《Periodic Table Manganese 》作者：- Michael Swanwick 【EPUB】

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Michael Swanwicks Periodic Table of Science Fiction 25 Mn Manganese 54.9380Graffiti The artists of Lascaux used manganese ores and charcoal to mix their black pigments. Those ofthe Renaissance used manganese oxide to enrich the brown in their umbers. Manganese blue wentextinct in the twentieth century. The twentieth and twenty-first centuries had a lot ofartists most of them bad but all of them wanting the very finest paints. By the time humanityplanted its first colonies in deep space all the best natural pigments had been depleted fromthe surface of the Earth. Bumwart was an outer-belt asteroid so far distant from the Earth thatwhen Sam Evensong bumped down on it hed been traveling for three months. An extreme-long-distance assay commissioned by Summergarden Specialty Ores had indicated that Bumwart was richin manganese and iron oxides. Sam had been sent because he didnt mind being alone. He spentthe three months doodling on his electronic artpad. It was all he really cared for. The assaywas right. Sam spent another month digging out the finest natural pigments hed ever had thepleasure to handle. When the ships cargo pod was full he strapped himself into the pilotsseat and switched on the Keely engine. With a flash the Eiseley tube blew. The engine died. All the life-support systems were on backup so they were okay. Sam had a years supply of foodand oxygen so he was okay. But the ship wasnt going anywhere without a new Eiseley tube andof course it didnt carry a spare. So Sam called back to home base. They promised to send arescue drone right away. Just hang in for three months Summergardens comptroller said andyoull be fine. No problem. Sam picked up his artpad. It wouldnt turn on. It had been recharging when thetube exploded. The power surge had burnt it out. Well what the heck am I going to do now he asked himself. He glanced out a side porthole atthe asteroids surface. Smooth and inviting like a sheet of paper. He thought of all thepigments in the cargo pod. Three months later when the rescue drone arrived with the newEiseley tube the cargo pod was almost empty and the entire