Chapter 17 Chapter 15 The Change of Venus

But when he awoke the next morning, they had reached Venus.But that gigantic, shimmering crescent eyebrow, still shrouded in clouds, was not the most astonishing object in the sky.The Goliath is floating above an endless stretch of crumpled silver foil, which also reflects sunlight and creates colorful patterns as the spacecraft floats by. Poole remembers that if the artist of his day had been given the opportunity to wrap billions of tons of ice in shiny envelopes, he would How happy!Only in this way can the comet nucleus be prevented from evaporating during the tens of years of heliotropic voyage.

"You're in luck, Frank," Chandler told him. "Even I haven't seen this. It's going to be spectacular. The impact is going to be over an hour away, and we're pushing the ice core a little bit so that it It landed in the right spot. We don't want anyone getting hurt." Poole looked at him in surprise. "You mean—there are people on Venus already?" "About 50 mad scientists, near the South Pole. They're deep underground, of course, but we'll give them a jolt - although the landing site is on the other side of the planet, or maybe it should be said 'air point' ’ Well—it’s going to be days, nothing but shockwaves.”

Glowing cometary iceberg in protective case, gradually shrinking as it drifts toward Venus.A sour memory flashed through Poole's mind: the Christmas tree in his childhood was also decorated with such delicate glass balls.The comparison is not entirely unfounded, as it is still gift-giving season for many families on Earth, and the Goliath is bringing priceless gifts to another world. Radar images of the devastated Venusian landscape filled the main screen of Goliath's control center—grotesque mountains, pancake-like domes, and slender, winding canyons, but Poole wanted to see for himself.While the complete sea of ​​clouds surrounding the planet doesn't reveal anything about the hell below, he wants to see what happens when a comet strikes.In just a few seconds, the accumulating speed of these hydrates from the edge of the solar system will be turned into energy and completely released...

The initial flash was stronger than Poole expected.How strange that a missile made of ice can produce a high temperature of at least tens of thousands of degrees!The fiery blue color of the fireball showed that it was hotter than the sun, though the viewport's filter must have absorbed all the harmful shortwave. As the range expands, it also cools down rapidly, and the color changes from yellow to orange to red... The shock wave must now expand outward at the speed of sound (what kind of sound should that be?), so within a few minutes, it should be You can see the way it travels on Venus.

Appeared!There is only a small black circle, like an insignificant little smoke ring, but the violent cyclone bursting out from the impact point is completely invisible.As Poole watched, the cyclone slowly expanded, but because of the proportions, there was no sign of movement.He'd have to wait a full minute before he was sure it had really grown. In a quarter of an hour, however, it had become the most prominent icon on the planet; though it was much lighter in color, a dirty gray rather than black.The shock wave is now an irregular circular shape, more than 1,000 kilometers in diameter.Poole guessed that it must have met the mountains below and formed a jagged shape, losing its original perfect symmetry.

Captain Chandler's brisk voice came from the ship's communication system. "Connecting to Eros base, glad they didn't yell for help—" "—shocked us a bit, but as expected. The monitors showed that there had been a little rain in the Nokmiian mountains—it would evaporate quickly, but it was always a beginning. The Hecate Rift seemed There's flash flooding - too good to believe, but we're confirming. Since the last delivery, there's been a temporary boiling lake -" I don't envy them, Poole told himself, but I admire them.In this perhaps too cozy, too cozy a club, they prove that the spirit of adventure still exists.

"—thank you again for getting your cargo to the right place. With luck and a sunscreen that can be brought into synchronous orbit—before long we'll have permanent oceans. Then we'll be able to plant coral reefs to make lime , to fix excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere...hope I live to see this!" I wish you could too, Poole thought silently, admiringly.He often dives in the tropical waters of the earth, admiring the weird and colorful creatures.Corals are weird enough, and I'm afraid you won't find weirder animals on planets in other solar systems. "The package was delivered on time, and the receipt is confirmed." Captain Chandler's voice was clearly satisfied, "Goodbye Venus. Ganymede, here we come!"

Miss Prinkle File Folder - Wallace Hi Indira.Wow, you're quite right, I do miss our little argument.Chandler and I got on pretty well, and at first the crew treated me like (you'll find it funny) some relic of a saint.But they have gradually accepted me, and even started to tease me. (Know this term?) No way to talk in real time is really annoying - we're already crossing the orbit of Mars, so it takes over an hour for the airwaves to go back and forth.But this is also good, you can't interrupt me... With Jupiter only a week away, I thought I'd have time to rest, but I didn't: I was already itching and couldn't resist going back to school.So I did basic training on a mini-shuttle on the Goliath, all from scratch.Maybe Tim will let me go solo...

It's not actually much bigger than Discovery's pod, but it's so different!First, of course, it doesn't use rocket propulsion.I'm not used to the luxury of inertial engines and unlimited range.I could fly back to Earth if necessary - but I might get sick from boredom. (Remember that phrase I used last time, the one you guessed right away?) But the biggest difference is its control system. For me, it is really a big challenge to get used to "hands-free operation"-and the computer has to learn to understand my voice commands.At first it would ask me every five minutes, "Do you really mean that?" I knew it would be better to use a brain cap, but I just couldn't quite trust that thing.I don't know if I can get used to having something read my mind...

By the way, the space shuttle is called "Peregrine", which is a good name - it's disappointing that no one on board knows that the name actually dates back to the "Apollo missions", the first time humans landed on the moon... ...aha!I still have a lot to say, but the boss of the ship is calling, I have to go back to the professor!Goodbye. archive send Hi Frank - Indira calls (should be the right usage!) with my new "thought writer" - the old one had a nervous breakdown lol - so there must be a lot of mistakes - too late to edit before sending - I hope you can understand.

Command set!Channel 1, not Channel 3 - Taping begins at 12:30 - Correction - 13:30.Sorry... wish I could fix the old machine - it knows all my shortcuts and abbreviations - maybe, like in your day, should send it for psychoanalysis - I don't understand why that liar - - I said Floyd lol - the bullshit can go on till now - Reminds me of - happen to see late 20th century definition one day - you might find it funny - something like this - quote - psychoanalysis - a contagious disease from early 20th century Vienna — Presently extinct in Europe, but occasionally heard among wealthy Americans, end of quote.fun, right? I'm sorry--the trouble with the thought writer-- just can't stop thinking-- Damn... stop... backup. Am I doing something wrong?I'll try again. You mentioned Danny...sorry we keep dodging questions about him - know you're curious, but we have excellent reasons - remember when you said he wasn't human? Although it is not in the middle, it is not far away...! You once asked me about modern crime - I said anyone with that interest was crazy - maybe the endless sick TV programs of your time encouraged that - I myself couldn't even I can't stand it...it's disgusting! Door - confirm! - oh, hi, Melinda - sorry - do it - it's almost over... Yes—speaking of crime.In society—there will always be some noise that cannot be eliminated, so what should we do? Your solution - prison.False factory paid for by the state - costing ten times the average family income to hold a prisoner!Crazy as hell... Apparently the guys who yell the loudest and talk about building more prisons are definitely in their heads - they should be psychoanalyzed!But honestly - until electronic surveillance and electronic control is perfect, you really have no other choice - you should really look at the situation of ecstatic people smashing prison walls, compared to - 50 years ago after the fall of the berlin wall , I have never seen such a grand occasion! Yes - Danny.I don't know what crime he committed - and if I did I wouldn't tell you - but presumably his mental profile made him fit for the - what name? ——Nan Hu——No, it's a manservant.Some jobs are hard to find - wonder how we're going to live if the crime rate is zero!In any case, I hope he can finish his sentence as soon as possible and return to normal society. Sorry Melinda – it’s almost there. That's it, Frank - say hello to Dimitri for me - you must be halfway to Ganymede by now - wonder if they can overthrow Einstein so we can talk in real time across space ! Hope this machine can get used to me quickly.Or you'll have to find a real 20th century word processor... believe it? ——I used to be very good at typing on the keyboard, that thing that took you hundreds of years to get rid of. Goodbye. Hi Frank - it's me again.Still waiting for a reply to my last letter... How strange that you and my old friend Ted Khan both headed towards Ganymede.But maybe that's no coincidence: he and you are drawn to the same mystery... I've never seen anyone develop such an interest in religion—no, fanaticism at all.Better warn you, he can be boring. By the way, how did I behave this time?I miss the old Thought Writer so much, but this one seems to be getting under control too.Not bad--what do you say? —no mistakes—eat thumbtacks—eat screws—at least so far— I don't know if I should tell you, I'm afraid you will accidentally slip up.However, I secretly nicknamed Ted "The Last Jesuit."You should know a little bit about them. In your time, their precepts were still popular. Great people—usually great scientists—great scholars—do as much good as bad.The greatest irony of all time is one of the Seekers of Truth - pious and wise seekers of knowledge and truth, yet their whole logic is hopelessly distorted by superstition... Wenbing □ 纟 Dear 21 Different Water Concave Ge Yu Damn, too excited to lose control.One, two, three, four... twinkle twinkle twinkle... that's much better. Anyway, Ted is notorious for his noble determination; don't argue with him - he'll run you over like a steamroller. By the way, what is a steam roller?Is it for ironing clothes?It must be uncomfortable to see... Trouble with thought writers...it's easy to run wild, no matter how hard you try to control yourself...it's time for the keyboard to do the talking...I told you... Ted Khan...Ted Khan...Ted Khan... He has at least two other quotes that are well known on Earth: "Civilization and Religion Cannot Coexist," and "Faith is believing what you know to be false." In fact, I don't believe the latter is original; if true, then But it was the most joke-like thing he ever said.He didn't even move the corners of his mouth when I told him one of my favorite jokes - I hope you haven't heard it... Definitely a joke from your day... The president of a certain university complained to several professors: "Why do you scientists need such expensive equipment? Why can't you just have a blackboard and a wastebasket like the mathematics department? The philosophy department is better, and they even have wastebaskets. No need to..." Well, maybe Ted has heard it before... I think most philosophers have heard it... Well, anyway, say hello to him for me--and don't, don't argue with him! Blessings from the Tower of Africa. record, save Teleport - Poole