On Russian Science Fiction

The following articles were scanned from the English language edition of "Fank" Special issue for Volgacon (1991). Please, forgive for scanning errors.

More articles on pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,

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WHAT IS THERE: THE PRELIMINARY CONTACT OR INTRIGUES OF THE ENEMIES OF PERESTROIKA?

Everybody read or heard about flying disks, which landed in Voronezh (and not only there, they say), so there Is no need to speak about these events again. But It Is very Interesting to analyse them more thoughtfully.
If you analyze famous facts deeper, you must be surprised of very usual, how it seems to you, anything: how the unecnthey Inhabitants' visit I concurs with our imagination about such a visit.
There are the flying disks; some of them are round, others have an oval form; they have an openning hatchways, and anthropomorphous creatures, although thery are three metres high, are going from these disks; before the disks' landing the telescopic supporteps are pulled out of It, the anthropomorphous creatures are going near the ship and taking patterns of soil...
But they don't try to come Into a contact; though the people are near and the guests see them, of course. Perhaps, It Is the only thing, which doesn't join our Images adout unearthly Inhabitants' visit.
It Is necessary to say like a digression, that a painfully little of Information we can extract from the eyewitnesses' accounts and from the mepe facts of visits. There Is a wonderfully constant occurrence, It Is chronlcal for all such events. It Is easily to determine a mass of space apparates by dents In soil after the supports, it was possible to recognize In troops of anti-aircraft defence, which were deployed near Voronezh, did they notch the disks by radars, or no, and If they notched them — recognize direction of their arrivals and starts away, their altitude and speed, the character of manoeuvreing, did they radiate some signals or no. Even such a «trifle», how the disks' colour, is Important; Is also, Important vision did the colour change Itself during timed or not, what colour did new-comers nave, did they assoclat between themselves, when they remained on the ships, how did upper and lower extremities look like, how did they react up on people standing near, what among surrounding things was the most interesting for them, had some emotional displays or not, and etc.
Only some facts are noted from everything of this sort, In particular, that devices negistered the Increased level of radiation. It Is possible to draw a conclusion, that the level of radiation on the ships Is high (specialists can fix the exact rate).
Everything It Is very Interesting, but lets return to our reasonlngs and ask a question: «Why aren't visits to Voronezh not devoid of Inevitable exotic character, but at the same time satisfy our Imagles so much?». Because, If the creatures, which are coming out of disks through opened hatches, are unearthly Inhabitants In diving-suits, It means, that life at other planets Is alike on earth; It developes earth like and aspires to give It's superior specimens anthropomorphous from. It Is unlikely In Itself; except some facts, which permit us to think, that creatures who had come from the ships were robots, but not people. All eye-witnesses contend, that these anthropomorphous «creatures» moved just like robots.wlthout some grace, which Is peculiar to every highly organized living beings; they were three buttons at thier breast, surrounded with colour circles; some Boxes were sllded In and out from their «abdomens»; the red lamp shone on the head wothout a neck, above two eyes. We can remember about high radiation level Inside a ship.
But if they are really robots, even more puzzling questions are appearing, The most principal of them is: «Why was it necessary to give them anthropomorphous resemblance?» Really a resemblance of human legs Is the best means of conveyance for robots? Ever we with our knowledge of physics and our technologicae level can see many better options. Way are «eyes» situated anthropomorphously, though circular field of vision Is more preferable for robots, and there Is no doubt, that It Is not very difficult technically for them who sent the ships on Earth. There Is very easy to continue this numder of questions. The typical robot at our Imagine — there is very Important — rolled from one the disks on lowering trap: he had the right-angled box with unlntelllgldle apparatuses and lamps at surface, and the same.anthropomorphous extremities; and he began to go. near the ship with lower ones...
What Is the picture now?
It Is doubtful whether, that unearthly Inhabitants are alike us even a little; most probably, they are different form of life. They can land thelrshlps In very sol Itady places and remain undlscovering, but their ships are landing within the precincts of a million city; their ships and «creatures» coming from them, regardless of logic of sclentiflctechnlcal progress, as If onpurpose don't overstep the limits of our Images about guests from Space. They are seeing people, but don't try to contact them.
What does It results In?
This made me think only one thing: the flying disks, landed In Voronezh, are nothing else than preliminary contact. Specimens of different reasonable life, which flew to Earth, really are not like us at all; they want to enter Into contact this Earth'es civilization and preliminarily let us know about them by means of «Voronezh disks», incarnated In ourtyplcal Images about unearthly Inhabitants' visit, because they dontwant to frighten us away with their unlike ness and assign a share of our wanting of contact. I don't find another explanation of all of It.
The creation of the especial committee attached to Voronezh reg ional committee of the Party and this fact, that workers from The State Security Committee took part in the events are also betokenning, that the disks are not a myth. (Such «show» now evidently Isn't beyond our earthly technic's power). The proclaimed task of these workers safe— guarding citizens' security — can Inspire respect, If we hadn't known.that they were going to defend us not from the saboteurs, but from specimens of differnt civilization, better developed more. What can the State Security Committee really do, if these creatures (Let us assume It) will decide «to jeopardize citizens' security»? Will they Jump out bushes of Voronezh park, swinging the Makarov's pistols? Will they order to bring down disks with rockets?..
There Is only one thing, which they can make It possible, — not to permit informal contact (and their mission, perhaps, consists just of it). But who will stapt the contact In that case? Will there be a group of Party functlonarlesm whom we traditionally consider competent utterly in all questions, from cultural ones to economical...
But nevertheless a part of the Stair Security Committee can be Invaluable: they can organize the professional observation fixing all possible Information, especially, If they count scientists.
In conclusion It Is necessary to note that «Moscow News» Inserted the detailed article about Voronezh strangers, supplied with drawings, done according to eyewitnesses, K.Feoktistov's assumption. I began to read It with the right Impatience: the famous cosmonaut's opinion on this occasion seemed especially Interesting, and I wanted to recognize this arguments substantiation of his point of view. Alas, there was only one argument: K.FeoktIstov had never seen anything like It, wel I then anything like It can be. Most of all, he categorically denies any strangers, because... he takes perestrolka's fate to. Certainly, It Is possible to see logic of such opinion; but as the matter of fact there Is joke:"Elder Is In kitchen-gargen and the uncle Is In Kiev". The tone of the note arouses regret: It is pert and disrespectful, as if all dozens of Voronezh eye-witnesses are patent swindlers, are In agreement and purchased by unperestrolking criminality.
Generally not only K.FeoktIstov prefers to have opinion, that they are trying to distract us away from urgend problems by means of different miracles: say, there were no such publications and in such quantity earlier. It Is true, but It is not mean, that there were a few of Inexplicable events and mysterious meetings, simply we all generally knew:
It Is pointless to address similar Information to our strictly censored press. And it follows from this, that If a mass of publications about the same strangers appeared In the period of stagnation — we couldn't have had doubts, that sensation Is «apporoved from above»; but we think so now...
Ten years ago I sent article to the section «Anthology of Mysterious Events» In magazine «Techniques — for the Youth», which told us about such an event. In the period of the Great Patriotic War my mother who was then a hospital nurse at the evacuation hospital, received a request to tend young confused soldier, who began to manifest anomalous psychical abilities as a result of confusion. Besides, he flew In a ward after fits of anger. The article was sent me back, of course. Now it is famous, tha that event wasn't alone, things do happen, so to say and it demands a serious attitude to It.
There Is a curious category of people, always taken care of, that we know as little as possible about different «miracles» and meets with strangers, The stagnation period Is the same pne; there Is asphixiz and agony; but what Is the time of perestrolka?.. Now these people motivate their endeavour, that miracles are distracting from perestrolka. Of course, this profiteering Is vulgar; It Is making Instead of yearning to exploration and understanding of either appearance, In's own singularity frankly proomlses us expansion and extending our knowledge, and new possibilities; but we are appealed not to notice something on «patriotic» pretexts and don't attach Importance, If we noticed; how It takes place In the case event with K.FeoktIstov. It will be especially unpardonable and adsurd, If the «flying disks In Voronezh are really — Preliminary contact.
SERCEY PODGOBNY. the member of Writers' Union.

More articles on pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,