The Mote in God's EyeIn the year 3016, the Second Empire of Man spans hundreds of star systems, thanks to the faster-than-light Alderson Drive. No other intelligent beings have ever been encountered, not until a light sail probe enters a human system carrying a dead alien. The probe is traced to the Mote, an isolated star in a thick dust cloud, and an expedition is dispatched. In the Mote the humans find an ancient civilization--at least one million years old--that has always been bottled up in their cloistered solar system for lack of a star drive. The Moties are welcoming and kind, yet rather evasive about certain aspects of their society. It seems the Moties have a dark problem, one they've been unable to solve in over a million years. |
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aboard MacArthur air lock Alderson Drive alien anyway asked asteroid Aye aye battle Blaine's bridge Brown Brown-and-white Buckman Bury Bury's cabin Captain Blaine Cargill Chaplain Hardy Charlie civilians Coal Sack CoDominium coffee command corridor Crazy Eddie crew cutter Cziller Dagda damn David Hardy door Empire Fyunch click hangar deck Horace Bury Horst Horvath humans Imperial intercom Ivan Jock Jonathon Kelley Kutuzov Langston Field laser laughed Lenin light sail looked Marines Master Mediators Midshipman miniatures Mote Prime moved Navy never nodded Number officers orders planet pocket computer Potter pressure suit probe Renner Rod thought Rod's sail Sally Fowler Sally's Sauron scientists Scotland screen Senator Fowler ship's shrugged Sinclair smiled space Sparta Staley stood stopped sure talk tell There's thing told took Trojan points turned voice waiting Warriors watched weapons Whitbread Whitbread's Motie wondered