The Starchild Trilogy
The Starchild Trilogy Frederik Pohl The Reefs of Space(1964) Starchild(1965) Rogue Star(1969) Baen (March 1, 1986) ISBN-10: 0671655582 ISBN-13: 978-0671655587 THE REEFS OF SPACE The major snapped: "Check in, you Risks! What's the matter with you?" His radar horns made him look like Satan—a sleepy young Satan with an underslung jaw, but dangerous. "Yes, sir," said Steve Ryeland, peering around. This was Reykjavik—a new world to Ryeland, who had just come from a maximum-security labor camp inside the rim of the Arctic Circle. Ryeland blinked at the buildings, a thousand feet high, and at the jets and rockets scattered 'across the air field. The little man next to Ryeland sneezed and nudged him. "All right," Ryeland said, and went into the bare little Security lounge. On the teletype that stood in the corner of the room—hi the corner of every room— he tapped out: Information. Steven Ryeland, Risk, AWC-38440, and O. B. Oporto, Risk, XYZ- 99942, arrived at— He took the code letters from the identification plate on the machine 1—Station 3-Radius 4-261, Reykjavik, Iceland. Query. What are personal orders? In a moment the answer came from the Planning Machine, a single typed letter "R." The Machine had received and understood the message and adjusted its records. The orders would follow. A Togetherness-girl glanced into the lounge, saw the collars on Ryeland and the little man. Her lips had started to curve in the smile of her trade, but they clamped into a thin line.
[Show full text]