Chapter 49 Chapter 48: Flying Beyond the Dark Side

For Heywood Floyd, the whole process seemed more like a classic slow-motion nightmare under the circumstances that the bridge of the Leonov ship suddenly became strange because it was no longer weightless.He had only been in a similar situation once before, when he was sitting in the back of a car with failed brakes, and he felt the same utter desperation—and kept thinking: This is not true—This is not It actually happened to me. Now that the ignition sequence had started, his mood had changed and it seemed real again.The process is going exactly as planned, and Hal is leading them safely back to Earth.Their future became more certain with each passing minute, and Floyd slowly began to relax, though he remained alert to what was going on around him.

The last time - when will humans come here again? —He is flying over the dark side of the planet Supreme, which can hold a thousand earths.The spacecraft's roll placed Leonlev between Discovery and Jupiter, giving them an unhindered view of the mysterious shimmering cloudscape.Even now, dozens of instruments are busy detecting and recording, and when they are gone, Hal will continue the work. The pressing crisis was over, and Floyd walked cautiously "down" the bridge—how strange it was to be back in gravity again, even though he weighed only ten kilograms! —Come to the lookout to stay with Rania and Katerina.The cabin was dark except for the very faint light of the red warning light, which gave them a perfect view of the night.He regretted that Max Bryrovski and Sasha Kovalev were fully dressed and sitting in the transition cabin at this time, and could not see this wonderful spectacle.They had to be ready to go, cutting the straps binding the two ships as soon as they were ordered to—if a piece of explosive didn't work.

Jupiter covered the entire sky and was now only 500 kilometers away, so they could only see a small area of ​​​​the surface-the same effect that people look down from 50 kilometers on Earth.Because Floyd's eyes were accustomed to dim light—mostly bouncing off the distant icy shell of Europa—it was able to make out an astonishingly rich amount of detail.There was no color to be seen in this dim twilight—except for the dark red dots here and there—but the banding of the clouds was clear, and he could see the entire small cyclone as a snowy oval. island. The "Great Dark Spot" was so far behind that they would not see it again until they were on their way home.

Below the clouds, there are occasional bursts of bright light, many apparently caused by thunderstorms on Jupiter.But other lights and shadows or light bursts have lasted for a long time, and their sources are even more uncertain.Sometimes the halo spreads out from the center like a shock wave, and occasionally there are rotating beams and fans.It doesn't take much imagination to think of them as examples of technological civilization beneath the clouds—the lights of cities, the lights of airways at airports.But radar and balloon probes have long proved that there is no solid matter thousands of kilometers down, down to the impossible-to-reach core of Jupiter.

Midnight on Jupiter!This last glimpse of intimacy would forever remain in his mind as a magical episode.He enjoys this moment more and more, indeed, only because now nothing will go wrong, and if it does, he has no reason to blame himself.He has gone to great lengths to ensure success. It was very quiet in the cabin, and no one wanted to speak as the clouds spread quickly like a carpet under their feet.Every few minutes, Tanya or Vasily announced the status quo, and as Discovery's burn came to an end, the tension flared up again.This is the most critical moment - no one knows when it will come.Some people doubt the accuracy of the fuel gauge, thinking that the ignition will continue until the fuel is completely exhausted.

"The flow is estimated to be cut off in ten seconds," Tanya said, "Walter, Chandra—ready to return. Max, Sasha Note) — on standby. Five...four...three...two...one...zero!" Nothing moved, they could still hear the low whine of Discovery's engines through the thick hulls of both ships, and the gravity of the thrust still bound their limbs.We're lucky, thought Floyd, the meter must be reading very low anyway.Every second of extra firing is a reward, and it might even mean the difference between life and death.How queer to hear counting up instead of counting down!

"Five seconds...ten seconds...thirteen seconds. That's it—Lucky Thirteen!" The weightlessness and silence returned, and there was a brief cheer from both ships.But the voice died away quickly, because there was still a lot of work to be done—and it had to be done quickly. Floyd wanted to go to the transition module so he could congratulate Chandra and Konow once they got back to the ship, but doing so would only get in the way of work.The transition chamber is a busy place right now, as Max and Sasha prepare for a possible EVA, and the connecting pipe between the two ships is being cut.He can only wait here on the watchtower to welcome the triumphant hero.

And he could relax a little more now—maybe eight or seven on his usual scale.For the first time in weeks, he was able to forget about the wireless breaker.No more need for that thing, Hal was perfect.And even if he wanted to now, with the last drop of fuel on the Discovery exhausted, he couldn't do anything to affect the plan. "All aboard," Sasha announced. "The hatch is sealed. I'm ready to detonate." The detonation of the explosives was so quiet that Floyd, who had expected a considerable amount of noise, would reach his ears—through the steel-like straps that connected the two ships.But there was no doubt that they had separated as planned, and the Leonov trembled slightly, as if someone was knocking on its hull.A minute later, Vasily manipulated the attitude engine of the spacecraft for a brief ignition.

"We're free!" he yelled. "Sasha, Max—the alarm is off! Everyone back in their hammocks—fire in a hundred seconds!" Now that Jupiter was receding, a strange new thing appeared outside the window—the long, bony frame of Discovery, its lights still flickering as it drifted away from them and merged into history.There was no time for a sentimental farewell, as the Leonov's engines would start in less than a minute. Floyd had never heard the engine in full swing, and now he wished desperately to shield his ears from the cosmic roar.Leonov's designers didn't intend to waste the payload on the ship's sound insulation, the need for which would only account for a few hours of a multi-year voyage.And his weight seemed frighteningly large - yet only a quarter of what he would normally have been in his lifetime.

Within minutes, the Discovery had disappeared behind the stern, although the flash of its warning lights could still be seen before it fell below view.Once again, Floyd told himself, I was orbiting Jupiter—this time speeding up, not slowing down.He glanced at Rania, only to see her nose pressed against the observation window in the darkness.Did she also recall the last time, when they shared the hammock?Now there was no danger of cremation, at least she no longer had to worry about such a tragic fate.In any case, she looked happier and more confident now, no doubt thanks to Max - and perhaps Walter.

She must have realized his scrutiny, turned her head and smiled, and gestured towards the rolling cloudscape under her feet. "Look!" she yelled into his ear, "Jupiter has a new moon!" What is she trying to express?Floyd asked himself.Although her English is still not very good, it is impossible for her to make mistakes in such a simple sentence.I'm sure I heard right - but she's pointing down, not up... Then he realized that the scenery flying by under their feet had become brighter, and he could see yellows and greens that he hadn't been able to distinguish before.Something much brighter than Europa's is shining through Jupiter's clouds. Leonov itself, many times brighter than Jupiter's noonday sun, brought an illusory dawn to a world it would never return to.The stern trailed a trail of hundreds of kilometers of incandescent plasma, the embers of Sakharov's engines draining energy in the vacuum of space. Vasily was announcing something, but the content was completely indistinguishable.Floyd glanced at his watch, well, now is the time.They had reached Jupiter escape velocity, and there was no way the behemoth could catch them again. Then, thousands of kilometers ahead, a great arc of brilliant light emerged—the first glimpse of Jupiter's true dawn, as dazzling as a rainbow on Earth.Seconds later, the rising sun greeted them—a sun of radiant brilliance that would grow brighter and closer each day from now on. After a few more minutes of steady acceleration, the Leonov will embark on the long journey home without hesitation.Floyd felt an overwhelming sense of relief and relief that the immutable laws of gravitational astronomy would lead him through the inner solar system, through the asteroid belt, past Mars—and nothing would stop him back to Earth. In this moment of joy, he had long forgotten the mysterious black spot that was expanding on the surface of Jupiter.