《Grimes 030 Chance Encounter 》作者：- A. Bertram Chandler 【EPUB】

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Chance EncounterWE PAID OFF ON Faraway having brought the old Epsilon Pavonis all theway across the Galaxy to hand her over to her new owners Rim RunnersIncorporated. The Commissions branch manager booked us in at theRimrock House one of the better hotels in Faraway City. All that we had todo was to wait for the arrival of Delta Bootis in which vessel we were to beshipped back to Earth. The services to and from the Rim Worlds are far fromfrequent and none of the big passenger liners ever call there they are notplanets that one would ever recommend for a vacation. Theres thatdreariness that ever-present sense that one is hanging by ones eyebrowsover the very edge of the ultimate cold and dark. The cities on none of theRim Worlds are cities real cities but only overgrown—and not so veryovergrown at that—provincial towns. The people are a subdued mob whotake their pleasures sadly and their sorrows even more sadly. Somebodyonce said that the average Rim World city is like a graveyard with lights.He wasnt so far wrong.Delta Bootis was a long time coming. She was delayed on Waverley by astrike and then she had to put in to Nova Caledon for repairs to herMannschenn Drive unit. Some of us didnt worry overmuch—after all wewere being paid and well paid for doing nothing and the branch managerwas footing our weekly bill without a murmur. Some of us worried a loteven so. In the main with one exception it was the married men who weredoing the worrying.The one exception was Peter Morris our P.R.O.—Psionic Radio Officer toyou—our bright young man from the Rhine Institute our tame telepath. Yethe was single and so far as any of us knew had no girl waiting for him onany of the colonized worlds or on Earth. But if there had been a first prizefor misery he would have won it.I liked Peter. During the run out we had formed a friendship that was ratherunusual between a telepath and a normal human being—or as the averagegraduate