Beautiful ball

    I, like the famous Chukchi, is not a writer, but I really love to read. He grew up on the books of Soviet science fiction, among whom was Kir Bulychev. One day, several years ago, after rereading an old volume of Bulychev, I wrote a short story. He was "gathering dust" in the folder he decided to delete. And the story somehow felt sorry. So I decided to publish. It has no dynamics, blood and action. But, as it seems to me, there is a belief in science and humanity.

    And if, after all, decide - enjoy reading.




    The starship "Bold" came in for landing according to the schedule. No abnormal situations. Ion engines shut off to the nearest thousandth of a second. And brake came on. They lowered, already far from new, the ship in the spaceport "Illusion". Removing the straps, Andrei completely relaxed and closed his eyes. Then he opened them, turned on the hood at full power, turned off the fire alarm, and with a gentle movement pulled out a smuggling pack of cigarettes from the hidden pocket of the coveralls. In 2134, they could only be bought on the moon, and then underground. But the commander always had a few cigarettes with him. And smoked one or two per minute especially difficult, or vice versa joyful.
    So, Commander Gromov Andrei Alekseevich, a low balding earthman, 42 years old, lit a cigarette, and throwing his head back, closed his eyes. Now was a minute joyful and difficult at the same time. Glad to return to Earth. But it's hard to imagine where he would go after leaving the perimeter of the spaceport. The contract for the delivery of medicines to the orbital station "Jupiter - 143" which revolved around the largest planet of the solar system has expired. No other offers were received. That is nothing to occupy yourself. I decided not to poke around Gal. Again, accused of arrogance and inability to earn. Yes, and Danilo did not get any special gifts. Son asked to bring minerals from the moon for the school project. And Andrew forgot. Was shook up. And just forgot. Remembered only after entering the Earth’s atmosphere, when it has already confirmed its readiness for landing to the dispatcher of the All-Earth Military Civilian Space Forces or just IWCS. It's a good thing that having stopped on Mars, I bought my son from a strange smuggler a beautiful blue-green ball. So one thing remains - to trudge onto your lonely-cold apartment.
    Turning off the hood and other devices, Andrew threw the "lantern" commander compartment, deftly jumping over the side and holding with one hand, for the still fairly well warmed side of the ship, landed on both legs. Having greeted the mechanics who had come up and handed them the keys from the starship, he went in the direction of the Main Building of the spaceport. Leaving the logbook there (despite the development of computer technology, an ordinary paper magazine was required for all pilots), flight receipts, a pass and two hours of his life, taking his old backpack from the locker room, went to the parking lot near the spaceport. The transparent doors behind him silently closed, cutting him off from the beloved ships and the Cosmos.

    And here someone blocked the way to the commander.
    - Hello, space pirate. - this exclamation addressed him a gray-haired man with intelligent eyes and a light springy gait. Professor of Cosmobiology Acorn has always been not only a scientist, but also a friend to his students, one of whom was Gromov in his time.
    - Hello, Eduard Anatolyevich - tired Gromov was not disposed to talk and tried to bypass the scientist.
    From the teacher with the experience did not hide such a transparent attempt of the former student.
    - Do not rush, Andrew, - there is a conversation. Why are you, my friend, you abandoned scientific activity? Candidate when you will protect?
    Andrei lowered his head. Indeed, the brilliant career of an engineer-scientist who once raved about constructing ships, he exchanged the life of a pilot for an adventurous life. He did not like life in the laboratory, even on Mars or Jupiter. He loved to surf the interplanetary space, and not unsuccessfully search for extraterrestrial life. By the way, he doubted the existence of the latter, except for several viruses and bacteria found on the planets of the solar system.
    - I do not know what to answer. I think this year is gone. There is not enough time. Sorry, - Gromov sighed.
    - That is, if not this year? In the next, Danila will probably begin to engage in full-fledged scientific activities. Do not be ashamed?
    Edward Anatolyevich has always encouraged students who are interested in science. How surprised he was when it turned out that the cleverest Daniel Gromov, who under his command was preparing for a school project funded by the Euro-Asian Center of Education, turned out to be the son of a careless former student who had exchanged a degree for a spacecraft wheel. After that, he undertook at every meeting to criticize Andrew, who recently began to wriggle away from the professor.
    And now he quietly thanked for the attention to the activities of his son and, citing fatigue, employment and lowering his gaze under the strict gaze of the scientist, said goodbye.
    Andrei went to his old airgun MiG, which had been waiting for him in the parking lot for eight long months. After checking the battery charge, Gromov sharply turned the key and spun around frantically, and rushing past the aeropilia employees of the spaceport and aerolizuzin of their superiors, flew off to a brightly lit, still summer, sun-drawn aerodrome. He did not wear a helmet, his eyes began to water. Sliding into the pocket of his backpack, he took out his sunglasses, but did not wear them - they were in some kind of green prints. By sending them back and dropping a little speed, sent his "MiG" in the direction of such a close and such a distant earthly home.

    Opening the lock, the ex-commander entered the apartment. The evening rays illuminated the haven of no longer a young bachelor. Dust on the furniture, slovenly abandoned things, not working switch in the hallway talked about the long absence of the owner of the house. Throwing a backpack on the floor, Andrew went into the shower. As it turned out, there was no warm water. Probably forgot to pay before leaving. But the icy shower took off fatigue. Gromov went to the bedroom, fell on the bed and turned on the news. And froze ...
    From the screen, the ex-wife was looking at him and saying something. What exactly, he did not hear. There was no sound. Andrew frantically began to look for the remote. The search ended successfully - the console was fifty centimeters from him - under the bed. Having sharply increased the sound, it turned into a rumor ...
    “... in connection with this, all ground-based cosmodromes and spaceports are forced to refuse to accept starships, near-earth ships and other means in the vicinity of the earth's atmosphere.” Representatives of the government of the big thirty gathered for a closed holographic conference. There was also a statement that there was no reason to panic. Watch out for our releases. EAMT news will promptly report new information.
    And advertising began ...
    Andrew saw that Galya was excited. Ready to argue others did not notice, but he knew his ex-wife. And to excite one of the most successful reporters of the Euro-Asian International TV Company is not easy. So something happened.
    His hand itself dragged to the phone ...
    - Hello, Galya, hello. It's me. - His voice trembled treacherously, yet he missed his family. - Saw the news - what happened?
    - Hello. Gromov is that you? Are you on earth - the voice of the former really sounded excited.
    - Yes, already on Earth. Four hours, probably. And what's up ...
    But Galina did not give to finish.
    - Oh God, what time did you enter the atmosphere?
    - Yes, what happened!
    - What time do I ask! - The voice sounded demanding, sharply and, again, excitedly.
    Andrew tried to relieve, caused by her perseverance, anger. And concentrate.
    - I do not remember exactly. Probably fifteen thirty GMT.
    - Oh ... - the voice broke off, there was a loud breath, and then a faint whisper. - So at seventeen thirty in Kiev? How was the landing?
    - Yes, good! - He did start to boil, - Galina, what happened?
    - So, Gromov! - her voice sounded demanding, - quickly you are going, and home ...
    She stopped short.
    - In the sense - to me!
    Andrew tried to protest
    - But I'm the same ...
    - No "but." I wait in half an hour! - and she turned off.
    Cursing, the first-class commander quickly began to dress.

    Twenty-seven minutes later he was already near the apartment where he once lived his own, not the worst years. Just approached the door, they slid to the left, passing it inside. Galya was standing near the door - it was noticeable that she had just crossed the threshold just a minute ago.
    - Hello! - And choked. So close he had not seen her for two years. And maybe longer. After the divorce, he was still on business trips. And Danila, already an adult, a fourteen-year-old boy, came to him himself.
    - Hello! - The answer is agitated and sharp.
    Gromov peered at the tense figure of his ex-wife. Galina Vsevolodovna, still, Gromova, was a tall attractive woman of thirty-seven years old with a thick shock of unruly red hair and a mocking look of green eyes. And now her entire slim figure exuded anxiety and anxiety.
    - Are you okay? - her voice is alarmed.
    -Yes. I'm already on the phone ...
    His order in mid-sentence cut him off:
    - Andrey, to the kitchen.
    Turning her back to him, she disappeared into the apartment.
    A few minutes later he drank hot coffee and with appetite he ate sandwiches sadly glancing at an empty stool - the son was not at home - he rushed off somewhere for his important business, and listened attentively to his wife.
    And to listen, it turns out, was that ... Today, at seventeen twenty-nine, the bios-registrars of the Illusion spotted an extraterrestrial biological object. True, the supercomputer at first rejected the result as an error, then still re-checked the information and after forty seconds sent it to the director of the spaceport as extremely secret. But the director was not there - a delegation from Baikonur flew in. Somewhere in an hour and a half, the secretary entered the director’s office behind the hard drive. She saw the information of the supercomputer on the screen mounted in the wall. And having informed the news director could not resist. She called her young man and told the news in secret. And he just turned out to be an employee of EAMT ...
    And away we went.
    So far, the operators have reached the spaceport, the information has already arrived to the president of the country and the heads of other countries. But reporters have already started talking about the sensation. And the government promised twenty-three zero-zero to give an official statement.
    Having finished the story, Galya asked:
    - When you were at the cosmodrome, did you notice anything unusual?
    “No, no,” Andrei answered without a hitch. - We all was calm. Yes, and almost no one I met the guys. My second ship landed in Kiev today. Mid week after all.
    Indeed, on weekdays no more than a dozen ships called at the Illusion. But on Friday could be a hundred and fifty. And the same started on Sunday.
    Andrew, not without internal tension, noticed that after his last sentence, the former wife shuddered.

    The clock in the kitchen showed five-eleven, when a door creaked in the corridor - Danila burst into the apartment.
    - Mom, I'm at home! - And seeing his father froze.
    He became serious. He went to his father and extended his hand. Andrew got up. They looked at each other, shook hands. After a while, the men embraced.
    Five minutes later they turned on the TV and drank tea.
    A government spokesman for public relations, launched into a long lecture about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. And only later did he report the incident at the Illusion spaceport and the suspicion about the infiltration of alien life on Earth. As it turned out, the alleged living organism has not yet been found. As well as the transport is not installed, on which he penetrated the planet. The computer was able to follow the wave track to establish that the object, presumably round, emits light 450-550 nm long. That is, it glows with a blue-green light. And then Andrew, as a matter of concern, remembered the purchase on Mars ...

    Two months have passed. During this time, several events occurred that changed the life of earthlings. Kiev has become the most famous cosmodrome in the world. The international scientific community of scientists of the planet Earth appealed to the President of Ukraine with a request to rename the Ilyusion spaceport to the Intergalactic Space Port
    First Class Commander Andrei Alexeyevich Gromov was appointed commander of the new Shar interplanetary research ship. And he was intensively preparing for the flight to the Andromeda Nebula, which was to be held in a year. To do this, he had to not only study the new ship, but also to defend his candidate on the topic “Possibility of intergalactic flights on spaceships with warp engines”.
    The glowing ball was a resident of a small planet Shibat located in a small star system on the edge of a galaxy known to earthlings as the Andromeda Nebula. The inhabitants of this planet could freely surf space - they did not need spacecraft and support systems for this. Their bodies were universal, and their knowledge was deep in understanding the laws of the universe. And so, the scientist Gnkunr, that is, the guest of the Earth, received a scientific task to find living beings in the Galaxy Garkar, or on the Earth - the Milky Way.
    He traveled to Mars for a long time where he fell into the hands of an adventurous businessman, who noticed him resting on the edge of a crater and decided that he was just a beautiful thing lost by someone. He did not understand that before him was an alien living creature. Otherwise the price would have been much higher - the price even for an extraterrestrial virus had long been announced on the black space market. Prices with eight zeros in universal dollars - the currency that was in use in all countries of the world. Acquainted with not the best representative of humanity, and then being in the hands of Gromov, the alien scientist was also in no hurry to introduce himself. And only on that memorable evening, Danila noticed that, apart from the green light, the gift also emits electromagnetic waves of a different range. This Mr. Gnkunr decided to introduce himself to an earthling whom he considered ready for an acquaintance. Then psychologists have long explained the insight of the alien mind. After all, the scientist was not mistaken when he chose a teenager for the first acquaintance, that is, an adult person whose mind is still open to everything new.
    The alien communicated with the help of electromagnetic, including light, waves and turned out to be a cheerful and friendly creature. Very quickly, an adapter was designed to turn vibrations into sound. From that moment, close cooperation began with the scientists of the planet, which naturally ended with the preparation of the flight of earthlings to the homeland of a representative of extraterrestrial intelligence. Scientists from almost all countries of the world took part in the development of the space liner and the crew also promised to be international.
    And Galina Vsevolodovna Gromova, who was closely watching the events all the time, produced a fascinating popular science film about life in the Universe. By the way, the book promised to be no worse.
    Pupil of the 9th grade Gromov Danil Andreevich, naturally, did not take offense at his father for the forgotten minerals from the Moon. He devoted his school project to extraterrestrial intelligence, and having among his acquaintances Mr. Gnkunr, who became his friend, of course got a confident victory at the city science Olympiad. Then he decided to finish school with honors and in the future to become a cosmobiologist. What unspeakably delighted Edward Anatolevich, who had already seen a brilliant scientist in the young man.
    In addition, Acorn was the first earthling scientist who was able to communicate with a representative of an extraterrestrial intelligent race. His textbook on life in Shibat, co-authored with Gnkunrom, became an all-earth bestseller in a matter of days. Unfortunately, the professor, the venerable age did not allow him to become a member of the upcoming expedition.
    It remains to clarify that a wedding of Andrew and Ghali should take place in a month. And of course among those invited, there will be Mr. Gnkunr.

    PS Readers thanks for the comments. And sorry for the disappointment.

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