No one noticed the rock. For the simple reason that the rock was featureless, floating among millions of rocks and ice, floating in some empty orbit where the comet was no longer there, and was nothing more than a fragment of that comet.The rock is smaller than some fragments and larger than some fragments, but there are no features that distinguish it from the others on a distribution scale.Even if the planetary defense network detects the rock, although it is extremely unlikely, a cursory inspection will only reveal that its composition is silicate and a few metallic minerals.The implication is that a rock is nowhere near large enough to cause any real damage.

But for the planet that happened to be blocking the way of this rock and its thousands of brothers, this is only an academic hypothesis, because it does not have a planetary defense network, but it does have a gravitational potential well without exception.The rock and many of its brethren fell in--they would form a meteor shower, and each revolution of the planet would intersect the orbit of the comet, and each time many pieces of rock and ice would be reduced to ashes.The friction between the rock and the air generated too much heat, and the tiny comet fragments burned in the atmosphere. It is a pity that there are no intelligent creatures standing on the surface of this bitter cold planet, otherwise you can see the beautiful sky full of fire and rain when you look up.

Most newly formed meteors vaporize in the atmosphere; their uneven, solid surfaces become long trails of tiny particles during their fiery fall.These tiny particles, suspended in the atmosphere, would later become condensation nuclei for water droplets, dragged toward the ground by their weight, forming rain (or more likely snowflakes, given the nature of the planet). But the mass of the rock prevailed.The wind pressure tore hair-like slits on the rocks, and the denser and denser atmosphere exposed the structural defects and weaknesses of the rocks, and the atmosphere then launched a violent attack.Fragments flaked off, and the flames flickered away, burning up in the air.The rock traveled through the atmosphere to the end of its journey, leaving enough mass to impact the planet's surface, slamming hard on a stony plain that had been swept clean of ice and snow.

The impact gasified the rock and a modest plain, creating an equally modest crater.The stony plain stretched for a considerable distance above and below the planet's surface, and the impact rang like a bell, but the harmonics were several octaves below the hearing range of most known intelligent beings. Spend. The ground trembled. Deep below the surface of the planet, someone finally noticed the stone. "Earthquake." Sharon said, staring at the monitor. A few seconds later, there was another tremor. "Earthquake," Sharon said. Kenan looked at the assistant through his monitor and asked, "Are you going to say it once?"

"Want to keep you informed of what's going on," Sharon said. "I appreciate the kindness," Kennan said, "but there's really no need to say it once and for all. I'm a scientist and I understand that the shaking of the ground means we're experiencing an earthquake. The first announcement is useful, but repeating it five or six times is tedious. gone." There was another rumble. "Earthquake," Shalan said, "this is the seventh time. Besides, you are not a geotectonicist. Although you are good at many fields, earthquakes are not one of them." The meaning is not difficult to detect.

If Kennan hadn't been sleeping with the assistant, he might have been irritated; but instead, he forced himself a magnanimous smile and said, "Why didn't I remember you were a structural geologist?" "It's just a hobby." Sharan replied. Kenan opened his mouth and was about to speak when the ground suddenly rushed towards him.It took him a moment to realize that it wasn't a bump in the ground that jumped at him, but that he was suddenly thrown to the ground.At this moment, he was lying sprawled on the floor tiles, surrounded by half of the objects that were originally placed on the workbench, and the high stool was down one person away to the right and was still shaking.

He looked at Sharon.Sharon managed to look away from the monitor, partly because the monitor fell to the ground and shattered, scattered around the fallen Sharan. "What's going on?" Kanan asked. "Earthquake?" Sarah guessed hopefully, and the laboratory began to shake violently again, causing her to scream.Light fixtures and acoustic panels fell from the ceiling; Kenan and Sharon struggled to get under the workbench, curled up as everything around them collapsed inward. The shaking stopped shortly thereafter.Kenan looked around with the still flickering lights, and found that almost the entire laboratory fell to the ground, including most of the ceiling and part of the walls.The laboratory is usually full of workers and other assistants of Kenan, but today only he and Sharon came back in the middle of the night to finish the sequencing work.The team members have all returned to the base barracks, and most of them are sleeping-well, they should be awake by now.

A shrill noise echoed in the corridor leading to the laboratory. "Did you hear that?" Sarah asked. Kenan nodded affirmatively. "The siren of the combat station." "We were attacked?" Sharan asked, "I thought the base had shields." "There is," Kennan replied. "Well, there was. At least there should be." "Well, I have to say, it's well protected." Sharon said. Kenan was finally annoyed, and said angrily, "There is no such thing as perfection, Sharon." "Sorry." Facing the boss's sudden anger, Shalan quickly comforted him.Kenan snorted, crawled out from under the workbench, and walked to a fallen locker. "Come and help me," he said to Sharon.The two turned the locker so that Kennan could push the door open, and inside was a small shotgun and a magazine.

"Where did you get that?" Sarah asked. "It's a military base, Sharon," Kennan replied. "Of course there are weapons. I have two guns. One here and one in the barracks. Thought it might be useful in a situation like this." "We're not soldiers," Sharon said. "Remember to ask the assailant if it makes any difference whether we are soldiers or not," Kenan handed the gun to Sharon, "take it." "Don't give it to me," said Sharon, "I don't know how to use it. Take it." "Are you sure?" Kenan asked.

"Sure," Sharon said, "I probably hit myself in the leg when I took it." "Okay," Kennan said, putting the clips in the pistol and pocketing the gun, "let's go to the barracks. Our men are there. If something happens, we should be with them." Sharon didn't come out. Nodding, nodding in agreement, her usual cynical personality was gone, her complexion was pale, trembling with fear.Kenan squeezed her arm quickly. "Come on, Sarah," he said, "it'll be all right. Let's try to get back to the barracks first." The two walked through the rubble of the corridor when they heard the door of the underground stairwell slid open.In the dust and dim light, Kenan could barely make out two huge figures entering the door. He turned and returned to the laboratory along the same road. Shalan had the same idea as the boss, but moved faster, and had already run to the door of the laboratory.The only way to leave this floor is by elevator, but the elevator is at the other end of the stairwell.They are stuck.Kenan stepped back and patted his pockets. He had no more experience with firearms than Shalan. It was hard to believe that he could hit one target in the distance, let alone two, and both of them were probably well-trained soldiers. .

"Director Kenan," said a figure. "What?" Kenan replied involuntarily, regretting that he had exposed himself so easily. "Director Kenan," the figure said again, "we're here to save you. You're not safe here." The figure stepped into a cluster of light and became Yaten Rand, one of the base's commanders.Kennan actually recognized him by his badge and the family crest on his carapace.Yaten Rant was an Anishan, and Kenan had to admit with a little shame that the Enishans looked exactly the same to him, despite his time at the base. "Who's attacking us?" Kennan asked. "How did they find the base?" "It is impossible to determine the identity of the attacker and the reason for the attack." Yaten Rand replied. A small instrument hung around his neck translated the clicks of the mouthparts into words Kennen could understand.Yaten Rant didn't need a device to understand what Kennen was saying, but he needed one to talk to him. "The bombardment came from the orbit of the planet. So far, only the enemy's landing ship has been found." Yaten Rand walked towards Kenan, and Kenan tried his best to suppress the urge to dodge.Even though they had lived here so long and maintained a good working relationship, the approach of this giant insect race still made him nervous. "Director Kenan, they can't find you here. We must transfer you before the base is breached." "Okay," Kenan said.He motioned for Sharon to come over. "She can't," said Yaten Rand, "only you." Kenan stopped and said, "She's my assistant, and I need her." Another bombardment shook the base.Kenan was thrown against the wall and collapsed to the ground.He noticed that neither Yaten Rant nor another Enisha soldier moved a muscle. "Director, now is not the time to discuss this issue." Yaten Ranter said.The translator's monotonous tone added a sarcasm to the sentence. Kenan wanted to argue, but Sharon gently grabbed his arm. "Kennan, he's right," she said. "You have to go. We can't stay here, especially you. If you are found, it will be a disaster." "I can't leave you," Cainen said. "Kennan," Sharon said, pointing to Yaten Rant, who was watching indifferently, "he's one of the highest ranking officers on the base. We're under attack. They won't send him to you for trivial matters. This is not an argument. Time. Come on. I can find a way back to the barracks. We've been here a lot, haven't we? So I remember how to get back." Kenan stared at Sharan for a full minute, pointed to the Anisha soldier behind Yaten Rand and said, "You, escort her back to the barracks." "I need him by my side, Director," Yaten Ranter said. "You can handle me alone," Kennan said. "If he doesn't escort her, then I will." Yaten Rant covered the translator and motioned for the soldiers to come over, and they leaned very close, chatting in whispers—not really necessary, because Kenan didn't understand Enisha at all.The two separated immediately, and the soldier walked over to stand beside Sharan. "He'll take her back to the barracks," Yaten Rant said. "You don't ask any more. We've wasted too much time. Come with me, Director." He reached out and grabbed Kenan's arm. , pulling him towards the connecting door in the stairwell.Kanan turned his head and saw Sharan looking up at the huge Enisha soldiers in fear.Yaten Rant pushed him through the door, and the last figure of the assistant's lover disappeared. "It hurts," Kenan said. "Quiet," Yaten Rand said, pushing Kenan up the stairs.They began to climb, the Enisha's shockingly short but nimble hind appendages matching Kenan's stride. "It took long enough to find you, and so long to persuade you to go. Why aren't you in the barracks?" "We're putting some finishing touches on," Kennan said. "There's nothing else to do anyway. Where now?" "Up," said Yaten Ranter, "to go underground and repair the railroad." Kenan stopped and looked back at Yaten Rant, who was almost as tall as he, despite being a few steps behind. "That railroad leads to the hydroponic farm," Kennan said.Kenan, Sharan, and the rest of the team sometimes go to admire the greenery on the base's sprawling underground hydroponic farm—unless you're a fan of hypothermia, the planet's surface isn't much to like.The hydroponic farm is the closest to nature here. "The hydroponic farm is a natural cave," Yaten Rant pushed Kenan forward, "there is a closed area underneath, where an underground river flows into an underground lake. There is a small living cabin hidden there for you to live in. " "Why didn't you tell me?" Kenan said. "I didn't expect it to be necessary," Yaten Rand said. "Swim it?" Cainen asked. "There's a little sub," Yaten Rand said, "that's cramped even for you, and it's routed to where the living quarters are." "How long am I going to be there?" "Better not for a second," said Yaten Ranter, "or it will be a long time. Two more flights of stairs, Director." After two more flights of stairs, the two stopped, Kenan panting, and Yaten Rand clicking into the communicator.The sounds of battle came several floors up through the stone floors and concrete walls. "The enemy has already attacked the base, but we are temporarily stopped on the ground," Yaten Rant said to Kenan, and he put down the communicator. "The enemy has not yet reached this level. Let you hide safely first." .Please follow me, Director, and don't fall behind. Do you understand?" "Understood." Kenan said. "Let's go then," Yaten Rand said.He put away his rather scary weapon, opened the door, and strode into the corridor.As Yaten Rant moved on, Kennen noticed that the Anishan's rear appendages protruded an extra joint from the carapace.This structure is similar to a spring, allowing the Enisha to display terrifying speed and agility in battle. Kenan couldn't help but think of the various crawling insects he had seen when he was a child.He suppressed his disgust and trembling, ran to keep up, and ran to the small subway station on the other side of this floor. The corridor was full of rubble. He stumbled and couldn't get up fast. Kenan panted heavily and ran to the small subway. Yaten Rand was checking the control system of the front of the car. The passenger compartment of the subway was open.Yaten Rand had already loosened the connecting device between the front and the carriage, and he said, "I told you to follow me closely." "There's an old man between us, and my legs aren't going to be twice as long," Kenan said, pointing to the front of the car. "Shall I get in?" "We should be walking," Yaten Rant said, and Kennan could hear his calves starting to cramp. "But I don't think you'll make it all the way, and you're running out of time. We'll just have to risk the drive and get in." Kennen gratefully climbed into the front passenger area of ​​the car—a lot of room, because it's for two AIs. Prepared by Nisha people.Yaten Rand drove the car to the top speed, about twice the speed of the Anisha's jumping speed, which was uncomfortably fast in the cramped tunnel.Then, Yaten Rand turned around, raised his weapon, and looked for the target in the tunnel behind him. "What should I do if the base is breached?" Kennan asked. "You're safe in the Hab," Yaten Ranter said. "Yes, but if the base is breached, who will save me?" Kenan asked, "I can't stay in the living quarters forever, can I? Besides, I don't know how to get out. No matter how well prepared the living quarters are, sooner or later the supplies Will run out. Not to mention air." "The habitat separates out the dissolved oxygen in the water," Yaten Ranter said. "You don't suffocate." "Great, but what about the starvation problem?" Kennan said. "There is an exit from the underground lake—" Yaten Rant only said this, and the front of the car suddenly swayed and derailed.The sound of the tunnel collapsing drowned out all other sounds.Kenan and Yaten Rand felt their feet stop, and then they flew out of the car and fell into the endless smoky darkness. After an unknown amount of time, Kenan realized that he was woken up by Yaten Rant. "Wake up, Director," Yaten Rand said. "I can't see it," Cainen said.Yaten Rant heard the words and turned on the lights on the weapons. "Thank you," Kenan said. "Are you all right?" Yaten Rand asked. "I'm fine," Kenan said, "but as long as possible, I hope I don't fall to the ground again today." Yaten Rand clicked twice in agreement, turning the beam to look at the avalanche that trapped them.Kenan got up, stepping on the gravel, a little unsteady. Yaten Rant turned the beam back on Kenan and said, "Stay here, Director, it's safer." The beam fell on the rails. "Perhaps there is still electricity." The beam turned away again, and shone on the wall of the new prison.Whether it was accidental or arranged by someone, the bombardment caused the rails to surround Kenan and Yaten Rand, and there was no gap in the wall made of rubble.Now, Kennan thought, suffocation was the real problem.Yaten Rant continued to survey the perimeter, trying to speak to the communicator from time to time, but the communicator seemed to be out of work.Kenan sat down, trying not to take a deep breath. After a while, Yaten Rant, who had given up on the survey and turned off the lights for a rest, suddenly turned on the lights and cast the beam of light at the gravel wall closest to the base. "What's wrong?" Kanan asked. "Quiet." Yaten Rant said as he approached the gravel wall, as if listening to something.A few seconds later, Kenan heard it too. It might be a voice, but it was not from this planet, nor did it have any kindness.Then came the sound of explosions.Someone on the other side of the rubble wall decided to come in. Yaten Ranter walked quickly from the rubble wall to Kennan, holding up his weapon, the beam of light shone so that Kennan couldn't see anything. "I'm very sorry, Director," Yaten Rand said. At this time, Kennan realized that the security escort order that Yaten Rand had received might stop here. Without thinking, he turned around to avoid the beam; The bullet in the middle of his body hit his arm, and he turned half a circle before he fell to the ground again.Kenan struggled to his knees and saw his own shadow cast in front of him as Yaten Rand's beam fell on his back. "Wait a minute," Cainen said to Shadow, "don't shoot in the back. I know you have to. But don't shoot in the back. Please." There was a silence, punctuated by the sound of breaking stone. "Turn around, Director," Yaten Rand said. Kennen turned slowly, his knees on the gravel, his hands in his coat pockets—the pockets seemed to cuff his hands.Yaten Rand began to aim, aiming the gun at Kenan's brain without any haste. "Ready, Director?" Yaten Rand said. "Okay." After Kenan finished speaking, he pointed the muzzle of the gun at the beam in his pocket and fired at Yaten Rand. Kennen's shot coincided with the explosion on the other side of the rubble wall.Yaten Ranter didn't realize he was hit until blood flowed from the wound on his carapace.Under the beam of light, Kenan could hardly see the wound clearly. He only saw Yaten Rand look down at his wound, stared at it for a few seconds, and then looked up at Kenan with a confused look on his face.At this time, Kenan had already pulled out the gun in his pocket, fired three shots at Yaten Rant, and emptied the magazine on the Anisha.Yaten Rant leaned on his front legs and leaned slightly, then moved back the same distance, each leg opened at different angles, and his huge body fell to the ground. "Sorry," Kennen said to the corpse. The enclosed space was filled with dust, and the rubble walls were finally blasted open, and light poured in, followed by creatures with lights on their weapons.One of them saw Kenan and roared, and several lights suddenly focused on him.Kennan dropped his gun, raised his uninjured arm in surrender, and walked away from Yaten Rand's body.There would be no point in killing Yaten Rand to save his life if the intruders decided to dig holes in him.An intruder walked towards Kennen through the beam, muttering something in its own language, and Kennen finally saw what kind of race it was. His education in extraterrestrial biology helped him to count the phenotypic properties of the species.Symmetrical, bipedal, so there are limbs to distinguish between arms and legs; knees bend in a different direction than him; body shape and front view are not much different from him, which is not surprising, because countless so-called "intelligent races" are bilaterally symmetrical Bipedal creatures, and nearly the same size and weight.This is one of the reasons why there are so many disputes between species in this corner of the universe: so little land is available, and so many species with the same needs. The creature yelled at him again, Kennen thought, and now there was a difference, a broader torso, a flat stomach, and a generally inflexible frame and muscles.Feet like stumps, hands like sticks.The gender difference is obvious (if I remember correctly, the one in front of me is a female).The sensory organs are inferior, with only two small visual and auditory input ports, unlike Kenan, who has visual and auditory belts around the head.On the head are filaments of keratin rather than folds of skin that provide heat dissipation.It wasn't the first time Kennan had thought that, physically, evolution hadn't given this race a special favor. Evolution has only made them more aggressive, more dangerous, and damn hard to wipe off the face of the planet.This is indeed a big problem. The creature in front of Kenan murmured something and pulled out a short, ugly object.Kenan stared straight at the opponent's visual input organ. "Fuck you human," he said. The creature swung the object in his hand and threw it at Kenan. Kenan spun around, and various colors danced in front of his eyes. He fell to the ground for the last time that day. Kennen was brought into the room, and the human at the table said, "Remember who I am?" Kennen's captors gave him a chair to accommodate his (for a human) knees that were bent in the opposite direction.The human speaks, and the speaker on the table emits the translated result.The only other thing on the table was a syringe filled with clear liquid. "You're the soldier who knocked me out," Kennan said.The loudspeaker did not translate his words, suggesting that the soldiers also hid a translation device somewhere. "That's right," said the human, "I'm Lieutenant Jane Sagan," she pointed to the stool, "please sit down." Kenan sat down. "There's no need to stun me," he said, "I'll go with you willingly." "We have our own reasons for wanting to knock you out," Sagan said.She gestured to Kennan's arm, which Yaten Rand had injured, and asked, "How's the arm?" "It feels good," Kenan said. "We can't fully fix it," Sagan said. "Our medical technology can quickly heal our injuries, but you are a Raray, not a human. Our medical methods are not particularly effective. But we have tried. .” "Thank you," Kenan said. "I'm guessing the one who wounded you was the Enisha we found with you," Sagan said, "the one you killed." "Yes." Kenan said. "I'm curious, how did you guys shoot each other?" Sagan asked. "He's going to kill me, I don't want to die," Kennan said. "That begs another question, why did this Enisha want to kill you?" Sagan said. "I'm his prisoner," Kennan said. "It is estimated that he received orders not to let me be captured alive, but to kill me if necessary." "You're his prisoner," Sagan repeated, "but you're armed." "I found it," Cainen said. "Really?" Sagan said. "The security at this Enisha base is terrible. Not their style." "Well, no one is perfect," Kennan said. "What about the other Rraeys we found at the base?" Sagan asked. "Are they prisoners too?" "Yes." Kenan felt concern for Shalan and other members of the team. "How did you all become prisoners of the Enisha?" Sagan asked. "We took the Rarai ship to a colony to replace the local medical team," Kennen said. "The Enisha attacked our ship. They boarded the ship and captured us and sent us here." "How long ago?" Sagan asked. "It's been a while," Kenan replied, "I'm not sure how long. It's based on the time of the Enisha, and I'm not familiar with their time unit. Also, this planet has its own rotation period, one day The time is short, so it's even more confusing. Besides, I don't understand human timekeeping, so I can't describe it precisely." "Our intelligence agency has no record of the Enisha attacking the Le Rey spaceship in the past year—that is, two-thirds of your Hekdene." Sagan said that He Ke De was a Le Rey The term refers to the time it takes for the parent star to orbit its star once. "Maybe your intelligence agency is not as smart as you think." Kennan said. "It's possible," Sagan replied, "However, considering that Anisha and Le Rey are still at war diplomatically, the attack on the spaceship will definitely attract attention. Anything smaller than this will cause trouble." Both sides have fought." "How can I tell you what I don't know?" Kennan said, "We were taken off the spaceship and sent to the base. I'm afraid I don't know much about what happened or didn't happen outside the base during this time." "You're being held at the base?" Sagan asked. "Yes." Kenan replied. "We searched the entire base and found only a very small holding area," Sagan said. "There is no evidence that you are locked up." Kennen smiled despondently, in the Le Rey way. "If you've seen the base, you've certainly seen the surface of the planet," he said. "If anyone tried to escape, they would freeze to death within a short distance. And where would they go?" "How do you know?" Sagan said. "The Enisha said," Kenan replied, "my team members are not going to test this assertion with an excursion." "So you don't know the planet?" Sagan said. "Sometimes it's cold, sometimes it's very cold," Kennan said. "That's all I know about the planet." "You're a doctor," Sagan said. "I don't understand the word," Kennan pointed to the speaker. "Your machine isn't smart enough to find the equivalent in our language." "You're a medical professional, you practice medicine," Sagan said. "Yes," Kennan said, "I specialize in genetics, so my team and I were on that ship. We had a plague in one of our colonies, and the disease affected gene sequencing and cell division. We were sent to Investigate, hopefully find a cure. If you've scoured the base, you've seen our equipment. The Enisha who captured us were kind enough to give us a place to set up a lab." "Why would they do that?" Sagan asked. "Maybe it's more manageable to think it's easier to keep us busy working on our projects," Kennan said. "If that's the case, it's pretty effective, because we're doing our best to keep our secrets secret and try not to get in trouble." "An exception is your stealing weapons," Sagan said. "I've had it for a while, apparently without arousing suspicion," Kennan said. "The weapon you're using was designed for the Rraey," Sagan said. "This is an Enisha military base. How strange." "It must have been captured when they boarded the ship," Kennan said. "If you search the base, you can't be sure to find a lot of other items designed by the Rraey." "Let me summarize," said Sagan, "that you and your medical team were brought here after being captured by the Enisha some indeterminate time ago, and you were held here without contact with your own people. You did not I know where this is, and I don’t know how the Enisha plan to deal with you.” "Exactly," Kenan said, "beyond that, I don't think they want people to know I'm here, so after the attack on the base, an Enisha tried to kill me." "It's true," Sagan said, "I'm sorry, but you've had better luck than the rest of you." "I don't understand what you mean," Kennan said. "We only found one living Rarey like you," Sagan said. "The rest were shot by the Enisha. Most of them died in what looked like a barracks. The other one was found not far away. Your lab, because there's a lot of Le Rey tech equipment there." Kenan felt uncomfortable for a while, and said, "You're lying." "Unfortunately, no," Sagan replied. "You humans killed them." Kenan said angrily. "Since the Enisha tried to kill you," Sagan said, "why didn't they kill the rest of your team?" "I don't believe you," Kennan said. "I can understand that," Sagan said, "but that's how it is." Kennan sat there, mourning the loss of his countrymen.Sagan didn't bother him. "Okay," Kenan finally said, "tell me what you want from me." "First, Director Kennan," Sagan said, "tell the truth." It took several seconds for Kennen to realize that this was the first time a human had addressed him by his first name—and his title."I'm telling the truth," he said. "Bullshit," Sagan said. Kennan pointed to the speaker again and said, "The translation is incomplete." "You're Director Kenan Sun Sue," Sagan said. "It's true that you have medical training. The two main research areas are alien biology and semi-organic neural network defense systems. Let me say , the two fields of research can be combined very well.” Kenan said nothing.Sagan continued: "Hey, Director Kenan, let me first introduce what we know. Fifteen months ago, Le Rey and Anisha were still fighting the war that had been fought on and off for thirty years. Of course we I support you in fighting the war, because then you will not come to provoke us." "Not really," Kennen said. "Don't forget the Battle of Coral." "Ah, yes," said Sagan, "I participated and nearly died." "I had a brother who died there," Kennan said. "The youngest brother. You may have seen it." "Maybe," Sagan said, "15 months ago, Le Rey and Anisha were enemies. Then suddenly they weren't. Why? Our intelligence agencies don't know." "We have already discussed the shortcomings of your intelligence agency," Kennan said. "There are often races that stop fighting. After the Battle of Coral Star, we stopped fighting with you." "You and I stopped fighting because we beat you, you retreated, and we started rebuilding Coral," Sagan said. "That's the point. We had reasons to stop fighting, at least temporarily, but you and Anisha There is no reason. So we are worried. "Three months ago, our spy satellites above this planet noticed that although it was said to be uninhabited, suddenly there were many Anisha and Rarey ships. The planet is neither Nisha is not owned by Le Rey, but the territory of the Obin people, so things become more interesting. Director, you must know that the Obin people do not mix with other races, and they are strong enough. Anisha and Le Rey Rey did not dare to set foot in their territory rashly. "So we placed a more advanced spy satellite over the planet, looking for signs of settlement, but found nothing. As a defense expert, Mr. Director, can you make a bold guess about the reason?" "I guess the base has shields," Kennan said. "Indeed," Sagan said, "and it turns out that it was the kind of defense system you were working on. Of course, we didn't know that at the time, but we do now." "If the base has a shield, how could it be discovered by you?" Kenan asked, "Just curious, occupational disease." "Throw rocks," Sagan replied. "what?" "Blocks," Sagan said. "A month ago, we sprinkled dozens of seismic detectors on the surface of the planet, and set them up to analyze the returned signals to determine whether there were artificial structures underground. According to experience, the secret base located underground Easier to set up shields. We rely on the planet's natural seismic activity to narrow down the survey area, then throw rocks at the area of ​​interest. Today we threw a few before attacking to get an exact sonic image of the base. Rocks are good, Because it looks like a natural meteor, it won't alarm anyone. Besides, shields can't prevent seismic wave imaging. Most races are busy developing shields to resist optical and high-energy electromagnetic scanning, but forget that sound waves are also dangerous. This is High-tech flaw: Always ignores the effectiveness of low-level technology. For example, throwing stones." "Let humans throw rocks at each other," Kennan said. Sagan shrugged. "We don't mind adversaries bringing guns to knife fights," she said, "but it makes it easier for us to dig out hearts—or other organs responsible for pumping blood. Your overconfidence has cheapened us. As you can see, because you are in our Got it. But Mr. Director, what we really want to know is why you're here. Enisha and Le Rey teaming up is confusing enough, Anisa and Le Rey Gaobin? It's more than confusing Confusing, but interesting." "I have no idea who owns this planet," Kennan said. "What's more interesting is you, Director Kennan." Sagan ignored Kennan, "while you were unconscious, we conducted a genetic scan on you to prove your identity, and then retrieved the records on the spacecraft to understand your identity. We know that your main focus within the field of extraterrestrial biology is humans. You are probably the number one authority on human genetics at Le Rey. We also know that you are particularly interested in how the human brain works. " "That's one of my focuses in neural networks," Kennan said. "Contrary to what you said, I'm not particularly interested in the human brain. All brains are interesting in their own way." "Call it what you want," Sagan said, "but whatever you're studying here is important enough that the Enisha would rather kill you and your team than see you fall into human hands. " "As I said," Kennan said, "we are their prisoners." 萨根翻个白眼，说：“咱们就继续互相装傻吧，凯南主管。” 凯南俯身向前，隔着桌子凑近萨根，问：“你是哪一种人类？” “什么意思？”萨根说。 “我们知道有三种人类，”凯南说着竖起手指——比人类手指长得多，关节也多好几个——数着不同之处。“有未经改造的人类，各行星上的殖民者。他们的体型、身材和肤色各不相同——表现出良好的基因多样性。第二种是士兵阶层内的大部分成员，体型和身材仍旧有所不同，但区别要小得多，而且都是一个肤色——绿色。我们知道这些士兵使用的不是原装躯体，意识从贵种族年迈成员的躯体里被转移进了更强壮和健康的新躯体。新躯体经过了大量基因改造，改造得甚至不能生育，无论是在成员之间还是与未经改造的人类。但他们仍旧被认为是人类，尤其是从脑组织的角度来说。 “但第三类，”凯南说着靠了回去，“萨根中尉，我们听说了一些故事。” “听说了什么？”萨根问。 “听说他们由死者创造而来，”凯南说，“听说是把死者的人类遗传物质与其他物种的基因混合再混合，就是想看看能制造出什么东西。听说他们之中有些成员虽然认为自己是人类，其实根本不像。听说他们生下来就是成年，拥有技能，但没有记忆。不但没有记忆，也没有自我。没有道德感。没有约束。没有——”他顿了顿，像是在寻找合适的字眼。“用你们的话说，”他最后说，“没有人性。在成年躯体里的儿童战士。可憎的怪物。殖民地联盟的工具，用来执行某些任务，这些任务他们不能或不愿交给拥有人生经验和道德自我的士兵，或信仰神灵以至担心遭受报应的士兵。” “一位科学家居然会关心灵魂，”萨根说，“这有违实用主义。” “我是科学家，但我也是勒雷伊人，”凯南说，“我知道我有灵魂，而且我很注意它。萨根中尉，你有灵魂吗？” “据我所知，凯南主管，没有，”萨根说，“灵魂难以量化。” “那么你是第三种人类了。”凯南说。 “没错。”萨根说。 “用死者的血肉构造而来。”凯南说。 “用她的基因，”萨根说，“不是血肉。” “基因构造血肉，中尉。基因梦见血肉，灵魂栖息之所。”凯南说。 “现在你又是诗人了。”萨根说。 “引用而已，”凯南说，“一位勒雷伊哲学家说的，他也是科学家。可惜你不知道。能问一下你几岁吗？” “七岁，快八岁了，”萨根说，“约合四个半赫克德。” “这么年轻，”凯南说，“像你这么大的勒雷伊人多半还没上学。中尉，我比你大十多倍。” “但你却成了我的俘虏。”萨根说。 “确实，”凯南赞同道。“真希望能换个别的环境见面，中尉，我很愿意研究一下你。” “这话我不知道该怎么回答，”萨根说，“从你所谓'研究'的意思来说，道谢好像不太适合。” “可以让你一直活着的。”凯南说。 “哦，好极了，”萨根说，“不过你似乎要如愿以偿了，虽然方式有所不同。你现在应该明白自己的囚犯身份了吧，不过这次是真的，而且这辈子都只能当囚犯了。” “你开始说那些我们政府或许感兴趣的事情时我就猜到了，”凯南说，“例如扔石块云云。看来你是打算处决我喽？” “我们人类很讲求实际，凯南主管，”萨根说，“你拥有我们很感兴趣的知识，如果愿意配合，没理由不让你继续研究人类的基因和大脑。不过是为了我们，而非勒雷伊人。” “但我必须背叛我的人民。”凯南说。 “正是如此。”萨根承认道。 “那我还是宁可死掉算了。”凯南说。 “恕我直言，主管先生，你要是真这么想，大概就不会干掉想杀死你的艾尼沙人了，”萨根说，“我认为你想活下去。” “也许吧，”凯南说，“但不管你猜得对不对，孩子，我现在都跟你没什么可说的了。我的自由意志愿意透露的内容已经说完了。” 萨根对凯南微笑道：“主管先生，你知道人类和勒雷伊人有什么共同之处吗？” “我们有不少共同之处，”凯南答道，“随你挑。” “基因，”萨根说，“人类和勒雷伊人的基因序列大不相同，这点不必多讲，但从宏观层面说，我们颇为相似，特别是我们都各继承双亲的一组基因。双亲性交繁殖。” “有性繁殖物种的性繁殖过程都很标准，”凯南说，“有些物种是三亲甚至四亲繁殖，但为数极少，因为效率太低。” “毫无疑问，”萨根说，“主管先生，听说过弗洛尼希综合征吗？” “勒雷伊人罕见的一种基因疾病，”凯南答道，“非常罕见。” “据我所知，这种疾病起因于两个并无关联的基因组的缺陷，”萨根说，“一个基因组调节神经细胞发育，尤其是细胞周围的电绝缘神经鞘。第二个基因组调节的勒雷伊人器官能产生类似于人类淋巴的物质。这种物质的作用部分与淋巴相同，部分不同。人类淋巴拥有一定的导电能力，但勒雷伊人的这种物质是电绝缘的。就我们对勒雷伊人生理学的了解而言，你们淋巴的电绝缘性质没有特别的好处或坏处，就像人类淋巴的导电特性既不加分也不减分一样——只是生来如此。” “是的。”凯南说。 “可是，对于不幸拥有两个神经发育基因缺陷的勒雷伊人来说，电绝缘性却非常有益，”萨根说，“这种液体充满勒雷伊人的细胞间隙，神经细胞也不例外，它确保神经的电信号不偏离正轨。勒雷伊人淋巴的有趣之处在于，它的成分由荷尔蒙控制，荷尔蒙信号只要有个微小变化就能让它从绝缘变得能导电。还是那句老话，对于大部分勒雷伊人来说，这一点不好也不坏。但假如有个勒雷伊人的神经细胞由于基因缺陷裸露在外——” “假如神经电信号泄露进入他的身体，结果将导致癫痫和惊厥，继而死亡。”凯南说，“之所以非常罕见，就因为这是致命的。因基因缺陷而发生淋巴导电和神经裸露的个体总是死于妊娠期，细胞刚开始分化，综合征就开始现形。” “但也有成年人弗洛尼希综合征发作，”萨根说，“基因编码在稍晚时候——成年早期——改变荷尔蒙信号。足以让个体繁殖后代，将基因传递下去。但另外一方面，要表达就得两组基因均有缺陷。” “没错，那是当然，”凯南说，“这就是弗洛尼希综合征如此罕见的第二个原因，单一个体很难同时拥有两组带缺陷的神经基因和两组在成年后导致淋巴器官内荷尔蒙变化的基因。你到底想说什么？” “主管先生，你登船后我们取了样本，证明你的基因会导致神经缺陷。”萨根说。 “但我没有荷尔蒙变化的基因缺陷，”凯南说，“否则我早就死了。弗洛尼希综合征在成年早期发病。” “此话不假，”萨根说，“但杀灭勒雷伊人淋巴器官内的特定细胞束就能诱发荷尔蒙变化。杀灭足够多分泌必要荷尔蒙的细胞束，器官仍然能产生淋巴液，只是特性有所不同。对你来说，是致命的特性。化学手段可以做到这一点。” 凯南的视线落在始终摆在桌上的注射器上：“这大概就是有此功能的化学药品吧。” “那是解毒剂。”萨根说。 简·萨根发现凯南·苏恩·苏主管自有其值得敬佩之处，他没有轻易崩溃。器官渐渐用新淋巴取代旧物质，液体成分发生变化，导电淋巴浓度逐步提高，全身各处神经随意失效，身体抽搐痉挛，整个身体的导电性每一分钟都在提高，他忍受了好几个钟头的痛苦。要是他没在最后一刻让步，恐怕想说话也说不出口了。 但他毕竟是垮掉了，哀求给他解毒剂。他终究还是想活命。萨根亲自为他注射解毒剂（事实上并不是解毒剂，因为死去的细胞束无法复活，他在余生中必须每日注射这东西）。解毒剂流遍凯南的全身，而萨根获悉有一场针对人类的战争正在酝酿之中，也知道了征服和扑灭所有人类的路线图。这场灭族屠杀计划周详，基于前所未有的三种族通力合作。 以及，一个人类。