Sidney's Comet Read Online Free PDF Page B

stacks rising out of a domed base. Maybe we should turn this over to a committee, he thought. A lot of people could be kept busy. . . .
    After several minutes of pained silence, Salim Bumbry, Minister of Bu-Health, said, “Shouldn’t we make an evacuation plan, sir . . . to help people reach higher ground?”
    President Ogg did not turn around. He could imagine Bumbry sitting there—the youngest minister, precisely-trimmed brown hair, a neat beard and pale green eyes. Definite presidential stock. “No, Bumbry .We can’t do that now, don’t you see? I’ve told the world it isn’t coming.”
    “Announce new evidence.”
    “No. Too embarrassing . . . and I’m up for re-election Tuesday.”
    Munoz, monitoring the thoughts of the speakers, noted that the President was Worried about losing votes. Bumbry was genuinely concerned about human life. Always knew Bumbry was poor political stock, Munoz thought.
    “How much damage will it do?” Ogg asked, turning around to face Hudson. “And where will it hit?”
    “It isn’t a question of damage, sir. Nor does it particularly matter where on Earth it hits.” Hudson squirmed in his chair. His eyes flitted around nervously behind the glasses. “This comet is very large, and grows as it accumulates space debris. If that baby hits us, the entire planet is going to be garbage!”
    Ogg felt numb. He could not think of anything to say.
    Hudson tried to take a sip of coffee, but his hands shook so badly that he sloshed liquid on his white robe. He placed the cup on the sidetable, coughed. “Laser penetration readings and gamma ray cameras show this to be the heaviest mass ever to approach our system. We think our garbage shots ended up in the Fourth Columbarian Quadrant . . . near a black hole.”
    Hudson paused as he noticed President Ogg shaking his head from side to side in disbelief. Angry words seemed on the tip of Ogg’s tongue, but were not uttered.
    “Our garbage shots probably reactivated a dead sun,” Hudson said. His gaze darted away under the President’s intense scrutiny.
    “My Rosenbloom!” one of the ministers exclaimed.
    We can’t admit the truth, Hudson thought, feeling uncomfortable. No one has any idea why that stuff is coming back! “If put on the periodic scale,” Hudson said, “where the highest present density is one hundred eighty-six, this fused mass would have a reading of five thousand, three hundred eighteen. It would crack our planet like a wrecking ball hitting glass.”
    “We plugged the problem into Comp six-oh-two,” Munoz said. “That’s the computer which replaced the six-oh-one.”
    I’d like to get rid of all computers, Ogg thought. The tasks they steal from people —
    Munoz read this thought, then said, “We can deflect the damned comet, Mr. President.”
    Ogg brightened. “Ah!” He turned to Hudson. “For sure?”
    Hudson nodded. “The best plan has us changing the comet’s course by using an E-Cell powered mass driver. We’d push the comet as it passes the Leviathan planet of Kinshoto in the Bardo-Heather Group. Lots of nitrogen in that planet’s atmosphere.”
    “We’re reviewing military dossier files now,” Munoz said, “searching for the best man to head up the mission.” Munoz felt a numbness in his brain, heard echoing, far-off voices. “Forget the dossier files” a voice said. “Choose Sidney Malloy. He’s the only one. . . . ” Munoz shook his head, tapped at the rear of his skull above his implanted mento transceiver. Dammit, he thought. It’s acting up again.
    When Munoz’s head cleared, he heard Hudson speaking: “Kinshoto’s atmosphere is nearly seventy thousand kilometer’s deep and supports no known life forms. If we can lock onto the comet with fire probes and guide it through that nitrogenous region, it may burn up.”
    “That planet is BI-I-IG!” Munoz said.
    “What’s the likelihood of this comet hitting Earth?” Bu-Med’s Minister McConnel asked.
    General Munoz reviewed the