Exodus (The Exodus Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page B

in such ways that people could literally be frozen for centuries before being revived whenever the ship arrives. But as you all know, we don’t have the luxury of time.
    “ We need to determine how long we can reasonably expect to have to develop our solution, because at some point we’ll see a lot of obstacles appearing. One of those obstacles will be the political situation, should all this come out. Who knows whether a ship with just a select few people on board would even be able to launch once people realize they won’t be among the few who will go? There is no telling what the situation will be when people get desperate. Most of you will probably think we should use what we’ve got, and get off the planet A.S.A.P., just to make sure. That would be a grave mistake.” The security advisor nodded, as did a few others, while most stared quizzically at him.
    “ But what if we wait too long?” one of the Consortium members asked. Ramon could see the point. What if some event made launch impossible, what would be the cost of that compared to having to solve a few problems en route? The science advisor just shook his head though.
    “ No, no, no. Leaving too soon is the worst thing we could do. On the contrary, we need to wait for as long as possible. Every day we have before departure will pay off in scientific knowledge, technological development, training, planning, preparing, etcetera. In space, resources are limited, and improvements will be much more difficult. Here, we still have abundant resources, much of the world’s scientific and technological community at our disposal, and the luxury of making mistakes. We can take risks that would be impossible in space, and instead of a few hundred brains we have millions.” Havelar interceded, obviously playing the devil’s advocate.
    “ On the other hand, if we’re not ready in time, we lose everything ….”
    The science advisor nodded at Havelar’s remark and concluded , “So there is a need for balance, we need a timeframe that gives us the advantages of Earth-based R&D and production capacity, and at the same time allows those lucky few to get away before it all breaks down. Whatever we do, we cannot allow any one single issue to bog us down. Above all, we need forward movement. What we know is this: Impact will most likely happen approximately twelve years from now. Some of the effects of the close encounters prior to impact will hit us within eight years.” Not very long, Ramon thought, to figure out how to send a viable population to another planet, build the necessary vehicle for transport, launch the ship, and wave good-bye.
    “ Somewhere in between years eight and twelve, we will encounter our point of no return, the day when we can no longer launch, and all our efforts will be in vain. If that happens, all we can do is pray.” As the science advisor fell silent, Havelar again took charge.
    “ All right, so Devastator will hit us in a little more than a decade. Whether anyone survives the impact is a toss of the dice; the scientists cannot yet say for certain. But however that plays out, the destruction will be … well, impossible to describe … Mankind will most likely not survive the long-term effects, so it is up to us, here in this room, to make a plan that may save a tiny fraction of our species.” This time, everyone nodded, some eagerly, and some still recovering from the bad news. Ramon again noticed that the president himself had been mostly passive, as if his mind was elsewhere. Now, President Andrews rose from his chair, and to everyone’s surprise held up a piece of paper, as if he had already written a script that he intended to follow. Ramon was disturbed by the sight. Hadn’t he listened to the others at all? The president began, and it immediately became apparent that he had a lot of concerns that had little to do with the task at hand.
    “ When NASA so horrendously failed at sustaining the Mars colony, it was merely the