Into the Sea of Stars by William R. Forstchen Read Free Book Online Page B

that Ian attempted to avoid. Finally the barrier broke down.
    "There's one other thing," Ian whispered.
    "I thought so." And there was no note of triumph in his voice, but rather a genuine sense of concern. Some thing had been gnawing at Ian from the moment of de parture; maybe he'd finally get the answer.
    "You know history is not the most popular of subjects back home," Ian said sadly. "What with this New Re naissance of High Tech that everyone is chasing, some of the early lessons have been forgotten. But ever since we launched, I've been thinking about a point that I daresay the folks back home never considered."
    "And that is?"
    "Montezuma and Cortez."
    "I don't follow you."
    "You know the story—Cortez and his six hundred kicked the Aztec Empire into oblivion."
    "Yeah, I have some faint recollection of it."
    "I've been thinking, you know, just letting my imagination run. Suppose Cortez had mixed it up with some thing different, something with, say, nukes—what would have happened to Spain then?"
    "You've got me, Ian, Let's hear this theory of yours."
    "I know these people, these people out of our past. I know them better than I know my neighbor, my students, or in some ways, even you, my friend. You see, Richard, I've devoted my life to studying those explorers and set tlers out of the long-distant twenty-first century. I can speak Old English, Old Russian, and Old Japanese fluently, and I can get by in half a dozen others. I've read every single text and document that deals with the great Exodus. I feel more at home with the people of that period than I do in my own age. I can sense their wonder, their purpose, their passionate drive to settle space."
    His voice drifted off for a moment, as if he was lost in thought, then suddenly he continued.
    "Theirs was a grand epic, Richard, those first explor ers, and now I'm afraid."
    "Why?"
    "Can't you see? To me it is a dream, a romance. Haven't you ever idealized a woman from afar? Think back to when you were young, Richard. Think of that heart- stopping moment, when the mere sight of her was enough."
    Richard smiled vaguely and nodded.
    "That is the life of a historian. An idealized romance from afar. And remember this, as well, Richard, remem ber when she was no longer idealized but came to your embrace. And then what finally happened?"
    And Richard nodded sadly and understood.
    "That is my first fear, my friend. The fear that an idealist has when reality finally confronts him. But the fears run deeper."
    "As is to be expected from a typically neurotic type such as yourself . Hell, man, you wouldn't be happy if you only had one level of fear."
    Ian shot him a look of reproach.
    "Sorry. Go on then."
    "As I said, I know these people better than I know my own contemporaries. I know the circumstances of why and how they left. Richard, with well over half a thousand units somewhere out there, has one of them ever come back?"
    "Well, as I understand it, you just can't turn a million tons of mass around and 'come back,' as you say. At least I know that much about physics. The energy requirements alone—"
    "Ah, but we're talking about ten centuries, my friend. Why didn't our exploratory teams to the nearest fifteen stars find some sign of them? By God, man, it's logical to assume that some of them would have checked out Centauri or Barnard's. Damn it, there's even a gas giant and iron-nickel asteroids around Barnard's. But we didn't find a single sign of them there. And for that matter, one of them could easily have looped around a star and re turned. But not a sign, not a single damn sign."
    "And you mention the exploratory teams that haven't come back."
    "I've wondered on that, as well, and I'll place good money that our friend Stasz thinks about it."
    "What are you driving at, then?"
    "Suppose they found something that wouldn't let them come back?"
    "Come on now, Ian, when I said you were neurotic I was serious, but good heavens, man, don't make me di agnose you as a paranoid,