Чужак в чужой стране

Chapter 1

           Aship’scompanyoffourmarriedcoupleshadbeendecidedonasoptimum,ifthenecessaryspecialtiescouldbefoundinsuchacombination.

           TheUniversityofEdinburgh,primecontractor,sub-contractedcrewselectiontotheInstituteforSocialStudies.Afterdiscardingthechaffofvolunteersuselessthroughage,health,mentality,training,ortemperament,theInstitutestillhadoverninethousandcandidatestoworkfrom,eachsoundinmindandbodyandhavingatleastoneofthenecessaryspecialskills.ItwasexpectedthattheInstitutewouldreportseveralacceptablefour-couplecrews.

           Nosuchcrewwasfound.Themajorskillsneededwereastrogator,medicaldoctor,cook,machinist,ship’scommander,semantician,chemicalengineer,electronicsengineer,physicist,geologist,biochemist,biologist,atomicsengineer,photographer,hydroponicist,rocketengineer.Eachcrewmemberwouldhavetopossessmorethanoneskill,orbeabletoacquireextraskillsintime.Therewerehundredsofpossiblecombinationsofeightpeoplepossessingtheseskills;thereturnedupthreecombinationsoffourmarriedcouplespossessingthem,plushealthandintelligence-butinallthreecasesthegroup-dynamicistswhoevaluatedthetemperamentfactorsforcompatibilitythrewuptheirhandsinhorror.

           Theprimecontractorsuggestedloweringthecompatibilityfigure-of-merit;theInstitutestifflyofferedtoreturnitsonedollarfee.Inthemeantimeacomputerprogrammerwhosenamewasnotrecordedhadthemachineshuntforthree-couplerumpcrews.

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