrity；　he　had　recently　been　remarried；　to　a　television　weather　reporter　in　Los　Angeles；　they　had　a　young　son。

Ted　was　a　longstanding　advocate　for　life　on　other　worlds；　and　a　supporter　of　SETI；　the　Search　for　Extraterrestrial　Intelligence；　which　other　scientists　considered　a　waste　of　time　and　money。　He　grinned　happily　at　Norman　now。

＇＇27＇＇　〃I　always　knew　this　would　happen…sooner　or　later；　we'd　get　our　proof　of　intelligent　life　on　other　worlds。　Now　at　last　we　have　it；　Norm