Chapter 26 Chapter 24 Escape

"Give me manual control, please." "Are you sure, Frank?" "Very sure, Peregrine... thank you." Although it seems rather illogical, most people find that no matter how simple-minded their artificial descendants are, they have to be polite to them.Books and books on psychology, as well as popular guides (“How to Avoid Breaking Your Computer,” “The Real Wrath of Artificial Intelligence”), have been written about human/machine etiquette.It was decided long ago that no matter how trivial it may appear to be rude to a computer, it should be dissuaded.Because, this can easily be extended to the relationship between people.

The Peregrine was already in orbit at this time, and as the flight plan proposed, it came safely to 2,000 kilometers above Europa.A huge crescent eyebrow occupies the sky in front of the eyes, and even if the place is not illuminated by the sun, it is clearly illuminated by the distant sun.Without the aid of any optics, Poole could see his intended destination, on the shore of the calm, frozen Galilean Sea, not far from the skeleton of the first spacecraft to land on this world.Although the Eurostar duo had removed all its metal parts, the unfortunate Chinese spacecraft still honored its crew like a monument; Named "Qian's Village".

Poole decided to descend above the surface of the sea first, and then slowly flew towards Qian's village-hoping that this approach would appear friendly, or at least non-aggressive.Although he himself admitted that this idea was too naive, he couldn't think of a better way.Then, suddenly, just as he was falling below 1,000 kilometers, someone interrupted him—not the kind he expected, but he expected it. "Garyyne Control Center called Peregrine, you have exceeded your flight plan. Please report the status immediately." It is difficult to ignore such an urgent request, but in this case, it has to be done.

A full 30 seconds later, Ganymede repeated the message after approaching Europa another 100 kilometers.Poole ignored it again, but not the Peregrine. "Are you sure you want to do this, Frank?" the shuttle asked.Poole knew it was his imagination, but he could have sworn there was a tinge of uneasiness in its voice. "Pretty sure, Peregrine. I know exactly what I'm doing." That's certainly not true, and from now on, more lies may be told, and to a more worldly object.On the edge of the control panel, a light that was rarely activated lit up.Poole smiled contentedly: everything went according to plan.

"This is Ganymede Control Center! Can you hear me, Peregrine? You're using manual takeover so I can't assist you. What's going on, why are you continuing to descend towards Europa? Please report back immediately." Poole was beginning to have a bad conscience.He thought he recognized the controller's voice, and was almost certain to be the charming lady whom he had met at the welcome party hosted by the mayor shortly after he arrived in Wolfshen City.Her voice sounded genuinely worried. Suddenly, he knew how to appease her, and he could try methods that he had dismissed as too absurd.Maybe it's still worth a try, of course there will be no negative effects, and maybe it will be successful.

"I'm Frank Poole, calling from the Peregrine. I'm fine, but it appears that some force has taken over the control systems and is taking the shuttle to Europa. Hope you get this message— I will continue to give back as much as possible." Well, he didn't really lie to the concerned controller, he hoped he could be honest with her one day. He continued talking, trying to sound sincere rather than fringing the truth. "Repeat, this is Frank Poole on the space shuttle Peregrine, descending towards the surface of Europa. I'm guessing some external force is controlling my shuttle and will bring us down safely.

"David, this is your old partner Frank. Are you controlling me? I have reason to believe you are on Europa. "If that's the case, I hope to see you—wherever you are, whatever you are." It never occurred to him that anyone would respond.Even Ganymede Control Center seemed too shocked to speak. But from a certain point of view, he also got the answer.The Peregrine still landed unimpeded towards the Sea of ​​Galileo. Europa is just 50 kilometers below; with the naked eye Poole can now see that narrow black strip where the largest slab stands guard (if it does), at Chin's the edge of the village.

For 1,000 years, no human has come so close.