The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book, by Michael Shaara

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Title: The Book

Author: Michael Shaara

Illustrator: Mel Hunter

Release Date: May 10, 2010 [EBook #32321]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction November 1953.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

THE BOOK

[Illustration:]

_A weird world--cut off from the Universe, it had universal
wisdom; facing death at every moment, it had the secret of
peace!_

By MICHAEL SHAARA

Illustrated by Mel Hunter

* * * * *

Beauclaire was given his first ship at Sirius. He was called up before
the Commandant in the slow heat of the afternoon, and stood shuffling
with awkward delight upon the shaggy carpet. He was twenty-five years
old, and two months out of the Academy. It was a wonderful day.

The Commandant told Beauclaire to sit down, and sat looking at him for
a long while. The Commandant was an old man with a face of many lines.
He was old, was hot, was tired. He was also very irritated. He had
reached that point of oldness when talking to a young man is an
irritation because they are so bright and certain and don't know
anything and there is nothing you can do about it.

"All right," the Commandant said, "there are a few things I have to
tell you. Do you know where you are going?"

"No, sir," Beauclaire said cheerfully.

"All right," the Commandant said again, "I'll tell you. You are going
to the Hole in Cygnus. You've heard of it, I hope? Good. Then you know
that the Hole is a large dust cloud--estimated diameter, ten
light-years. We have never gone into the Hole, for a number of
reasons. It's too thick for light speeds, it's too big, and Mapping
Command shi