Chapter 22 Chapter 17 Black Snow Valley

Captain Zombie accidentally refuted the view that the passengers used EVA, but he also thought that it was extremely absurd that these passengers tried every means to come here, but it was extremely absurd to prevent them from stepping on the comet. "As long as you're doing what you're told, you'll be fine," he explained briefly, "even though you've never worn spacesuits before, and I believe only Lieutenant Colonel Greenberg and Dr. It's comfortable to ride, and it's fully automatic. Once you step out of the capsule, you don't have to worry about controls and adjustments at all.

"There is only one rule that must be followed, that is, only two people can use Yiwei at a time. Each of you will be escorted by a special person, and we will tie you with a five-meter-long safety rope, which can be extended if necessary." to twenty metres. Beyond that, you'll be tied to two cables from the wires we've pulled all over the valley. The rules on the road are the same as on Earth, keep to the right, and if you're trying to overtake anyone, You just have to unbuckle, but one of you has to be on the tether—directly so there’s no danger of floating into space. Any questions?”

"How long can we stay outside?" "As you like, Mobella. But I suggest you come back as soon as you feel a little uncomfortable. An hour might be the best time for a first outing, although it feels like ten minutes..." Captain Smith was right.As Dr. Buddha stared at his time display, he could hardly believe that forty minutes had passed.But it shouldn't be so surprising, because it's still some distance away from the spacecraft. As an older passenger (no matter from which point of view), he has the right to use Yi Wei first, but he does not have the right to choose a companion.

"Take the Yiwei with Merlin!" Mihailovich giggled, "Doctor Buddha, how could you refuse!" He added with a wicked smile, "Since, these damn clothes can't let you do what you want deviant activities." Merlin agreed to go with him, although he didn't hesitate at all, but he wasn't particularly excited either.Dr. Fo thought it was normal with a cold expression, saying that he was enlightened was not correct, he had no illusions at his age, but he was indeed a little disappointed, disappointed with himself, not with Merlin.She is as immune to criticism or praise as the Mona Lisa (the two are often compared).

Of course, this comparison is ridiculous. The charm of Merlin lies in her unique combination of purity and good figure.Half a century later, the influence of both elements is still visible, at least in her adoring eyes. Dr. Buddha must admit, however reluctantly, that what she lacks is a real personality.When he tried to keep his mind on her, all he could see was the role she had played.He might reluctantly agree with what a critic once said: "Eva Merlin is the symbol of all men's desires, but the mirror has no personality." Now the unique and mysterious creature floats beside him as his guide moves along the two cables that encircle the Black Snow Valley.That was its name, and he was proud of it like a child, even though it couldn't be on any map, because there couldn't be a map that could depict as changeable a geography as Earth's weather.He was intoxicated in the landscape that no one would ever see, and never could ever see me, in the landscape around him.

On Mars or on the Moon, if you use your imagination and ignore the different sky, you can pretend you are on Earth.But here it was impossible, for the towering, snow-sculpted mountain showed its very little tolerance for gravity.You have to watch your surroundings very carefully to determine which way is up. Black Snow Valley is unusual in that it has a rather rigid structure: a rocky reef buried under variable currents and frozen hydrocarbons.Geologists are still debating its origin, with some suggesting that it was really part of a small planet that slammed into a comet many years ago; Collins has pointed out that it is a complex organic mixture somewhat like frozen coke, and can Make sure it was never influenced by living things during its formation.

The layer of "snow" that covered the small valley was not completely black, and when Dr. Buddha shot his strobe at it, it shone like it hid a million tiny diamonds.He doubts that Halley actually has diamonds, because there is absolutely enough carbon there, but it is almost certain that the temperatures and pressures required to form diamonds have never been produced on Halley. On an impulse, Dr. Buddha reached the ground and grabbed two handfuls of snow, he had to kick the safety rope with his foot to do so, and he did it in a very comical way, like a tightrope walker, except It's just head and foot.There was absolutely no resistance from the brittle surface as he buried his head and shoulders down, and then he pulled slowly with his rope, filling his hands with the Harley's substance.

When he loosened the crystals into a ball the size of his palm, he hoped to feel it through the isolation glove.There it was, glowing elusively black as he looked at it over and over. Suddenly, he imagined that it became completely white and brought him back to his childhood in the playground where he played in winter. He even heard the roar of his playmates who insulted and threatened him with snowballs made of white snow. The memory is brief and fragmentary because it carries a haunting sadness.After a century passed, he couldn't remember a single imaginary friend who had surrounded him, though some he knew he had loved.

His eyes filled with tears, and his fingers clenched the comet's snowball.Then the illusion faded away, he was himself again, and it was not a time for sorrow but a time for pride. "My God!" Dr. Buddha yelled, his voice echoing in his small, reflective spacesuit. "I'm standing on Halley's Comet, what more can I ask for! Even if a damaged rock hits me now, I won't have any regrets!" He raised his arms and threw snowballs to the stars in the sky.It was so small and so dark that it disappeared almost immediately, but he continued to watch the sky. Suddenly, as it rose into the rays of the sun behind the horizon, the snowball reappeared unexpectedly in a burst of light, black as soot, yet able to Reflect that blinding light back, making it easy to see in the shimmering sky.

Dr. Fo stared at the snowball until it disappeared completely, either evaporated or reduced in size by distance.Dr. Buddha's snowball wouldn't last long under the intense radiation overhead, but how many people can claim to have ever created a comet of their own?