《Incident in Space 》作者：- Laurence Lankey【EPUB】

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Today Pluto Satellite III Station recorded one of the strangest messages ever received via wavecast ion beam. It is a tale in itself: A Short-Short + by LAWRENCE E. LARKEY Harris, Spaceman First Class, speaking. Two things are uppermost in my mind at this time. First, I now realize a long-dreamed-of ambition—but the realization brings small satisfaction. It is a hollow mockery. I could now, if I wished, wear upon my shoulder pads, the gleaming stars and spheres that only the space-commanders wear—nothing would be said about it. To speak into this microphone is normally considered a great honor and an important function. I feel neither pride nor joy. Second, we shall soon know if the operation Dr. Tata performed three weeks ago on Beckner, Crewman Second Class, is a success. That is all-important. If it were a failure, there is little point in anything we do. Although the operation was delicate in the extreme, those of us who are still alive, have not given up hope, even though we know how slim the chances of success really are. It is for that reason that I now indulge in this absurd wavecast—stand here and beam this message out into interstellar space at random. Of course, I fully realize, that the possibility that any intelligent being, let alone a man, will ever record this message is infinitesimal. In the distant, unguessed aeons to come, if any one should even find our dead ship, adrift amid the vastness