On Distant Worlds: A Collection

Contents:
Vladimir Gopman. Robert Silverberg — writer and person (foreword),

Transfer Station (translated by V. Weber)
A failure—this device is for instantaneous space transfer. From each traveler, the Transfer Station takes its own payment. The Earthman Olfayri flew to another planet, where he was cured of a fatal illness, and only after that did he fully feel what he had paid for the passage.

Season of the Mutants (translated by A. Korzhenkov)
Every winter mutants come to the resort to relax. And the local people’s way of seeing the world, once surrounded by such strange creatures, starts to change gradually.

Pain Traders (translated by L. Ogulchanskaya)
New television transmits not only image and sound, but also feelings. Viewers crave sharp sensations, and TV producers strive to show increasingly sophisticated plots. What could be better for ratings than an amputation without anesthesia! It’s all so wonderful—while you’re on the other side of the camera...

Future Martians (translated by L. Ogulchanskaya)
The atmosphere on Mars is far thinner than even at the highest mountain peaks on Earth. To colonize Mars, people must be given the chance to live under normal conditions… Or maybe just choose suitable people?
An UN inspector who arrives at the Martian colony must answer this question...

Dance (translated by D. Voznyakevich)
To prepare a planet for settlers, it must be cleared of those who eat—creatures that consume oxygen-producing plants, upsetting the entire ecological balance. But who are these creatures?

Talent (translated by D. Voznyakevich)
Who writes for centuries is not immediately visible. Just like me, for now… But it’s still insulting. (Alexander Ivanov) The story’s hero, the poet Emil Villar, got so offended by his admirers that he decided to fly from Earth forever to Rygel V. And what a surprise it was when on that planet he ended up in the most incredible society, in his opinion...

Too-too-too-too (translated by V. Weber)
Almost the entire staff of the Third Lunar Base felt disgust toward sublimated products that provided their basic diet. What could be worse than an omelet of egg powder and powdered milk?
And so El Mason and his friends decided to build a mechanical cow in their free time from the main job. Naturally, without the boss’s knowledge...

Contract (translated by A. Leshchinsky)
Sales agents harass people and prevent them from working normally even on other planets. And so the angry customer base can’t cause them moral harm or physical injury, robots started being used in the agents’ profession.

Archaeological Finds (translated by V. Weber)
Voltasians earned their living by helping archaeologists from other planets discover ancient works of art—items that were in high demand across other worlds. The great race that once inhabited Voltas knew how to make magnificent ornaments.
So why does only historical value make an object worthy...

Business Acumen (translated by L. Ogulchanskaya)
Connelly, who abducted the commander of the Nidleans, fell into a trap made of a giant force field. A rescue team will arrive any moment, and then there will be no saving him. Can he get out of such a mess?

The Iron Chancellor (translated by A. Korzhenkov)
A harsh story about a self-learning kitchen robot whose program malfunctioned.

Wimp (translated by V. Weber)
Adapts are mutant humans specially adapted to live under higher gravity. They see normal people as freaks. But one of the Earthmen made them respect him.

Neutral Planet (translated by V. Weber)
There are two rivals: Earthmen and Rigellians. There is the planet Fafnir and there are the local inhabitants with whom a contract must be concluded. Both sides try to appease the natives with gifts and win them over. Whom will luck smile upon?

Phone Call (translated by V. Weber)
El Miller in 1969 learned by chance about the existence of an underground mutant organization. So that he wouldn’t be able to mess up their plans, the mutants decided to get rid of him and sent him five centuries into the future.

Two Shoes—A Pair (translated by T. Ginzburg)
Not every space zoo contains only alien animals. It may include sentient residents, space tourists, and adventurers—and the fee for watching can be charged on either side.

Father and Chimpanzee (translated by A. Korzhenkov)
For a long time, scientists studied a group of chimpanzees. One of the biologists falls ill and soon dies. This event shocks the animals and changes their understanding of the world. The chimpanzees form a kind of religious cult connected with sacrifices...

Here’s the Treasure... (translated by A. Korzhenkov)
On a small planet by the star Valzar there was a Treasure. The Treasure’s keeper was ready to give it to someone worthy, but… only the bones left from applicants were bleaching at the entrance.
Two friends decided they could answer all the keeper’s questions and walk on to the Treasure...

Ozymandias (translated by A. Leshchinsky)
Ozymandias the robot is the last inhabitant of a planet whose civilization disappeared a million years ago. Carefully, he stores in his memory all the knowledge accumulated by that civilization. The robot is discovered by Earthmen, who try to obtain those insights.

A Double Challenge (translated by A. Korzhenkov)
An extraordinary competition between two of the best engineers of the Domerghian civilization and two of the best engineers of Earth, which at first seemed like a joke, produces very unexpected results.

Storehouse of Centuries (translated by V. Weber)
An experimenter climbed into a time machine and flew to see the distant future. But in the future there is nothing on Earth except the “Storehouse of Centuries,” a museum of all human civilization.

In Far Worlds (translated by V. Weber)
Earthmen consider the planet Barlett V their territory. But one day an alien ship appeared there. The Earthmen asked the guests to leave and even threatened them with the start of war. But the aliens had their own secrets too.

Good News from the Vatican (translated by A. Korzhenkov)
At the Vatican, a robot is elected Pope of the Catholic Church. The religious world splits into two opposing camps, but soon everyone finds the idea to their liking.

Waiting for Catastrophe (translated by I. Polotsk)
Every 7160 years all the stars around the planet Medea line up into one line, and on the planet a tremendous earthquake occurs. Over the centuries of evolution, local residents learned to survive it. But what should Earthmen do?

Between Two Worlds (translated by A. Korzhenkov)
An entrance to a parallel world can open in the most unexpected places. For example, in the middle of a desert, in a foreign country where the hero of the story Hilgard came on an excursion. Now he has ended up in a world twice unfamiliar to him. Will he search for the way back?

...To Babylon (translated by A. Korzhenkov)
The landing of a ship from the stars onto a densely populated area caused a powerful fire and panic. Aliens seize innocent people. But even so, there were fearless people who established contact.

Gianni (translated by A. Korzhenkov)
Giovanni Pergolesi, a genius composer of classical music, was transported from the past into the future and healed from an incurable disease of that time. But even if you completely break with your surroundings and change where you live, can you change destiny?

By the Hand of the Ruler (translated by N. Gаль)
Colonel Divoll led the Earth representative office on Markina, a planet with a comparatively underdeveloped civilization. No one forced the Earthmen to fly to far worlds, help others, and share what they had.
… Divoll’s nephew accidentally desecrated the sacred tree of the natives, and the locals came with a demand to hand over the criminal.